By BeBe Dalton Harrison, SCWF Director of Education

High school students from across the state gathered recently at King’s Mountain State Park to take part in Camp Wildwood, a conservation camp founded in 1954. Campers attending the camp are selected after being nominated by a teacher or other advisor and take part in daily classes including Wildlife, Fisheries, Forestry, Hunter Education, Boating, and more. In addition to the classes, campers participate in hikes, crazy sports, team building, leadership development, and dances. This camp is an excellent opportunity for high school students to learn more about careers in natural resources and the outdoors. In addition, the campers form incredible family-like bonds through their “niches” (groups with whom they attend class). One interesting part of this camp is that all of the counselors were once campers themselves, so they know first-hand what a strong impact the camp can be for students. Many of the counselors and staff have even gone into natural resources careers because of the impact of the camp (including the author of this article!)

The South Carolina Wildlife Federation (SCWF) is a proud sponsor of Camp Wildwood. In addition to SCWF, other sponsors include the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Garden Club of South Carolina, the Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund, and South Carolina Parks and Recreation. Camp Wildwood is held annually in June at Kings Mountain State Park and you can find out more information about it by visiting https://www.campwildwoodsc.com/.