An Arroyo Adventure
Summer program continues to grow
On a hot summer day this past August, 15 children ambled over a dusty trail at the Audubon Center at Debs Park. They had just spent the afternoon looking in on wildlife such as crayfish, dragonflies, and ravens at Peanut Lake.
Then suddenly, right at eye level, a Red-Tailed Hawk sailed by on silent wings. The raptor was almost close enough to touch. Smiles grew across the children’s faces. Many had never seen a hawk this close before.
It was a magical moment during a week filled with amazing nature experiences.
This summer, 60 kids spent a week participating in the Center’s summer day camp program. The program, dubbed an Arroyo Adventure, focused on the land, plants, animals, people and water in the Arroyo Seco watershed. The Adventure encouraged kids to explore streams, visit the Angeles National Forest, catch frogs and lizards, go on hikes, plant seeds, sing songs and, most of all, feel comfortable in nature.
Days were action-packed with outdoor activities designed to be hands-on, educational and fun.
“Summer Day Camp embodies much of what the Center represents,” said Jeff Chapman, master teacher naturalist at the Audubon Center at Debs Park. “We were able to immerse campers in this place, the Arroyo Seco, and help them understand that nature isn’t something that is far away and only to be seen on television, but is all around us all of the time.”
Chapman added: “It allowed us to teach kids that their actions have an impact on nature. Whether we were making a bird bath for our feathered neighbors or collecting seeds of a rare plant, the kids were encouraged and given the tools to make choices that benefit nature.”
This summer, the program’s third, saw twice as many children as in previous years. Most of the campers lived just a few miles from the Center, and approximately 40 percent of the campers received financial aid.
The Center received funding for program expenses, including financial aid, from Wild Birds Unlimited, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Audubon Society, the Pasadena Audubon Society and the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council. Los Angeles City Council members José Huizar (CD 14) and Ed Reyes (CD 1) provided buses for the field trips to the Angeles National Forest.
