Nature Girls On-the-Go campers enjoyed activities including hiking and fishing while at Tuckahoe State Park.
gardens, and nature play space adventure camps for youth. One, areas have brought the people of the C & O Canal Cycling Camp, had Montgomery County a place of refuge in nature and a launching point of 100 miles on the C & O Canal
pre-teens and teens bike a total
for wonder and joy. Our central over the course of four days, while mission is to“ connect people to camping each night at a nearby nature.” We offer educational programs for all ages, from infants to more difficult when camp coin-
campground. This feat was made
seniors. Collectively, our staff bring cided with the heat dome that hit more than 100 years of experience Maryland in early July. in a wide range of skills, including Staff set precautions in place. wildlife identification, kayaking, Campers started earlier in the day native plant gardening, and child to beat the heat. Cooling towels development. were provided to each camper
Summer camps are a key and ice water to wet them. Bikers part of our nature program offerings. This summer we offered two breaks— much of the C & O Canal
took frequent ice water and shade is shaded, which helped. The campers each received a fan for their tents, and after biking each day, the campers and staff had dinner indoors in air-conditioned buildings to reset and cool off.
Eight youth participated in the Cycling Camp and completed the entire 100 miles. Considering the high heat, this achievement was especially remarkable.
This is the second year in a row there has been a heat dome during this camp. This risk of high heat will only continue to grow, underscoring the need for continued planning and flexibility when planning this camp for the future. With worse conditions, the camp may need to be canceled if adjustments and accommodations are not enough.
Our second adventure camp, Nature Girls On-the-Go, brought a group of teen girls to Tuckahoe State Park for three nights of camping, nature activities, and hands on conservation work. Participants planted native species as part of a wetland restoration project, went mothing, visited the park’ s aviary, and met women working in nature-related careers.
Environmental challenges affected this camp as well. Temperatures again hit 100 degrees, and as the week progressed, wildfire smoke from Canada drifted down the East Coast. New considerations had to be made— just breathing outside was something to assess the safety of.
While campers were able to sleep outside one evening, the following morning, air quality had progressively become more severe. We were mandated to have all staff indoors by 11 am and followed suit
42 plenty I autumn harvest 2026