LAND AS TEACHER
Environmental awareness has always been part of Camp St. Christopher’ s identity. Long before the camp developed a formal ecological curriculum, the staff recognized that the property itself was their greatest teacher.“ Even before the Barrier Island program existed, there was always an understanding that being in nature forms people,” says Rev. Laura Rezac, St. Christopher’ s executive director.“ Wilderness teaches things we can’ t teach in a classroom.”
In 1981, that philosophy became the foundation for the Barrier Island Environmental Education Program, which now brings students from South Carolina and beyond to study the island’ s ecosystems through direct experience. Students stay for two nights, moving through a rare combination of ecosystems— salt marsh, dunes, maritime forest, freshwater wetlands, and beach.
The program is intentionally hands-on. Students walk the beach to learn about dune structure, handle reptiles under supervision, identify birds, study pluff mud, and hike wooded trails. One of the camp’ s most memorable components is the salt marsh walk, which ends with the camp’ s wellknown“ mud pit.”“ It’ s something they’ ll remember for the rest of their lives,” says Tyler Harris, associate director of barrier island education.“ Chaperones show up who came here as kids, and the first thing they mention is the mud.”
For many students, these experiences are firsts— the first alligator sighting, first time smelling pluff mud, first time seeing the difference between fresh and brackish water.“ Some of the kids have never been to the beach or seen a dolphin except on TV,” says Katie Sullivan, director of student ministries.“ Here, they see it in real life. That matters.”
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