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A surprise August storm greeted 25 excited third through sixth graders as they got off the school bus at the Dworshak Dam Visitors Center. This was the first day of a four-day science and conservation-based summer day camp in Orofino, Idaho, made possible through a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fish Funds grant.
“Let’s circle up kids,” a morning greeting that became a familiar welcome to the day. Each day started with silly ice breaker games led by University of Idaho Extension 4-H AmeriCorps intern, Ava Goetz. The first day of camp was held at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dworshak Dam. Campers got up close and personal with “nuisance water” (a collection point for any seepage water within a dam) and visited areas deep inside the dam where stalactites and stalagmites have developed on the hard granite tunnels, learned about power generation, and practiced water safety and rescue skills.
Days two and three were held at Dworshak National Fish Hatchery where the focus was on fish and forests. The campers experienced the “Splash Zone” caused when adult spring Chinook salmon pour onto the hatchery’s sorting table. They got a little slimy learning about salmon anatomy and anadromous fish migration while creating Gyotaku fish prints of adult steelhead. Next, we spent a day in the hatchery pollinator garden getting a very close look at honeybees and learning about pollinators, their habitat, and our reliance on them for our many of our food crops.
On our final day, we took a field trip to Dworshak State Park’s Freeman Creek. The day’s objectives were recreation and fun! The Fisheries and Aquatic Science, Water Connects us All educational trailer provided the fishing gear and games. At the end of the day, before we loaded back onto the bus, we had a final circle and reflected on the week with round of Roses and Thorns. One participant summed it up, “The entire camp was a rose and there were no thorns".
Dworshak Explorers Summer Camp, held August 5-8, 2024, was the first of its kind for kids in the Orofino, Idaho area. This free day camp was a success due to the collaboration and support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Dworshak National Fish Hatchery, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dworshak Dam, University of Idaho Extension 4-H program, the Nez Perce Tribe, and Dworshak State Park.
