Here's to Summer Camp!

By Naturalist Anne Gundrum

For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by animals. I grew up in the Milwaukee suburbs, close to a pond where my sisters and I would catch frogs. Every summer for about 15 years my family and I would visit my aunt in Northwest Indiana, where we would go to West Beach to find toads.

When I was younger, I did not know there was a summer camp called Dunes Learning Center only two hours away from my hometown where I could explore natural spaces and learn about the animals I already loved. Becoming an Interpretive Naturalist here at DLC was actually my first time attending any sort of summer camp. Working here has made me realize how much fun I missed out on as a child by not going to camp!

During the summer camp season, we went on hikes where we not only found frogs but salamanders, snakes and lizards too! I learned -- and taught the campers -- about different types of plants (some you can even eat!), had campfires, sang songs and put on funny skits, and made many new friends.

I encourage everyone to attend at least one nature summer camp in your life; you learn so much about the world around you, along with team building skills, how to socialize with new people, and overall have a lot of fun. It is truly an amazing experience you won’t ever forget! Registration for Dunes Camp 2020 is now open, https://duneslearningcenter.org/summer, so tell everyone you know that we’re here! We can’t wait to meet the amazing young people you send to us!

Anne Gundrum

Naturalist