The Importance of a Camp Experience

By Naturalist Reid Mosson

It was 2007 and I was in fourth grade. I was sitting at a round table and pouring a glass of lemonade for a girl in my class, when it suddenly overflowed. This is my first memory of Dunes Learning Center, when I came for a Frog in the Bog school study trip. My first ever camp experience consisted of staying two nights in the Cottonwood cabin, as well as trying my favorite wild edible to this day, peppergrass, during our Cowles Bog Hike. 

That shy fourth grade boy who had his first camp experience at DLC went on to attend two 4-H camps in consecutive summers to increase his knowledge of and connection to the world around him. During high school, he was a camp counselor at that 4-H camp, where he discovered a love for leading groups and educating children. 

Many years later, that same boy is once again at the Dunes Learning Center. This time he is no longer staying in the cabins, but still spills things constantly. He has the pleasure of teaching students about the same things he learned here, including his beloved peppergrass. Sometimes he teaches about invasive species and ecosystems, other times he teaches life skills like public speaking. 

As that little boy who came to Frog in the Bog, I understand the importance of a camp experience. Although the name of my naturalist escapes me, the memories I made and life skills I learned at DLC still stick with me today. As a naturalist, I now have the opportunity to instill these life skills into the students that come to Dunes Learning Center. I know that I owe a lot of my life successes to my 4-H camp experience, both as a camper and counselor. But none of that would have been possible if that shy fourth grade boy hadn’t come to Dunes Learning Center to try peppergrass and spend a few days in the woods!

Reid Mosson

Naturalist