A dozen 4-H’ers from around Georgia were the first explorers to experience Georgia 4-H’s newest summer program — Natural Resources Exploration Camp — to learn about wildlife, forestry, fisheries and other natural resources from University of Georgia faculty.
Hosted in conjunction with UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, the Natural Resources Exploration Camp offered participants a glimpse into the diverse professional and educational resources UGA offers while exploring career possibilities in the forestry and natural resource field. The unique camp combined environmental education with traditional camp activities including canoeing, fishing, swimming and campfires.
Faculty and staff from Warnell designed the curriculum for the camp, which is structured to provide opportunities to learn about Georgia’s animal populations and habitats, including real-world examples and practical applications of the lessons presented. Faculty and staff including Kris Irwin, Michel Kohl, Jay Shelton, James Johnson, Nick Fuhrman, Adam Edge, Holly Campbell and Triston Hansford were crucial to the success of the camp’s pilot week.
Campers spent two days on UGA’s Athens campus performing tree and wildlife identification, using trail cameras to learn about mammals in the area, flying drones, touring deer barns and aquaculture labs, setting up leaf litter traps in streams, and attending a session on herpetology.
At Rock Eagle 4-H Center, campers dissected owl pellets, went on an owl prowl, sampled fish and macroinvertebrates through electrofishing and seining, tracked wildlife using geographic information system (GIS) technology and telemetry, and building birdhouses and bee hotels. The UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, part of the UGA Tifton campus, facilitated a workshop about invasive species.
Kasey Bozeman, UGA Cooperative Extension specialist for 4-H science programs, said the partnership with UGA faculty gives campers a…
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