Efficacy of Summer Camps for Enhancing Conservation Literacy

Changing societal influences have produced a generation of American youth that are environmentally aware, but lacking outdoor experiences and environmental knowledge.  Summer camps are a common non-formal educational method for introducing youth to outdoor recreational sports and environmental topics, but real gains in conservation literacy are often unmeasured and unknown.  Since 2005, Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture have operated 5-day residential camps that expose youth to wildlife-, fisheries-, and forestry-related educational experiences with the purpose of enhancing conservation literacy.  The camps’ format blends high-interest, experiential learning activities with more traditional instructional briefings.  Camp participants completed a survey indicating their current outdoor recreational experiences (e.g., hunting, fishing, camping).  Beginning in 2008, campers completed pre- and post-camp tests covering core competencies addressed by the camps’ curricula and activities.  The typical youth attending the camps was a Caucasian male with previous hunting and/or fishing experience.    Pre-camp knowledge varied among camps with greatest competency in terrestrial wildlife concepts and least knowledge of aquatic concepts.  Post-camp tests showed 25% gains in knowledge.  Youth with previous camp experience performed better on pre-camp tests than those who were attending for the first time, indicating learning retention.  Non-traditional users of natural resources (female, urban residents, non-Caucasian) were lower in attendance, implying other methods will be necessary to reach these demographic groups.