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Shhhh.....! Our Capital Campaign is in its 'Quiet Phase' ... But We Still Want to Tell You About It!
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Branching Out for a Sustainable Future
is a campaign to help us embark on a remarkable journey. This will expand and enhance our award winning summer camp. Our goal is to become a
nationally significant environmental leadership centre
. A place where we can foster environmental citizens. It is time to replace some of our older buildings (many are coming to the end of their useful life). They are energy inefficient and weren’t built for four seasons. This is an opportunity for us to take a leadership role in sustainable design – to showcase the best sustainable building practices. From constructing the
first example of a certified
“living building”
in Canada, to demonstrating alternative energy in action; from showing best practices in managing waste to harvesting fresh food straight from our own organic garden, we want visiting children, youth and adults to be activated and empowered. By teaching action skills, leadership skills and nature awareness, we hope to seed the next generation of environmental leaders.
At the same time,
Camp Kawartha is bursting at the seams
. A modest increase in capacity will help us deliver our mission of fostering stewardship to more children, students and adults than ever.
The plan is to secure $3.5 million to make several upgrades to our systems, our layout, and our buildings which will help grow our capacity. Our upgrade plans include:
- Central Hub Addition and Renovation ($2,537,000) Our current dining hall was built in the 1960’s. It’s poorly insulated and sits on piers. The plan is to remove the current hall and replace it with a “central hub” consisting of a dining hall and sleeping quarters, all demonstrating the latest in green architecture. This certified “living building,” would be the first of its kind in all of Canada. From straw-bale construction to rainwater collection, from geothermal and compost heating, to all natural materials; the central hub would be designated as a net zero building (zero toxins, zero waste and zero carbon), a national showpiece for sustainability. Accommodations added at the back of the new hall will improve accessibility for those with limited mobility. In addition, our Health Centre will be moved into the hub so that it can more effectively look after the needs of visitors. This innovative renovation will allow Camp Kawartha to modestly increase its Outdoor Education, Facility Rental, and Summer Camp capacity by 30%, helping to expand our mission of fostering stewardship to campers, students and visitors regionally, provincially and nationally.
- Greening of Infrastructure (Waste Water Management Upgrade – $536,000 ) The current system was constructed in 1985 and designed to accommodate 125 campers. Most septic systems last 20 to 25 years and Camp Kawartha is nearing the end of the life cycle. This is an opportunity to redevelop our waste management system using the latest green technologies, with the possibility of including a wetland treatment system. The intent is to showcase to campers, teachers, students, parents and visitors how to responsibly deal with human waste.
- Reclaiming Green Space ($419,000) We will remove part of our parking lot to create a large organic food garden and we’ll move the parking lot to another location nearer the road. The redevelopment of that space will allow us to re-green a central portion of the Camp. This reclaimed green space and garden will not only supply the kitchen with fresh produce but will also serve as an important teaching tool for helping visitors to understand the importance of healthy, local food. As Aldo Leopold once said “the healthiest food is the shortest distance from the earth to your mouth.” We also plan to relocate the Maintenance Department to a less intrusive place on camp, repurposing this building into programming space for summer camp and outdoor education. This will enhance the delivery of our award winning programming and limit the amount of traffic moving through this central location.
As part of the ‘quiet phase,’ we are finalizing designs and are seeking partnerships with major donors.
The Campaign is expected to last from one to two years.
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CHEX Television Makes a Wintertime Visit
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Caley Bedore and Kevin Wheeler from CHEX Television made a recent visit to the Camp to find out what goes on during the winter season. After a 10-hour snowfall the day before, the CHEX team arrived on a sunny, crisp morning.
Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg helped Bedore identify animal tracks, start a bow-drill fire, make cedar tea and race on snowshoes against some energetic Grade 4 students who were staying at Camp Kawartha as part of a 2 ½ day outdoor education trip.
“It was great to have CHEX come and help us highlight the enjoyment to be had outdoors in winter.” said Rodenburg. “Winter presents some unique opportunities for people of all ages to explore and develop skills. We are pleased Caley and Kevin were here to embrace it!”
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Top 3 Outdoor Activities to Try
by Guest Contributor, Drew Monkman
We asked local author and environmental champion Drew Monkman for his top 3 list of fun activities to do outdoors this winter. He recommends we all try…
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Drink Cedar Not Cider!
Harvest a handful of cedar leaves. Toss these into ½ a litre of boiling water. Let it steep for 5 minutes. The resulting tea may taste slightly bitter, but it will be both fragrant and healthy. Rich in vitamin “C”, cedar tea was used by First Nations to ward of scurvy. Be sure you properly identify the tree species before you drink the tea! Drink no more than ½ a cup just to be sure that it agrees with you.
Make Light Dance!
Fill 6 small balloons with water. Leave them outside for 24 hours on a cold winter’s day and night. Carefully peel away the balloons. Poke out one side of the ice ball with a stick and pour the interior water out. You will have a lovely ice bowl in which you can place a candle. Line your walkway and watch the flames sparkle and dance!
Count Your Birds!
Make a winter bird checklist using a large piece of Bristol board or a computer spreadsheet. You can get a ‘Top 25 Birds’ list for your area from a site like
www.feederwatch.org Create a checklist with the following titles:
Bird Species; Where Seen?; Date; Time; Weather Conditions; Food It Was Eating. Track the birds you see and their numbers. Once you get the hang of identifying birds, contact Bird Studies Canada to find out about being part of their annual bird count.
These recommendations from Drew can also be found in the book he co-authored with Jacob Rodenburg entitled The Big Book of Nature Activities: A Year-Round Guide to Outdoor Learning. The book has won numerous awards, and has received enthusiastic reviews from naturalists, educators and parents.
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Wakami Wailers Concert!
Saturday, March 24th / 7:00 pm / The Gordon Best Theatre, Peterborough
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Camp Kawartha is pleased to welcome the Wakami Wailers for a
benefit concert at the Gordon Best Theatre in support of Camp Kawartha's outdoor and environmental education programming.
This acclaimed Canadian band will bring Canada's colourful history to life through songs and stories.
You will hear such Canadian classics as
Log Driver’s Waltz and
Land of the Silver Birch, as well as original songs by the Wailers.
Opening the evening will be Glen Caradus and Michael Ketemer.
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29th Annual Surf 'n' Turf Gala Dinner & Auction
Saturday, June 23rd / 4:30pm / Camp Kawartha
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You are invited to attend our enduring favourite, the Surf ‘n’ Turf Gala and Auction! In its 29
th incarnation,
this event raises funds to help with programming and sponsorships.
Guests are treated to a traditional steak and lobster dinner with all the trimmings, and have the opportunity to bid on everything from
trips to Africa to dinner vouchers for local restaurants. Our host, Camp President Jason Huffman will guide you through the many activities that make up the evening, and will highlight the latest outcomes of our capital campaign,
Branching Out for a Sustainable Future.
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If you chose to pay in instalments, the first one will be processed on
February 28th
.
If your payment information has changed please contact our office staff at 705-652-3860
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Last chance to register for March Break Day Camp, there are only a few spaces remaining!
Join us for 4 days of fun & outdoor adventures.
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Camp Kawartha is an accredited, award-winning, not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to the promotion of the highest standard of programming, with a particular focus on outdoor environmental awareness, outdoor and environmental education and stewardship.
Registered
Charity # 12453 9214 RR0001
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705-652-3860 1-866-532-4597
info@campkawartha.ca
campkawartha.ca
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