Summer Camps & Trips 2020

COVID-19 UPDATE
June 10, 2020

After receiving Governor Cuomo’s permission to have summer camps (though not overnight camps yet), we are cautiously proceeding with our modified camp plan, while awaiting final safety and health guidance from Ulster County Department of Health.

To provide the safest programming possible, we have made a few decisions about our summer:

Revised Summer Camp Format
- Wild Earth will be cancelling ALL Screech Owl, Kestrel, Art and Kingfisher camps.
- Raven and Ropes: Teen camps will be offered as two-week camps that will happen back-to-back in July.
Ropes: Canoe Adventure – The Ropes Canoe Adventure will continue as planned from Aug 17-20. Please register for the waitlist below if you are interested.
Ropes Backpacking Adventure – This trip will be cancelled, as it takes place during the revised summer camp time and cannot be fully supported by staff.

We are so sorry to inform you that ALL Screech Owl, Kestrel, Arts and Kingfisher camps are cancelled for the 2020 season. Please know that the decision to cancel these camps was extremely difficult for Wild Earth. We know how much our camp families and instructors look forward to our summer camp. We will miss you all in the woods this summer. Ultimately, we determined that the need for clear communication, body awareness and control, and the ability to maintain social distance makes these camps difficult to run with young children. As well, these camps rely so much on large group gathering time during the day, and it would be impossible to maintain an engaging, safe, and healthy camp for campers and instructors alike.

Families enrolled in any of the cancelled camps/trips may request a refund or program credit, as detailed in the Refund/Program Credit section below.

If you are enrolled in one of these canceled camps and are old enough (10-15 years old) to enroll in the Raven or Ropes camps being offered, please register for the waitlist below as soon as possible. If you are already on the waitlist, you don’t need to do anything else. We will contact you if a spot becomes available.

Please know that we need to be fair to all of our families and will not be able to accommodate siblings who are affected by our cancellations or consider exceptions to the decisions we have made. We will apply our policies equitably to all.

Refund/Program Credit

For those people registered for camps that have been cancelled, you may receive either a program credit (no processing fee) or a cash refund (minus a $25 processing fee) whichever you prefer. Additionally, if your camp was canceled, you will have the opportunity to pre-enroll in January for our 2021 summer camp season before regular registration opens.

To receive a refund, please email info@wildearth.org or call 845-256-9830 by June 18th to request the refund explained in the previous paragraph. Otherwise, we will give a program credit to everyone who has not requested a refund.

All Kids Outside!

This summer marks 17 years that Wild Earth is getting kids outdoors in the Hudson Valley. We are excited to welcome nearly 500 campers at 3 sites throughout Ulster County, including our second year at Wild Earth’s own Rock Haven land in Kerhonkson!

At Wild Earth, all of the senses are engaged as campers meet local plants and animals, learn wilderness skills, create natural crafts, and build deep connections with friends and inspiring adult and teen mentors.

Guided by patterns we’ve observed in nature, we begin each day by gathering in the woods through songs, expressing gratitude, and finding new ways to play. We form smaller groups and set up camp in the forest by building fire pits and shelters. Our instructors tailor activities to the interests of the campers, fostering curiosity and guiding learning through skillful questions, opportunities for appropriate risk-taking and empowering challenges.

We’re committed to being accessible to all. Financial aid is available.

If you need financial aid, be sure to register to hold your space! We cannot hold a space without your registration. Click here to read our summer camp registration policies and Q&A.

Our camps often start waitlisting as early as February. Don’t despair!

We now use a rolling admissions process; additional spaces are added to our camps throughout the spring. If you find a waitlist, please join our waitlist at no cost and our staff will reach out to you when a space becomes available.