The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

arti Rn 8 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, October 6, 1987 Forest becomes classroom fo 30 Cartwright kids learn about ecology You won't find any TV sets in the bunk-house at the Durham Forest camp for Environmental and Out- door Studies. You won't find any of the grade six students running around with a walkman over their ears. There are no video games, no craft shops, not even a radio at this camp. It's a comfortable (but spartan kind of place. And that's exactly the way Bob Almack wants it. He's the director at this camp nestled under the tall red pines in the 1000-acre Durham Forest on Regional Road 21, a couple miles west of Utica. For the past eight years, from September to the end of May, the camp is filled with grade six students from all over Durham Region who spend 2'%2 school days there getting what Mr. Almack described as an "intense ecological immersion" and a healthy dose of environmental awareness. Although the buildings look like a summer camp, the atmosphere for the students is anything but. The emphasis is on school and what the students do during their time there is tied closely with cur- riculum and classroom work. Last week, about 30 grade six students from Cartwright P.S. and two teachers, spent 212 days with classroom studies, field trips into the beautiful forest area and a crash course in the use of maps and compass. . The students helped prepare their own mealg and were responsible for cleaning the dormitories where they slept on cots or on sleeping bags on the floor. The program is designed to oc- cupy. just about every waking minute the students have from ear- ly morning breakfast to lights out at 10:00 PM. Evenings are spent discussing environmental issues or viewing educational video tapes featuring such well known educators like Dr. David Suzuki. Even the meals become something of a lesson as the students keep track and measure all food not consumed and sort the trash for re-cycling (paper, glass, tin, organic material for compost). Classes in the field or the classroom run from 9:00 AM to 4:30 with an hour out for lunch. Dinner "is at 6:30 PM and after-dinner group Orienteering means learning how to read a map and compass. Cartwright grade six students discussions go on until 8:00 PM. From then until lights out, the students may enjoy a camp-fire or take a night hike through the forest. The Durham Forest where the camp is located is owned by the Region of Durham. The nearly 1000 acres of land is managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources, and for the students it is marvellous out- door laboratory where they can observe the natural environment. On field trips, the students will find themselves measuring the non- living parts of the forest such as PH levels in soil, relative humidity, wind speeds, percolation rate in the soil. They will observe the life in the forest to get a better understanding of the relationship between the liv- ing and non-living. The students learn to identify and classify the 18 different kinds of trees found in the forest. They will compare profiles of the forest floor and a sand dune. They will learn about the ecological succession of a forest that takes place over a period of roughly 250 years starting with sand and ending with maple and beech trees. Issues such as acid rain and other chemical pollutants are discussed and Mr. Almack said the overall goal is to "stress enviornmental awareness, to increase their understanding." He said the 2'2 day program is very structured by design. The students are never un-supervised. "This is not a holiday for the students, not just another field trip." Mr. Almack is now going into his second year as the director and he "has several assistants working with him. He's taught grades 7 through 12 and most recently was a special ed teacher at Harwood Collegiate in Ajax. Getting the students out of the classroom and into a natural en- vironment where they can observe first-hand what is written in texts has its own rewards. Mr. Almack said that often a stu- dent who appears not to be very in- terested in classroom studies will suddenly "shine" when he or she can see the natural world first hand. And he hopes that all students who spend time there will leave with a better understanding of the ecological system and how frail and fragile it can be. at right. get points in this important aspect from teaher Judy Jeffrey, while director Bob Almack looks on r Grade 6 kids id & J ey Pa a : ¥ 2 ot ' + Po > i i en » § RR. | : "on 4 * N : 2 . fat, 34 X 4 4 , b.| SORE \ ow i? i : : 4 . Le. > gc 5 A # - hE § % 3 of : x » ¢ AE a | IAG : J wed oo E bridge. This group of students is from Cartwright Central School. The instructor is Sharon Brownridge, a Waterloo University co-op student. Measuring wind velocity is part of the studies in terrestral ecology for grade six students at the Durham Forest Centre near Ux- Classroom work includes the fascinating study of forest succession, which describes and explains the changes that can occur in a forest over a period of 250 years. The instructor is Keith Early, an employee with the MNR. UXBRIDGE SAVE) * Carpet Cleaners " Tile Cutters * Generatdrs = Compressors " Dolhes " Scaffolds " Heavy Equipment " Pumps RENT PORT PERRY " Tent Trailers " Travel Trailers © Box Trailers and more! GLASSES GAMES TABLES CHAIRS "Log Spitters PARTY GOODS 852-5538 Zehrs Mall - Uxbridge Hwy. 7A - Port Perry