MISSISSIPPI STATE – Those with a love for the outdoors have five conservation camps to take advantage of this summer offered through the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources.

The camps are educational and intergenerational and are geared for anyone interested in the outdoors. They will be especially useful for those who participate in wildlife competitions or on Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program teams.

All five camps will be based at MSU, although campers will leave campus for activities. Food, lodging and on-site transportation are included in the fee. Each camp is limited to 25 participants, and registration closes when the camps are full. The following four camps cost $275 per person or $225 per person when a parent attends with a child.

• Basic Wetland Ecology and Outdoor Sports will be offered May 31-June 4. Activities and topics may include boater safety, fishing, seining and electro-fishing, canoeing, fly tying, frogs and water quality, aquatic mammals, and turtles and invertebrates.
   
• Basic Insect and Plant Ecology will be offered June 14-18. Activities and topics may include collecting insects, plant ecology and succession, insect/plant interactions, toxic and carnivorous plants, edible plants and insects, pest insects and insect/wildlife interactions.
   
• Basic Upland Ecology and Outdoor Sports is set for June 28-July 2. Activities and topics for this camp may include hunter education, tomahawks and archery, shotgun and rifle shooting, tracking and radio-telemetry, hiking and birding, MSU wildlife research pens, deer necropsy and antlers, quail and turkeys, and GPS and geocoaching.
   
• Advanced Concepts and Skills will be held July 12-16 and participants will delve into ecological principles, population management and advanced outdoor skills used by resource professionals. Activities and topics for this camp may include a river canoe trip, tree climbing and rappelling, a local wildlife habitat project, mammalogy and tanning, orienteering, animal trapping and marking, basic survival and parasitology.

Continuing education credits are available for teachers. For more information on these camps, contact Leslie Burger at (662) 325-6686 or lburger@cfr.msstate.edu. Registration can be completed online at http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/wildlife/conservation_camp/.

The College of Forest Resources also offers the June 7-11 Natural Resources Summer Camp, geared toward high school students. The objective of this camp is to introduce students to the diverse world of natural resources and explore career opportunities in natural science and conservation. The camp costs $150 and includes food, lodging and on-site transportation. 

For more information on this camp, contact Patsy Foster at (662) 325-5548 or pfoster@cfr.msstate.edu. Online registration is available at http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/summer_camp/index.asp.