Hartley Nature Center Prepares for Summer Camps

DULUTH, Minn. – It may still be winter in the Northland, but preparations are underway for summer activities at Hartley Nature Center.  Their slate of summer camps are set, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. on March 21.

Park officials say they will be offering more all day options for 3 year old through sixth grade.  New this year will be programs focused on mountain biking, survival skills, and camouflage.  Still, many of the traditional offerings will be around.

“We’ll be mountain biking and dipping in the pond,” says Mary Oliver, Education Director at Hartley Nature Center, “and looking for macroinvertebrates in our streams, all sorts of good stuff.”

Campers will be the first to experience the expansion of the nature center, which is expected to be completed when the first camps take place in mid-June.  “More space; more room to do community programming in addition to camps,” says Oliver, “and more space for each age group to have.  So hopefully more kids.”

With the pandemic possibly nearing an ending point, Oliver says they approached this summer schedule with cautious optimism that all camps will take place as planned.  She credits the outdoor setting for many of the camps that has kept them popular the past few years.

“I think we do a really good job of keeping our kids outside and prioritizing their health and safety,” says Oliver”, while also providing a service and connecting them to their natural word to the best of our ability.  We were outside before the pandemic, so it isn’t a fundamental change for us.”

Registration can be done through the Nature Center’s website.  Oliver says they see plenty of activity during the first few hours of sign up, so be prepared.