Bayer Climate Fellows Sustainability Camp

A Partnership of RiverQuest and Creek Connections

The Bayer Climate Fellows Sustainability Camp is the result of a new, collaborative partnership between RiverQuest, a Pittsburgh-based river education non-profit organization, and Creek Connections, an environmental education program of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. This innovative camp has been designed for a select

group of international teenagers who will join together for two weeks of environmental
exploration, adventure and fun while learning about climate change and environmental sustainability through the lenses of Western Pennsylvania river ecosystems.

Program Overview

Bayer Climate Fellows Sustainability Camp is a two-week residential summer camp in Western Pennsylvania, USA that provides hands-on group learning about environmental sustainability and global climate change through rural and urban river experiences that are fun, academically challenging, and physically engaging.

Participants:

Participating students may be 14 to 16 years of age (high school grades 10-11). The program is expected to serve 5 German and several American students.

Dates:

Friday, July 11, 2008 through Friday, July 25, 2008. The program encompasses two full weeks of overnight residential camp.

Facilitator: RiverQuest, Pittsburgh, PA.

Partner Agency: Creek Connections - Allegheny College, Meadville, PA.

RiverQuest Staffing:

RiverQuest dedicates 2 professional staff members to live and work with students for the entire 14-day Camp. Staff will meet students at Pittsburgh International Airport and will provide a unified, integrated experience for their entire stay by debriefing activities, managing group dynamics, and linking experiences to core themes of sustainability and climate change.

Lodging and Meals:

During the Pittsburgh-based days of camp, housing, breakfast and dinner will be on campus at Duquesne University, and lunch most often on site at RiverQuest or other area locations. During Creek Camp week, housing and meals will be on campus at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. All meals, lodging, and ground transportation for camp activities are included.

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Camp Studies & Activities

• Hands-on field explorations of freshwater ecology
• Weeklong residence camp at historic Duquesne University in Pittsburgh
• Site Visits to university and industrial experts in sustainability
• Unique outdoor locations and recreational opportunities throughout

beautiful Southwestern Pennsylvania

RiverQuest Camp Studies & Activities
Students become scientists and researchers throughout the week!
• Human Impacts on Freshwater Ecosystems • Freshwater trophic webs
• Urban Watershed Dynamics • Duquesne University Eco-field Study
• Carnegie Mellon University Green Science • Green Buildings in Pittsburgh
• Sandcastle & Kennywood Parks • Alternative Energy Field Trips
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater • Bicycling at Ohiopyle on the Yough

...and more!

• Hands-on, field-based exploration of topicsrelated to watershed health
• Weeklong residence camp at beautiful Allegheny College.
• Interact with Environmental Science and Biology majors (college students) counselors.
• Visit many outdoor locations around Meadville and Northwest Penna.

Creek Camp Studies & Activities
Every aspect of this camp is hands-on!

• French Creek Research Project • Riparian Buffer Zones • Fish

• Macroinvertebrates • Reptiles & Amphibians • Mussels • Trees • Birds

• Wetlands • Sustainable Agriculture • GPS (Global Positioning Systems)

...and more!

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About the Partner Agencies

RiverQuest’s mission is to connect people with their environmental through river education adventures. With a staff of 14 full-time professionals and approximately 30 part-time educators and boat crew, we own and operate three river education and research vessels that we use to deliver world-class educational programs on over 100
river miles in Western Pennsylvania. Founded in 1991 as Pittsburgh Voyager, Inc., RiverQuest has served over 70,000 people with boat-based hands-on learning opportunities for students, families and members of the public through formal school education programs, summer camps, public river tours, and private group tours and
events. Over the past three years, RiverQuest has begun a bold transformation to green our operations, design and build a new green hybrid-powered flagship, and integrate environmental sustainable principles into all areas of operation.

Creek Connections is a project of Allegheny College that has forged an effective partnership between Allegheny College and regional K-12 schools to turn waterways in Northwest Pennsylvania, Southwest New York, and the Pittsburgh area into outdoor environmental laboratories. Emphasizing a hands-on, inquiry based investigation of
local waterways, this project annually involves over 40 different secondary schools and the classes of 50 teachers. As a special feature of the Bayer Fellows Climate Camp, Creek Connections’ 5-day Creek Camp has been integrated into the two-week experience. Camp students will have the opportunity for hands on fieldwork on Northwestern Pennsylvania's waterways as they study biology and fresh water ecology and discuss the impacts of climate change on this critical ecosystem.

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How to Apply

Students in the Western Pennsylvania region are welcome to apply for acceptance into the Bayer Climate Fellows Sustainability Camp. Applications are taken by Creek Connections - Allegheny College. To apply on line, click here: Creek Camp Application. You will be registering for Creek Camp Session I, July 13-18, 2008. This session of Creek Camp is a portion of the 14-day Bayer Sustainability Camp. Please make it known that you are interested in the Bayer Sustainability Camp when applying!

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