The camp was jam-packed and abuzz with activities to keep pace with the energy of young teens, grades 6- rising 9th graders. This year’s Water and Wildlife Camp went for 2 weeks; both half days. Each day was filled with hands-on lessons that gave the campers the tools to be more in tune with and equipped with how to protect the Canandaigua Lake Watershed. Of course, mixed into these lessons were snacks and games! By every measure on our evaluation sheets, the camp was a success. The first week was similar to last year where the campers explored the streams. They analyzed all the streams around the lake transported by a bus from the Fitzgerald Bus Tours. Their luxurious tour bus amazed us all and we felt like celebrities while we rode from stream to stream collecting water samples and macroinvertebrates for analysis. Although the data isn’t exact (due to kids having too much fun!) and the campers did not exactly follow protocol, we did determine that the stream at Onanda Park seemed to have the lowest water quality. The biodiversity was low and we did not find any sensitive macroinvertebrates. It is worth noting that the water levels were much lower than our other sample sites, but it is also worth noting that the amount of invasive jumping worms was alarming. Normally when we hike the stream, salamanders and crayfish are easy to find; but not this year! We again invited Matt Gallo from Finger Lakes PRISM at Hobart William Smith College to expand on the topic of these invasive species. He explained why invasive species are interfering with local ecosystems and led the campers on a hike to collect and remove invasive plants like Japanese knotweed, honeysuckle, buckthorn, phragmites, purple loosestrife, giant hogweed, and garlic mustard. Again, invasive plants were found to be abundant along the stream bed. The good news: chemical analysis of the water in all the streams showed them all to be in great shape!

The second week was all new! The focus was on the vertebrates in the lake. This was complemented by the generous donation of a pontoon boat by the local Freedom Boat Club, which is owned and operated by Seager Marine. College level sampling equipment including bottom dredges, deep water van dorn samplers, top water plankton tows and secchi discs for water clarity were used to collect water samples at four different locations chosen by the campers. The campers chose to compare the effects of shoreline activity on water quality. They collected samples from shorelines that had highly manicured lawns, ample boat activity, or were close to road runoff. When these samples were compared to water from the center of the lake, it did indicate that high boat activity had some effect on plankton diversity. In addition to the boat trip, the DEC came to the camp with electroshocking equipment and dragged nets to collect fish samples on the shoreline.

Live samples of small mouth bass, perch, rock bass, bullheads, sunfish and bluegills were all examined and compared. Additionally, students learned how to tie jigs, fly fish, and filet fish. The camp ended with a Wildlife Rehabilitator, Rachel Tindal, who brought in squirrels that she bottle-fed while explaining the duties of a rehabilitator and the process of becoming one.

The success of the camp allowed us to receive the Guido and Ellen Palma Foundation Grant for a second year. This will allow us to expand the camp to a full day, 9 AM-3 PM, with a before and after care option from 8 AM-4 PM for next year. It was unanimous feedback that what the campers liked most was the chance to do “real science!” In response, we plan to add more data collecting equipment for August 2024. We had 4 campers who attended for the second summer. One repeater exclaimed, “I would come every year because the environment changes and what we discover changes!” The instructors include Jami Anderson, a teacher from the Canandaigua Middle School; Abby Zanowick, a teacher from the Canandaigua Academy and myself an adjunct professor at FLCC. We work hard to find the balance of fun, education and inspiration to enrich our campers’ lives. Registration for the 2024 Water and Wildlife Summer Camp for middle schoolers will start in early 2024 and the camp will be held August 12th-17th. We look forward to meeting the next round of campers!