Camp Winnebago

Camp Winnebago, which has been serving the needs of the developmentally disabled for over thirty years, is setting up a project this year in which campers and staff will celebrate birds in various ways as an expansion of their current nature program.

The campers will set up a garden to attract birds, which will include bird-feeders and bird-houses they’ll have built as arts and crafts projects, and which will give participants a chance to experience the thrill of planting and nurturing something while they watch it grow.

The garden and the natural area surrounding Winnebago Creek, as well as the nearby town of Caledonia, will serve as great locations for campers to participate in bird observations, training on identification of Celebrate Urban Birds focal species beforehand so they can conduct surveys several times over the spring, summer, and fall.

The Camp’s summer theme this year is “Vacationing Around the World,” where campers pretend to visit ten countries over the course of the summer. This is a great way to look at the different birds that are native to countries other than the US, and campers will be coloring pictures, making bird mobiles, and painting a mural with the various bird species.

“Being in the outdoors and enjoying nature is a universal activity that everyone can enjoy together with little adaptation,” Camp Director Barbara Cage wrote us. “We seek out the kind of activities that naturally provide opportunities for everyone to participate on an equal basis, and are excited about this easily inclusive opportunity since it is a valuable Camp program that every camper can enjoy.”