Source: www.wsoctv.com

Some local children are learning a lot this summer. They're not in summer school. In fact they're spending most of their time playing outside.

The girls are learning about nature at the Catawba College conservation camp in Salisbury.

The camp is paid for with a grant created to interest girls in the environmental sciences.

Abby Klutz will be in sixth-grade this year.

"Today were doing invasive species. Things that should not be here like the red-eared slider. It interferes with ecosystems and populations of other animals," she said.

All of this learning is taking place on a nature preserve, right on the campus of Catawba College. The 190 acre preserve is the ideal classroom. Children can get a hands-on experience with nature.

Osterhus

Camp director Cyndi Osterhus said the program is a great way for young people to learn about wildlife and how the things we humans do can affect animals and plants. That includes things like littering, illegal dumping in storm drains, and clearing land for new development.

"We help them make connections about how habitat is affected by invasive species and how pollution affects habitat," she said.

Educators hope those connections inspire a new generation of environmental scientists.

This was the first year for the program at Catawba College. Fifty girls spent a week on campus and in the woods.

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• Catawba Conservation Camp (C3)
• Environmental Science & Studies