 Sea Camp Marks 20th
Year
Now
in its 20th year, Texas A&M University
at Galveston's Sea Camp will begin offering
sessions in May to youngsters who are
interested in the ocean and marine life.
Sea
Camp is geared to students ages 10-18 and it
offers rewarding and enriching experiences
to campers who attend the weeklong sessions,
which start May 29 and run through July 30.
Since its beginning 20 years ago,
more than 10,000 campers from all over the
world have enrolled in Sea Camp programs
where the beach and ocean are the
classrooms.
"Our
first year, we had only one topic and about
125 kids," says Judy Wern, Sea Camp
director.
"We
now offer 15 different program topics and
enroll between 700 to 900 each summer. This
truly is a one-of-a-kind camp, the only one
like it in Texas. Sea Camp teaches kids
about the marine and estuarine environments
and why these are important in their own
lives.
"It
is learning through experience. That's why
we stress a hands-on and feet-in type of
camp where the kids learn by doing.
We hope to instill in our campers a
love for the ocean, for marine life and the
environment."
Camps
will include nautical archaeology and
oceanography, marine mammal workshops,
coastal camping, fish camp, advanced fish
camp, ecology and biology of the area and
coastal photography during which campers
will make their own post cards, produce
mini-portfolios and display their best work
during an exhibit.
Also
returning for ages 15-18 will be a forensics
camp in which campers will learn how to use
the biological, chemical and physical
sciences to solve crimes and mysteries much
like a real-life crime scene investigation.
Family
Sea Camp is for campers 8-18 and their
family members. Participants will be
involved in digging, seining and sieving in
bays and marshes, plus trawling for shrimp
from a research vessel and trips to a turtle
research facility. Also continuing this year
are international camps to Belize and Mexico
where campers will visit ancient ruins, swim
with dolphins and examine the wonders of
tropical beaches and bays. Sea Camp
instructors include Texas A&M faculty
members and graduate students from such
departments as marine biology, marine
sciences, zoology, wildlife and fishery
science, range science and numerous other
fields.
In addition, campers will get to
visit with Sammy Ray, a member of the Texas
Science Hall of Fame who is considered one
of the world's leading oyster biologists.
Ray started Sea Camp in 1986 and
since then, more than 10,000 students from
the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America
have attended Sea Camp sessions. Sea Campers
will live in residence halls on the Texas
A&M at Galveston campus and costs range
from $725 to $775, except for the
international camps.
A $150 deposit is required and
registration in some Sea Camps sessions is
limited. "Our students tell us this is
a learning experience like none other,"
Wern adds. "They tell us this is the
most fun they've ever had while learning,
which may be why it's so popular." For
more information, call (409) 740-4525 or go
to the Sea Camp Web site at http://www.tamug.edu/seacamp
For
more information contact Dr. Judy Wern wernj@tamug.edu
or (409) 740-4730
Randall
2/14/05
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