Forty-two youths from the Estevan area spent the weekend learning about the outdoors and wildlife at the Estevan Wildlife Federation’s (EWF) annual conservation camp held at the EWF’s grounds at Boundary Dam from Aug. 9 to Aug. 12.
The four-day event was filled with various activities and was led by several instructors, many of whom were volunteers.
“We had a little bit of everything going on for the kids this weekend,” said Stephen Lainton, youth chairperson for the Estevan Wildlife Federation.
“We had 42 kids this year, so it was a very full camp for us. Over the weekend we did kayaking, fishing, canoeing, GPS and compass instruction as well as fire building, outdoor cooking, night games, rock wall climbing, fish lure making and knot tying, and we also did a blood trailing activity so if the kids are hunting and wound an animal they know how to track it properly. Saturday we also did our shooting day which is kind of our big day here, it’s the one the kids really love and what the camp is kind of known for. We just want to teach these kids how to handle themselves in any situation outdoors and in case of any emergencies they may find themselves in.”
After an explanation of the shooting rules, the youths learned how to handle handguns, .22’s, muzzleloaders and paintball guns, and learned about trapshooting and archery.
The camp opened on Thursday and ran throughout the weekend, finishing with awards being given out to campers on Sunday.
This year marks 21 years the camp has been in operation in the Estevan area and it continues to draw large crowds, having a wait list for campers to be able to join.
Six groups of seven youths were present, each with their own counsellor, most of whom spent the weekend volunteering their time.
“ The camp ranges from ages 11 to 15 and it's $80 to register for kids who are already members of the federation, and $85 for kids who aren’t. That price gets them the membership to the federation which comes with lots of cool perks, and we do lots of awesome stuff throughout the year.”
The yearly camp gives the kids the opportunity to handle firearms in a safe environment and learn how to be comfortable outdoors in any situation, he said.
“We definitely also just want to give a big shout out to all of our volunteers that have continued helping us make the camp possible. We wouldn’t be able to do this without them. The weather this weekend was insanely hot and we had to change the camp up a bit to make sure the kids stayed hydrated and all of our volunteers and campers have all made the best of it and had a great weekend together. All the kids were really troopers and still had a great time,” said Lainton.
