For the third year in a row, Missouri Conservation Corps has partnered with Powerhouse Community Development’s Camp I Love Me to bring Columbia and Boone County youth into nature for meaningful, experiential education. Camp I Love Me offers a variety of field trips and experiences, as well as free meals to all the youth they serve, and we step in as their gateway to the great outdoors. Since our initial involvement in 2024, we have hosted lessons that introduce learners to local parks and waterways, native birds and insects, recycling, and how to have fun outside!
If you missed the first five summer camps, read all about them here!
Camp #6: Exploring the Creeks
Leanne and David Mosby were the leaders of our sixth class, assisted by Pam Taylor, Taylor Brown, and Olivia Svoboda from the Missouri Department of Conservation Stream Teams, and MCC Naturalist Laura Semken. We met the campers in Capen Park and led them along the trail to a sunny gravel bar near the confluence of Grindstone Creek and Hinkson Creek. Here, Leanne taught the campers about watersheds and the importance of clean water. Then, we learned about the aquatic life of our streams and creeks in Columbia, and we all got kind of (very) wet in the process as we waded through the creek with dippers and kick nets, collecting samples to examine aquatic macroinvertebrates and other aquatic life.
Camp #7: Heat Resilience
We also explored the hottest and coolest parts of Grindstone Nature Area with City of Columbia Office of Sustainability summer interns Katie and Jacob. They talked about heat resilience and the effects of heat on our health and our community, and they brought a heat camera that allowed us to measure the temperature of objects on the trail. Campers broke into teams and competed to “find the hottest object” in which campers learned how the shade of trees can keep us cool. And because Grindstone Nature Area has a creek running through it, we found ourselves exploring the creek, looking for aquatic life (and interesting rocks!), and getting out feet wet once again.
Camp #8: Who’s Hoo?
Kiwanis Park provided a cool and shady environment for MCC Naturalist and educator Laura Semken to teach all about owls, their habitats, their diets, and their behaviors. Campers got to touch real owl wings and feathers and create their own owl puppets to take home! After the lesson, we set out into the park’s 20 forested acres to explore the natural wonders of Kiwanis Park. While exploring, we discovered native plants, hickory nuts, a large tree that had fallen during a storm, and wild paw paw fruit hanging on the trees in the paw-paw grove.
Camp #9: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Boone County Stormwater Educator Michele Woolbright and state park naturalist Nick Hermann guided us on our adventure to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. Along the trail to Connor’s Cave, campers learned about caves, karst topography, and the history of the park. Once we arrived at the cave, everyone donned safety helmets and learned about safe caving protocol before descending. On a 90-degree Missouri day, Connor’s Cave felt cool and refreshing as the young summer campers explore the darkness with Michele, Nick, and Boone County Stormwater Intern Ember Amann.
End-of-Camp Fishing at Stephens Lake Park
Our grand finale took place in the form of fishing at Stephens Lake Park! With 30 fishing poles borrowed from the Missouri Department of Conservation and a generous amount of night crawlers for bait, we met our volunteer crew at the Gordon Shelter and waited for the morning rain to stop. Our educators and volunteers for our last lesson included MCC board members Dan Miller and Leanne Mosby, MCC Naturalist Laura Semken, City Sustainability Manager Eric Hempel, Boone County Stormwater Intern Ember Amann, and Nancy Lewandowski. Once the rain finally subsided, the camp bus arrived, and our campers got a lesson in casting and fishing. After fishing for two hours, our campers caught several fish and a large snapping turtle. Fortunately, the turtle got away!
Again, we could not have done any of this without the support and collaboration of multiple agencies and organizations. Thank you so much to City of Columbia Parks and Recreation, Missouri Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, City of Columbia Office of Sustainability, Boone County Stormwater Management, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, and Powerhouse CDC. We’ll see you again next summer!
