FORMS

2009 Summer Dates

First Session (grades 10-12): June 21 - July 4

Second Session (grades 8-9): July 5 - July 18

Third Session (grades 7-8): July 19 - August 1

Fourth Session (grades 5-6): August 2 - August 15

* Grade in which an applicant is currently enrolled.

CAMPER APPLICATION:

Applications for Summer 2009 will be available online in December. 

Camper application (PDF)

Important:
Before filling out an application, please read the Application Information below.

Click here for Scholarship Information.

Return application to:
835 Sugar Creek Rd., Lexington, VA 24450

Summer address (after June 10): 316 Nature Camp Trail, Vesuvius, VA 24483

For inquiries or more information please e-mail Philip Coulling, director@naturecamp.net or 540-460-7897.
Summer phone (after June 10): Nature Camp telephone: 540-377-2491


NATURE CAMP APPLICATION INFORMATION 2008
printable version - Application Information (PDF)

The total fee for the 2008 sessions is $700. A $100 deposit must accompany the application; this deposit is not refundable once a camper has been accepted. The balance of the fee is due by 1 June 2008. Please make checks payable to Nature Camp Inc. Please note also that unlike in previous years, there is no waiting period. Rather, we accept applications on a rolling basis, and you may submit an application at
any time. There also is no application deadline; applications will be accepted on a “first-come, first-serve” basis. Should the number of applications for a session received by 1 January 2008 exceed the number of available spaces, preference will be awarded first to returning campers, then to new campers with a scholarship, and finally to new campers without a scholarship by random draw. It has been several
years since every session filled. There have been waiting lists in the past, however; hence all applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.

Acceptance notices and medical forms will be mailed in early January to all individuals whose applications have been received by then and within 3-4 weeks for all applications subsequently received. Deposit checks will be held until notification of acceptance is provided. We have capacity for about 40 boys and 48 girls in each session. Applications will continue to be accepted throughout the spring as space allows, but we cannot guarantee availability. Should a particular session fill, we will place additional applicants on a waiting list and notify them of their status. Every year some accepted campers withdraw their applications, and we endeavor to admit as many campers as we can. If you must be put on the waiting list, we will hold your check until we can offer you a place or until you request its return.

Please note that current 12th graders are eligible to attend First Session the summer after they have graduated from high school. Also, 9th graders may attend First or Second Session and 6th graders Third or Fourth Session. For new campers we generally recommend the younger of these two pairs of sessions.

Nature Camp is unique in its academic focus. Since its inception Nature Camp has emphasized hands-on, field-based, experiential education in natural history and environmental studies. All applicants should be advised of the requirements to attend daily classes, to maintain a notebook, to complete written assignments, and to participate in outdoor activities. Campers are expected to accept the academic challenges with enthusiasm, commitment and hard work. Campers in the past have discovered the joy in learning and have come back for more. Those seeking a purely recreational experience will be unhappy.

Nature Camp is unique in its academic focus. Since its inception Nature Camp has emphasized hands-on, field-based, experiential education in natural history and environmental studies. All applicants should be advised of the requirements to attend daily classes, to maintain a notebook, to complete written assignments, and to participate in outdoor activities. Campers are expected to accept the academic challenges with enthusiasm, commitment and hard work. Campers in the past have discovered the joy in learning and have come back for more. Those seeking a purely recreational experience will be unhappy.

Feel free to download and make copies of the application and share it with anyone who may be interested in attending Nature Camp.

Please direct any questions to Nature Camp director Philip Coulling, director@naturecamp.net or 540-460-7897.