Greetings!
Things here at GRP have been very busy with lots of exciting things to share in this newsletter. Want to relive some of last summer? Well you can! Go to Photos of Camp Life for photos, cabin photos, and the all camp photos from every session last summer! In the next few weeks we have reunions set for 6 different locations, please join us! All campers, expeditioners, parents, and staff are invited! See your camp friends and be the first to see our new promotional video. Want a FREE GRP Shirt? Bring a friend (eligible for Base Camp or Expeditions) and receive a free T-Shirt! Seek the joy! |
| New Camp Video Captures the Sprit of GRP |
The video contains incredible footage of the preserve, interviews with our amazing campers and parents, and is a great way to relive the summer and share excitement about the preserve with others! The full video will be shown first at the reunions and home shows this fall. Host a home showing of the movie before Thanksgiving, and if his schedule allows it, Bob will come tell a Bob Story at your house for all your friends and family! Calendar space is limited so sign up now, contact Emily Cummings by e-mail emily@greenriverpreserve.org or by telephone 828-698-8828 to set up a showing. Catch a sneak preview of the video. Copies will be mailed out before Thanksgiving. |
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Register Now for 2008, Time's a Wastin' |
Mini Base Camp Session rising 2nd-4th grades
Saturday, June 7 - Wednesday, June 11
Base Camp Session 1 (2 weeks) rising 5th-8th
Saturday, June 14 - Friday, June 27
Base Camp Session 2 (3 weeks) rising 7th-9th
Monday, June 30 - Sunday, July 20
Base Camp Session 3 (2 weeks) rising 5th-8th
Friday, July 25 - Thursday, August 7
Base Camp Session 4 (1 week) rising 4th-6th
Sunday, August 10 - Saturday, August 16
Expeditions:
(most for 2 weeks - rising 9th-12th grades)
Blue Ridge 1 Saturday, June 14 - Friday, June 27
Blue Ridge 2 (18 days) rising 10th-12th grades
Thursday, July 3 - Sunday, July 20
Blue Ridge 3 Friday, July 25 - Thursday, August 7
Outer Banks 1 Sunday, June 15 - Saturday, June 28
(girls open, boys wait list)
Outer Banks 2 Sunday, July 6 - Saturday, July 19
(wait list)
Outer Banks 3 Sunday, July 27 - Saturday, August 9 **New Session Added** |
| Buses Purchased, Artists Needed |
 While the existing buses are well loved by all, it is time to replace a few of them with newer diesel models that get better mileage. Did you know that the current buses Magic, Seek the Joy, Elements, and Blue Ridge were all painted by campers? The buses are ready to take you to all of the preserve's beautiful destinations. There is only one thing missing...your beautiful art work. If you are going to be at base camp for 2 or 3 weeks this summer then you will have the chance to help paint the buses. We need your help coming up with designs and themes for each bus so if you have an ideas please let us know! |
| Family Camp '08
- Put Yourself in the Picture! |
Pull out your calendars and mark the date, Labor Day Weekend, August 29-September 1, 2008! Family camp is perfect for families, but also extended families, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, grandparents and grandchildren, and even reunions with old friends. This is the time and place to gather, relax and enjoy the beauty of this place and each other. Swimming, mentor hikes, canoeing, fly fishing, crafts, climbing, and much more! Go online and check out the pictures from this year, and add yourself to the smiling faces for next year!
"Thank you for a weekend with no TV, video games, computers, cell phones, make-up, or rushing around. Time...reconnecting with what's real. We had a great time!" "...we left changed for the better." "This is the most amazing place."
- '07 Family Camp Participants |
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Donations Sought - Vehichles & Annual Fund |
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Do you have an older truck or 4 wheel drive vehicle to donate? We are looking for vehicles that are in good working order and have a little life left in them. Donating a vehicle is easy, and your donation may be eligible for tax deduction purposes if you itemize (consult the IRS or your tax advisor for details).
Now is also the time to start planning for a donation to the Green River Preserve Annual Fund. Your Tax deductible donations to this fund help provide scholarships for campers. Please send your donations to The Green River Preserve, 301 Green River Road, Cedar Mountain, NC 28718. |
| Lots of Great Expeditions -
3rd Outer Banks Session Added |
Due to overwhelming demand we have added a 3rd Outer Banks Session: Sunday, July 27th - Saturday, August 9th. Outer Banks 2 is already full and Outer Banks 1 is full for boys. Blue Ridge is better than ever and we have added an 18 day session since so many participants said that 14 days was just not enough - they wanted more hiking, canoeing, climbing, & crafts! Expeditions offer a great way to explore, learn new skills, make new friends, meet up with old friends, and develop an even closer connection to the natural world.
Quotes from Blue Ridge Expeditions participants:
"I've never felt such a strong connection as I did this summer."
"This session delivered everything it promised including fun, learning, and challenge."
"It was incredible, I could not have asked for a better session."
"I learned a lot about myself." |
| Where the Mountains meet the Sea... |
Did you know that our Outer Banks Expeditioners spend four days at the Cape Lookout Studies program that is run by the NC Maritime Museum? They spend four days in the company of Keith Rittmaster, biologist and director of the program. Keith leads them in everything from protecting endangered turtle nests, to listening to the sea creatures with a hydrophone to trying out surfing. In honor of the awesome work Keith does with our GRP campers, we sent a donation to the NC Maritime Museum this summer. Keith was very appreciative of the donation and decided to apply it to his NC Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program. If you would like to find out more about this program and others that are sponsored by the NC Maritime Museum, then visit their website. If you would like to be a part of the Outer Banks Expedition, then please check the GRP website for rates and dates! | |
"When I come home from GRP I bring with me a sense of peace, love, and joy that keeps me going through the rest of the year."
- Camper 2007
Sincerely,
Missy & Sandy Beth & Paul
Schenck Bockoven & the Staff of the
Green River Preserve |
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2,600 acres of GRP protected for perpetuity! |
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In September a conservation easement was finalized on 2,600 acres of the preserve. Executive Directors Sandy and Missy Schenck have been sharing this land and their enthusiasm for the natural world with campers for many years, and are now ensuring that this land will continue to be an inspiration for future generations of campers.
In addition to the incredible amount of time and value that Sandy has donated, the easement is the result of cooperation from a lot of other people and organizations as well. The easement was made possible by a grant from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and a gift from Fred and Alice Stanback of Salisbury, NC. The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy coordinated the effort and will hold the easement. The protected area has also been identified as a state significant natural area by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.
A preserve neighbor, John Ball, also added to his existing easements for total of 1,200 acres. Together these easements not only guarantee the preserve will remain undeveloped for future generations, but also protect the water quality in most of the upper Green River watershed. The land is also a very important wildlife habitat and corridor connecting 10,000 acres of the DuPont State Forest to 10,000 acres of public lands in Upstate South Carolina. |
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Camper Reps and Home Show Locations Needed! |
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Why wait? We have heard the stories about how much the GRP experience means to your children. Help us share the joy, and the Woodcraft Laws: Beauty, Truth, Fortitude, and Love with children from your area. Host a home show - we can help with the program, camper leads, and mailings! We are especially excited that 16 year staff veteran, Mentor Bob Davis may be available to share a story at your home show - I would bet that most campers will be excited and be glad to round up their friends for a "Bob Story".
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| Mountain Lion Sighting |
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That elusive large carnivore thought lost to the east coast by most people has been sighted yet again. It comes as no great surprise though that our own "Mountain man" who likes to spend all the time that he can roaming through the woods communing with nature would be the individual to see one of these great cats.
It happened about mid-day, while he was on the gravel section of the Green River Road. About half way through the preserve a large cat sprang out of the brush and ran up the side of the mountain. "I could not believe my eyes," said Trey. "I think he had come down off the mountain because of the drought we have been having. I bet he was down at the river getting a drink when Heidi and I came by." The episode might have been written off though if not for Mr. Beddingfield of Green River Road who was driving his truck to Brevard at the exact same moment. "It was much bigger than a bobcat. I've lived here all my life and heard stories of big cats, but this is the first time I've seen one."
Unfortunately neither of the wise gentlemen had time to snap a picture and even after a thorough search of the area no positive proof could be found. You will have to decide for yourself, but this is not the first time folks have claimed to see a mountain lion in the area. |
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