Photo: Phoebe Riegle
Phoebe Riegle
ASNV 2020 Hog Island Scholarship Winner
My whole life I have been hearing about this camp in Maine where the showers are always cold, the mornings are always early, and the birds are always calling. My mother attended Hog Island’s Educator’s week in the 80’s as a young educator, extremely invested in ways to share the natural world with children from various backgrounds. As her child, I was also one of her students so, I got to experience the incredible camps and lessons that she learned from Hog Island. Little did I know that one day I would get to learn from the same man on the same island that taught her “almost” everything she knows, as well as from a few other incredible educators.
Phoebe Riegle
Phoebe Riegle
The year-postponement due to COVID was unfortunate but I was still thrilled to have the opportunity to attend in 2021. Walking up onto the island I was overwhelmed with excitement and comfort in knowing that the showers were now heated because of new solar panels and, more importantly, I was going to be spending a week with like-minded educators all looking to explore nature like we were kids again.
Adorned with my new “fancy” pair of binoculars, I awoke early the first morning to join the legend himself, Ted Gillman, and fellow bird-nerds for a birding session. I learned the flight pattern and calls for birds like woodpeckers and goldfinches as well as how to “point” out birds. The biggest take-away from each of Ted’s lessons was to find ways to build-in success for every student. Celebrate every observation and inference that students make when exploring nature even if it has nothing to do with your question or lesson. Also, remember that you don’t need fancy equipment to get kids into nature- paper towel rolls can be binoculars, an old white shower curtain can be an observation station under a tree, and old cottage cheese tubs can be miniature ponds.
Throughout the rest of the week, I learned from inspiring naturalists about pollinators, insects, birds, marine ecosystems, and citizen science all with a tone of remembrance for the Native Americans who once inhabited the area. James, Kaylani, Margaret, Ted, Colleen, Khav, and Ms. Evonne taught me more than I could’ve imagined. By the end of the week one fellow camper said it best – the thing that made this camp amazing was the fact that it was a group of nature-loving educators who all bought into the magical energy of the island each and every day. With everything happening in the world, it is easy to get bogged down by negativity. Nature is one thing that has stayed consistently and relatively safe throughout these past few years. Take every opportunity you can to feel like a kid again and explore, ask questions, draw conclusions, and research – because you still can.