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MEDIA CONTACT: Sally Anne Giedrys
Communications Manager
sgiedrys@ecotarium.org
(508) 929-2738

(WORCESTER, MA)&emdash; At EcoTarium's Loring Summer Discovery Camp, children spend their days investigating the natural world, making new discoveries and having adventures. In 10-days of fun-packed indoor/outdoor exploration at the museum and during field trips off-site, campers discover life in forests, meadows and ponds, experience a tree canopy walkway, develop new skills and interests, encounter wildlife large and small, get their hands dirty, learn environmental leadership skills, increase their confidence and self-esteem, investigate the night sky with telescopes and in a planetarium&emdash; and have plenty of plain old fun.

EcoTarium's Loring Summer Discovery Camp traces its roots to the Natural History Camp for Boys, the first natural history summer camp of its kind founded on the shores of Worcester's Lake Quinsigamond in 1885. While back then, the camp offered "instruction in the study of nature" for about 50 boys ages 10-20, today's summer camp serves nearly 200 girls and boys ages 7 to 15. In 2004, campers can choose from three fun-filled camp sessions:

• Amazing Animals, July 5-July 16. Campers immerse themselves in the animal world and gain real-life experiences with creatures from tiny tamarin monkeys to a 700-pound polar bear. Campers meet EcoTarium's animal experts and find out firsthand what it's like to make and deliver balanced animal meals. Putting their creative minds to work, they build puzzles, games and other enrichment activities to engage EcoTarium's animals. Traveling "behind the scenes," they discover how animals big and small, near and far adapt to their habitats and what they need to survive and thrive. They also build bird feeders, place them around EcoTarium's grounds and track which species visit them and what they like to eat.
  
• Fantastic Forests, July 19 - July 30. In this fun-filled session, campers discover that forests and meadows are whole worlds waiting to be explored. Campers learn there's more to meadows than meets the eye when they scour EcoTarium's meadow for butterflies, spiders and all kinds of insects&emdash; and the plants that attract them. By taking core samples, measuring trees and using hand lenses, digital cameras and other tools, they gain new perspectives on a familiar landscape and conduct investigations to find out what a tree has to do with environmental news like global warming and pollution. Strapped into harnesses, they traverse the treetops, experiencing a squirrel's eye-view of life on EcoTarium's tree canopy walkway. Putting their naturalist hats on, they travel from urban forests at the EcoTarium to a rural protected forest to see what makes them different and how they're the same.
  
• Wild World of Water, August 2 - August 13. From pond and stream to the mighty sea, watery habitats are home to a range of life from microscopic monsters to whales. Using nets, cups, eyedroppers and microscopes, campers become aquatic sleuths, taking water samples and learning what lives in the water and how these creatures behave. They meet nearly invisible creatures and larger water dwellers too, from sea stars to river otters. Water campers travel in rowboats to measure a pond and graph their findings like real scientists. They make their investigations firsthand on the EcoTarium grounds, at its rural field site and even compare freshwater environments with the saltwater communities they encounter on a special trip to the Massachusetts coast.

Camps run weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours options available. Cost of the camp is $460.00, ($410 for EcoTarium members). Registration ends May 31, 2004. Call (508) 929-2703 or visit www.ecotarium.org for registration information.

Loring Summer Discovery Camp is structured to provide a strong foundation in local ecology and scientific investigation as well as loads of fun. Each of the camp sessions is divided into three age groups. That allows kids to focus on developmentally appropriate activities, make friends their own age, and enjoy summer camp experiences that grow along with them.

• Eagle Eyes (Ages 7-8) At this age level, campers use all five senses and basic scientific tools to explore the natural world. Activities are focused on observing and recording information about natural settings, animal behavior, physiology and habitat.
  
• Earth Rangers (Ages 9-10) At this age level, campers identify ways that people interact with and affect natural communities. They identify wildlife in local ecosystems and determine how people can co-exist with animals and their habitats. Activities focus on environmental stewardship.
  
• Investigators (Ages 11-12) At this age-level, campers practice forming and testing scientific hypotheses. Activities focus on identifying similarities and differences of urban, suburban, and rural ecosystems and the connections between natural communities and their inhabitants.

EcoTarium is an indoor-outdoor museum dedicated to exploring the natural world. The museum offers three floors of interactive exhibits, wildlife habitats, interpretive nature trails, ponds, an award-winning meadow, a planetarium, and a narrow-gauge railroad. The museum, located at 222 Harrington Way in Worcester, Mass., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 12 to 5 p.m. Open selected Monday holidays and Mondays during school vacation weeks. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for seniors, college students and children ages 3-18. Free parking is available. For information, please call (508) 929-2700 or email info@ecotarium.org.