This past month, we had 2 4-H members attend the Ohio 4-H Forestry and Wildlife Camp held at Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp in Jackson, Ohio! Read about their experiences below and check out some photos posted on the Canters Cave 4-H Camp Facebook page throughout the week!
Nick Furbee, Eager Achievers 4-H Club
A few weeks ago I went to Forestry and Wildlife Camp in Jackson, Ohio at Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp. We did a ton of different activities, they kept us really busy. The first night we ate dinner while meeting the other campers at a dance and moved into the bunk rooms. The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast. After that we when fishing for an hour and once that was over we went on a nature hike to Canter’s Cave and learned about a few types of trees along the way. Then we went tree climbing which was my favorite because we climbed high up into trees. They put us in harnesses and then we clicked into ropes that were already up in the trees. We had to slowly pull ourselves up high into the trees, I’d love to do that again.
After that we milled boards of lumber out of trees and we each even got to bring one home, they look really cool. After lunch we got to try radio telemetry which is where you try to find trackers that are hidden using a hand held device. We also treated Hemlock trees for the Hemlock Wolly Adelgid which is a pest that recently made its way into Ohio and is starting to kill the Hemlock trees – like the Emerald Ash Bore did to all of the Elm trees.
We also learned about some wild plants that you can eat and how to identify them. The final activities before dinner Saturday were shooting blow darts and animal identification (no, we didn’t shoot the blow darts at animals). After dinner we had another line and square dance which were a lot of fun! After dark we went on a night owl calling hike followed by a fire and then we went to bed, exhausted. The food was great and all the counselors and adults running the camp were very knowledgeable. On the final morning we played some games and ate breakfast and and packed up to go home. I think that you would regret not going to this camp next year, I plan to go back and maybe someday I can be a counselor.
Nathan Lohrer, Beginners to Winners 4-H Club
At Canter’s Cave Forestry Camp there was too much to enjoy, from identifying edible nuts and berries to a traditional native American campfire, it was so much fun. When I first arrived, I was nervous but once I met my cabinmates and counselors I did not know why I was scared in the first place. The first morning we awoke and walked to the lodge for breakfast. After that we walked to our tribes and began activities. The first activity we had was fishing, we grabbed a rod, bated it and caught loads of fish. Then we went on a tree identification hike to Canters Cave where we learned how to identify hemlock, white oak, beech, and hickory trees. We climbed trees with a rope and pulley mechanism. Afterward we sang camp songs to the sawmill where we cut our own planks of wood. We walked to lunch and scarfed food down as fast as humanly possible to get to our afternoon activities. Once we finished lunch, we hiked to a radio telemetry course where we found trackers that played the hot and cold game to find. When we finished, we skipped to a course where we learned what a Hemlock woolly adelgid was what and what it could do to out ecosystem if it is not controlled. We then wandered to an off-trail nature hike where we identified edible nuts and berries, which was my favorite part. When we completed our survival, we journeyed a short distance to an animal ID course where we learned how to shoot a blow-dart gun and set several different kinds of traps. We walked the fifty yards back to the lodge where we achieved supper and waited for night to fall, then we went on an owl calling expedition to Boone’s Cave and told stories in the dark. We raced back to our cabins, fell asleep, woke the next morning and drove home. I will be attending next year and hope that you will join me.
