Two summers ago Camp Tecumseh planted a large area of native prairie grass and flowers. The prairie was doing well enough that Camp decide to do a burn. With Turkey, Kilimanjaro, and Llama standing by with buckets of water, the prairie burned just as planned.

What is the camp prairie used for?

A small section was left for one more year to allow for it to thicken a little more and to give the schools coming in the next couple of weeks a place to do the ‘Meadow Safari’ (part of the Discovering Nature program). Before it was settled, most of Indiana was forest. The Northwest corner of the state was the only area that prairies could be found covering large areas. Camp is also using this new prairie during ‘The Meadow’ trail in Earthship Journey and is also a great backdrop for parts of the Pioneer Heritage program. Another area in the Lake Village pioneer settlement has recently been designated for a second native prairie.

Why Burn???

Managing prairies with prescribed burns has many benefits. Unburned prairies leave a mantle of dead and decaying vegetation. This stifles the growth of the prairie plants and deprives plants of space and light. The burn also helps release the nutrients in the dead vegetation so it can be used by the new growth. The blackened soil heats up fast by absorbing solar energy, thus stimulating speedy seed germination, sprouting and growth. Burning also helps in controlling shrubs that are invading into the prairie. Without burning, many of the prairies would eventually turn into forests.

Prairies are an important part of the ecosystem. Prairies have an abundance of plants, insects, birds, mammals, and reptiles, many of these found only in prairies. The grasses and forbs also provide seed and nectar for insects, butterflies, birds, and small mammals. But to get these benefits, fire must occur to restore the prairie. (http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/articles/prescribed.htm)

Over the past several weeks we have been building our first applications for the Apple iPhone and Google Android based smart phones!

As you probably noticed, Camp Tecumseh has worked to improve its online offerings over the last few years.  These new cell phone applications are built to give you instant access to mobile versions of all the most important Camp Tecumseh online destinations, including our official Twitter, Facebook, Photo Gallery, and News pages.  You can also updated information about Summer Camp session availability and put Camp Tecumseh right onto your Google Map so you can get turn by turn directions to camp!

Our Android app even does a bit more than that, allowing you to give us a call or send us an email right away or take a look at our current weather forecast.

This is a brand new area for Camp Tecumseh, so we hope to hear your thoughts and  ideas about our new applications!  In the future we are considering building a version of this application for touch screen Blackberry phones if folks show enough interest.

The iPhone version of the application is available online here or by searching for “Camp Tecumseh” in the iPhone store. It works on both iPhones and the iPod Touch.  To download the Android OS version, search for “Camp Tecumseh” in the Android Marketplace on your phone.  This version works on the Google Nexus One, the Motorolla Droid, and all other Android-based smart phones.  Both are free for all download and enjoy!

We are inviting Day Camp families–both new and returning–to come to camp on Sunday, April 18 from 2:00-6:00 pm! Families will have the opportunity to take a trailer ride around camp, climb Mt. Wood, scream down the Black Hole and try other Day Camp activities!

We’ll have several of our counselors on hand to meet campers and parents and to help answer any questions you might have.  Joel (that’s me, the Day Camp Director) and Christa (the Day Camp Registrar) will be on hand to help with questions and registration.

A drawing will also be held for free Camp Tecumseh T-Shirts!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 765-564-2898 x309 or JoelS@camptecumseh.org

Every year on March 1, something exciting happens–we begin registering for Day Camp!  This year is no exception, registration is now open for Camp Tecumseh Day Camp 2010.

This year will once again feature some “old favorites” of Day Camp, including the black hole, archery, bb guns, climbing, arts & crafts, World Service Carnival and Gold Rush.  We’ve also added in new activities for all ages, revised and added World Service Activities and created a Thursday Dress-Up Day to go along with the weekly theme.

We are also excited to be welcoming back a number of counselors from last year and we have a terrific staff overall!  Meetings have already begun with staff to plan out new unit activities, look at creative craft ideas and discuss how to make Day Camp even better!  During weeks 4 and 5, we’ve also added in an Equestrian Day Camp for campers ages 11-12.

This year you can register for Day Camp by either printing off a registration form and mailing/faxing it back in, or registering online.  Both options are available on our website at www.camptecumseh.org/daycamp.

Stay tuned to the news feed for information about this Spring’s Day Camp Open House!

For any questions, please contact JoelS@camptecumseh.org.