MAZAMA WILD
by Zane Davidson & Monika Lockett, Mazama Wild Camp Managers
T
he deer emerges from behind a tree and sneaks towards the water source, Dixie cup in hand. As the cup is dipped, an opportunistic wolf—freshly graduated from 2nd grade—sprints forward towards a potential waterside meal, and the chase is on! Mazama Wild, the Mazama summer camp youth program, wrapped up on August 13 after nine weeks of camp.
With weekly rosters filling up within a single week in March and continuing to fill once capacities were increased, it was apparent that after a year and a half of pandemics and shutdowns that kids were more than ready to get back outside! With games like Hunters vs. Prey, campers ages 5–10 learned environmental science topics and developed a deeper appreciation of the outdoors through hands-on experiences. Starting as a supplement to Portland Public Schools’ Outdoor School called Adventure WILD, then transitioning to an official Mazama program in 2017, Mazama Wild has quickly become one of the best-known summer youth camps in the Portland area. Being a name is one thing, but what does Mazama Wild do for an organization like ours? Beyond the activities and lessons that Mazama Wild staff provide to campers, they also strive to strengthen our community—both as a service to our members and the greater community.
10 MAZAMAS
By reaching out to families and younger generations, the program and staff have built long-term relationships. Many Mazama members bring their children to camp knowing that they are immersing them in the same community they are a part of, encouraging multi-generational interest and membership. New Mazama families have been similarly emerging from the mix—parents who send their kids to summer camp then find themselves motivated to join the organization. All that relationship building is helping to increase the diversity of our organization. It’s well known that outdoor recreation and many environmentallyrelated fields have not been represented in our country as a whole. Mazama Wild aims to expand outdoor education for our members and community by being welcoming, offering low tuition, providing scholarships, and having a diverse staff. Indeed, they are big goals, yet ones our community members, both old and new,
thrive on. But what does Mazama Wild look like up close? What have the kids been doing daily? Campers arrive each week to a camp with an overarching theme that flavors the tone of its activities. During Creatures & Conservation week, a group may have a presentation on evolutionary adaptations, for example, while during Plants & Pollinators week, the campers may observe bees, then run a relay race that mimics their food-gathering methods. Whether an involved project or a game like Hunters vs. Prey that turns learning ecology into a physical challenge, education gets “summer-camp-ified” at the Mazamas. And would any self-respecting Mazama program be complete without climbing? Twice a week, campers are facilitated by staff and our much-beloved belay volunteers to climb the walls at the Mountaineering Center. Often a highlight for campers, some return weekly to improve their skills and deepen their
