THE FOREST CLASSROOM

All Aboard! Creek Farm’s Resident Summer Camp Grows Up

By Anna Berry

On my twins’ first day of camp, they were greeted at Creek Farm by a garter snake. While the unexpected visitor made one parent jump, the curious kids ran right toward it, scaring away the snake and any of the campers’ first-day jitters.

The reptile was just one of many creatures that my six-year-olds, Evan and Jonah, found at The Gundalow Company’s summer camp in early July. From hermit crabs to sea urchins, the camps deliver on the Gundalow’s mission to “protect the Piscataqua Region’s maritime heritage and environment through education and action.” And Creek Farm, known as the place where the forest meets the tides in Portsmouth, has long been an ideal base for many of the camp programs. It’s also home to many partnerships between the Forest Society and local conservation groups and nonprofit organizations. “Our partnership at Creek Farm is priceless,” said Sarah Kern, Creek Farm education program coordinator for the Forest Society, of the Gundalow programs. “Research shows that when organizations partner together, they reach farther and wider....Creek Farm is returning to what [the original owners] envisioned it to be: a place for the community to come to center and enjoy themselves.”

Since acquiring the 35-acre property known as Creek Farm in 2000, the Forest Society has worked to implement donor Lillian “Billie” Noel’s vision to have Creek Farm “maintained in an undeveloped state except as necessary for providing access and facilities for the use of this property by the citizens of the City of Portsmouth and the State of New Hampshire for their use and enjoyment.”

Gundalow Program Manager Jess Ohrenberger says the camps are now an essential part of the organization’s education goals. “We always thought it would be a thing we did in the background and not the forefront of what we do,” Ohrenberger notes. “But we have the demand and it’s awesome to get kids out there….[Our] camps bring in a lot more families and a lot more diversity to our programs and our following.” During the rest of the year, the organization serves thousands of students, who spend a few hours sailing aboard the gundalow, a shallow drafted type of cargo barge, once common in the Gulf of Maine’s rivers and estuaries, and learn about the past 300 years on the working waterfront through hands-on activities.

The variety of summer camp experiences gets kids on and around the water for place-based exploration, including the multi-age River Rats camps at Creek Farm and Discovery Camps, which partners with other organizations, including Strawbery Banke Museum. The campers explore marine science, boat building, history, kayaking, and more. This summer, the number of campers is up 32 percent. Ohrenberger said approximately 400 children will take part this year, many of whom will spend time at Creek Farm. “With access to the river and Sagamore Creek being so protected, it’s a really great place for the kids to learn how to kayak,” Ohrenberger says. “Even though it has a current, we can control that and work around that.”

Gundalow Company campers help raise the sail of the Piscataqua in summer 2021.

She added that campers can also see the change of the tides and learn about landbased species on the Little Harbor Loop trail. “[Creek Farm] really combines all that New Hampshire has to offer in terms of nature in one location,” Ohrenberger says. “Everyone is really excited to come back to this area…not just because of what we’re offering but because the place is so unique and special.”

For the group of campers that my kids were a part of in early July, the days included maritime-themed games and learning about topics such as erosion and knot tying, putting the sail up on the traditionally built gundalow called Piscataqua, and plenty of time to explore the water by kayak.

There was lots of excitement about learning to paddle, as indicated by the many little voices echoing outside the Forest Society Education Center at Creek Farm in early July: “Why are there tiny kayaks?” “Can I have a big one?” “I call the green one!” Evan reported later that he was a little scared about kayaking, but he added proudly that he didn’t tip over. The pint-sized paddlers were right at home among the many other visitors to Creek Farm exploring the water and exposed sand bars by boat that day.

As the Gundalow Company helps shape the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, Ohrenberger says it’s important that the camps also teach respect. “Our rules center around respect. Respect for yourself, others, and our place,” she says. “One way we respect our place is we can pick up trash…and we make sure that we’re not pulling apart plants or killing wildlife we find. We also think that if these kids experience it, they’re going to care about it and they’re going to want to protect it just because they have so many happy memories.”

The Gundalow Company camps have been so popular that now adults can take part, too. Ohrenberger said three sessions of new adult “camp” programs filled immediately and campers from their 20s to late 70s joined in the fun this summer. “They’re going to do all of the same things that kids do,” she says. “I think people are stressed out with their everyday lives and the last two years have not been easy for anyone…I think people are looking for an outlet to just kind of relax and think about the joys of being a kid again.”

By the end of the week at their camp, Jonah and Evan had indeed made happy memories. Jonah was proud of winning the knot-tying competition. Evan’s favorite part was sailing on the gundalow and touching a sea urchin, which he noted should really be called a “sea hedgehog.”

Above: At camp this summer, the author’s six-year-old son, Jonah, enjoyed kayaking and exploring the sand bars near the dock on Sagamore Creek. Right: A camper shows off hermit crabs found in Sagamore Creek.

Anna Berry is the director of communications and digital outreach for the Forest Society.