By Lisa Carolin
Business Name: Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp
Business address: 2500 Pierce Road, Chelsea, MI 48118
Business email, telephone number: [email protected], 517-346-6462
Business hours: June – August, annually
Business website: www.mucccamp.org
Although the season is over for Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp for this year, it’s never too early to start making plans for next summer, and the off season provides its own experience in nature.
Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp has moved around the state since it began in 1946 and has operated out of Chelsea for the last 20 years. It was originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and from 2003 until the present, the Michigan United Conservation Clubs has maintained the property.
“Chelsea made the perfect fit for us to run our youth camp because the area is far enough away from the city to be secluded, but close enough to get city kids into the outdoors,” said Shannon Stover, camp director and educator. “The Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp mission is to engage campers in Michigan’s natural environment, teach them outdoor skills, and help them to develop a passion for conservation. We do that through camp curriculum that focuses on survival skills, conservation education, and primitive outdoor skills that all leave campers with a better understand of the natural world around them.”
The 250-acres of habitat includes Cedar Lake and is open to the public for hiking and exploration when not in use for the camp, and it connects to trails within the Waterloo Recreation Area.
Stover says that many kids attending the camp are from the Chelsea area and particularly enjoy the chance to see native Michigan animals at camp including deer, woodchucks, turtles, fish, numerous bird species, and to listen to coyotes.
“Seeing the campers’ faces when they learn something new about their favorite animal or get to do an activity like kayaking for the first time, it makes all the prepping, planning, and hard work worth every second,” she said, adding that her job gives her the chance to combine her passions of exploring the outdoors and working with kids.
Changes for next summer include adding a new archery range.
Stover says to anyone visiting the property, “Take only pictures, leave only footprints. This is one of our foundational sayings at camp, one that we drive home with the campers all summer long. Just like an outdoor recreational area, we want people to respect the environment around them and leave the property just as they found it, if not better. When you experience the Cedar Lake Outdoor Center, take it all in and really connect with nature, all while not disrupting it.”
