Earth Camp for current 9th grade students will take place June 20-25. Applications are available here and are due March 15 (we encourage applicants, as opposed to parents, to contact us if they have questions about Earth Camp or the application process). Students will be notified by the end of March if they have been accepted to Earth Camp – we receive over 200 applications for our 20 spots each year.
Earth Camp is a residential program. Students will stay in dorms on campus and in hotels when traveling. Students will need to provide transportation to and from Ann Arbor at the beginning and end of the session – although if this is a problem, our staff can help with transportation.
Earth Camp is a 3-summer-long program. The first summer, for current ninth grade students, takes place at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor campus and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The second summer takes place on Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Marquette and Houghton, Michigan. The third summer takes place in Wyoming at Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Students must complete the first summer of Earth Camp to be eligible for the next two summer experiences.
Our first summer of Earth Camp is open to current 9th grade students, who will be entering 10th grade Fall 2020. This week-long experience takes place at the University of Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes National
Lakeshore. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, there is no cost to attend Earth Camp.
Activities include:
- The ropes course at the University of Michigan Challenge Program
- Water quality studies in local rivers and ponds, followed by kayaking the Huron River
- Fields trips around the Ann Arbor area exploring our glacial features and sedimentary geology
- Building solar cells
- An overnight visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
- Geocaching
- A weather balloon launch
For more information about Earth Camp Summer #1, please check out our blog posts from previous summers here.
Questions? Contact earthcamp@umich.edu (we encourage applicants, as opposed to parents, to contact us if they have questions about Earth Camp or the application process)
