Coastal Discovery Center at Camp Gray Summer Camp Information Packet About the Coastal Discovery Center at Camp Gray In the 1960s—building on the success of OMSI’s first residential camp site at the Hancock Field Station in eastern —OMSI began holding Science Safari camping programs along the . Since then, OMSI’s coastal camps have provided exploration and adventure to thousands of campers. Between the San Juan Islands in Washington down to the Redwoods in Northern California, decades of campers have hiked, canoed, and explored the Pacific coast.

In 2016, the Coastal Discovery Center at Camp Gray opened as the new home and heart of OMSI’s coastal programs. It was the culmination of a five-year capital campaign that raised $10 million dollars and sixty years of programming west of the Cascades. Camp Gray now serves more than 4,000 participants annually from across the United States, as well as from Japan.

Nestled in Newport, Oregon, between Yaquina Bay and the expansive dunes of South Beach State Park, there are numerous opportunities to explore the wide range of ecosystems on the Oregon coast. On a walk between the cabin door and the beach, campers investigate the connections between the ocean, geology, and ecology.

OMSI summer camp is designed for children entering 2nd through 12th grade to learn about science, the natural world, themselves, and each other—while forming lifelong friendships. We achieve this by fostering a spirit of community, adventure, and growth.

Our Philosophy We believe that every child deserves the chance to be outdoors and learn new things in a safe and inclusive community. We take a traditional summer camp approach and turn it on its head by weaving in themes of adventure, science, exploration, and community into daily life. Our experiential, concept-based style of teaching is effective, nurturing, inspiring, and memorable.

Our Values and Our Vision Campers come to Camp Gray bubbling with excitement, enthusiasm, and curiosity. It is our goal to ensure they leave with a greater sense of confidence, independence, and knowledge. The residential camp experience can be genuinely life-changing. We foster an environment that ensures each child feels welcome, special, and as though they can learn and grow as individuals while forming a sense of belonging in this unique community. It is our hope that staff, parents, and campers learn something new, have fun, and discover new and long lasting friendships.

omsi.edu 2020 Camp Gray Dates

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 June June June 29 July July July July August August August 15-19 22-26 - July 1 6-10 13-17 20-24 27-31 3-7 10-14 17-21

All camps are five days (Monday-Friday) unless otherwise noted. Financial aid may be available. Please visit: https://omsi.edu/camps-classes-financial-aid. OMSI members receive 20% off all camps! More summer camp opportunities available. See Hancock Field Station for more sessions.

2nd & 3rd Grade 4th & 5th Grade Camps for young children going into 2nd or 3rd Camps for children going into 4th or 5th grade next school year. grade next school year.

Week 1: Seashore Explorers Week 1: Art Lab Week 3: Eco-Explorers (3-day) Week 2: Wild Pacific Week 5: Seashore Explorers Week 3: Eco-Explorers (3-day) Week 4: Wild Pacific Week 7: Yaquina Quest Week 8: Wild Pacific Week 9: Art Lab 6th – 8th Grade Week 10: Yaquina Quest Camps for those going into 6th, 7th, or 8th grade next school year.

Week 2 & 3: Expedition Oregon (10-day) th th Week 4: Coastal Ramblers 9 – 12 Grade Camps for teens going into 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th Week 5: Design Naturalists grade next school year. Week 5: Backpack: Week 2: OMSI Surfing Adventure Week 6: Backpack: Teen Girls Week 5: OMSI Surfing Adventures Week 6: Coastal Ramblers Week 6 & 7: OMSI Ambassadors Week 7: Design Naturalists (2 weeks) (for 10th – 12th grade) Week 8: Coastal Ramblers Week 7: Backpack: Wallowas Week 9: Salt, Sand, and Sea Foam Week 8 & 9: Backpack: Canadian Rockies th th Week 10: Backpack: Three Sisters (2 weeks) (for 10 – 12 grade) Week 10: Coastal Documentary Lens

omsi.edu Activity Highlights Each program at Camp Gray has a theme. Whether it is action, adventure, science, or an excursion, there is something for everyone at every age level. Through their age groups, campers will experience new challenges and activities, and develop new skills. Below are some highlights.

Coastal Ecology Camps Science Art and Design Camps

2nd-3rd: Seashore Explorers 4th-5th : Art Lab Explore tide pools, fish prints, coastal Play with art & chemistry, create tie-dye, ecology, hike the Mike Miller Educational Trail conduct experiments, make your own glass float 4th-5th: Wild Pacific Explore tide pools, spend the night in the 6th-8th: Design Naturalists Oregon Coast Aquarium, build a whale at Make coast-inspired art with artists Hatfield Marine Science Center from the Pacific Northwest College of Art

th th 6 -8 : Coastal Ramblers 9th-12th: Coastal Documentary Lens Explore tide pools, dissect a squid, Practice camera skills and contribute take a Sea Life Cruise, and coastal ecology to a documentary with NW Documentary

Adventure and Surfing Camps Backpacking Trips 6th-8th: Teen Girls, th th Yaquina Quest 4 -5 : and Steens Mountain Hike at , learn survival skills, see the Oregon Coast Aquarium 9th-12th : Wallowas and 2-week Venture into the Canadian Rockies 6th-8th: Salt, Sand, and Sea Foam Take surf lessons, paddle a canoe, go camping 6th-8th: Expedition Oregon 10 days! Take surf lessons, paddle a canoe, go camping, take a Sea Life Cruise 9th-12th: OMSI Surfing Adventures Embark on a 4-day surf course, go on coastal hikes

omsi.edu Cabin Life at Camp Gray

Cabin time is a highlight of the camp experience. It is where campers bond as a group, make friends, get into a bit of mischief, and have epic experiences they’ll remember forever. Campers get to know other kids from all of the camps, but the cabin groups are like little families.

Campers live in cabins by age group and gender. Cabins generally have 1 to 2 counselors and 6 to 8 campers. All cabins have electricity, screened windows, and comfortable mattresses for all. Each cabin area has a bathroom connected by covered porch, and each bathroom has multiple toilet and shower stalls with curtained changing areas.

After breakfast, campers have a short clean-up period to participate in community stewardship activities called Kitchen Party and Scrub Club. They work as a team to clean the cabin before heading off to their first activity. Cabin inspection occurs randomly each day while campers are at their activities. Cabins compete for the cleanest cabin and the highly respected and much coveted clean bunk award.

Campers are together or in their cabin area during rest time each day. This is a time for relaxing, hanging out, writing letters and re-charging for the remainder of the day.

Evening activities are generally active all-camp activities, but are sometimes specific to age groups or cabins, creating more time for the campers to spend time playing together. After the evening program campers get ready for bed by brushing their teeth and showering after a long day of play before doing a meaningful activity with their counselor—such as story time or reflecting on highlights from the day—before bed.

omsi.edu Camp Food

This is How We Do “Camp” Food Campers and staff alike love the food here. We serve family- style meals and campers sit at the table of their choice.

Breakfast and dinner are served and eaten in Meyer Hall, and we pack lunch to take with us after breakfast.

Because we are conservation-minded, and cognizant of the incredible resources needed for food production, transport, preparation, and storage, we keep an eye on our food waste in a fun way. After every meal, we weigh and track any food waste. We refer to it as ‘ort,’ and The Ort Report is often the highlight of the meal—after dessert, of course.

Dietary Restrictions & Food Allergies We are able to provide for a number of dietary restrictions, including vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free. When possible, we create variations on the main meal, like gluten-free pasta, vegetarian sausage, or corn tortillas. Whether our specialty meals correspond to the main offering or not, we make sure there is a healthy and delicious option for everyone.

We can cater to some food allergies. We cannot guarantee that trace allergens are not present, but we pride ourselves on meal service and do our best to avoid cross- contamination. We’re open to inquiries and problem- solving in advance. Please call us to discuss your food concerns, and we will be happy to help ease any worries.

omsi.edu Coastal Discovery Center at Camp Gray Map 3400 SW Abalone St, South Beach, OR 97366 Frequently Asked Questions

I’m afraid my child will be homesick. How do you address that? Homesickness is very common at camp and we address it with kindness and compassion. Each child has a different experience with it, so we approach each case individually. Rest assured, we don’t give up easily! We use professional strategies to overcome fears and anxiety to help kids want to stay at camp. Our staff may or may not call the primary contact to discuss strategies (depending on the severity). We usually discourage campers speaking with parents directly, as it tends to make homesickness worse. The vast majority do overcome their initial homesickness and end up not wanting to leave!

How do you select and train your staff, and what standards do the camps maintain? OMSI strictly adheres to standards of the American Camp Association (ACA) and the county health department when it comes to hiring and supervision of staff and volunteers. Our staff go through an extensive application, interview, reference, and hiring process. All staff members (paid and unpaid) submit a voluntary disclosure statement and are required to undergo a thorough criminal background check.

Instructional staff members spend a month in various trainings and certification courses, and all summer staff members participate in a week-long staff training. Counselors are certified in first aid & CPR, and instructors are certified Wilderness First Responders (WFR) with commercial driver licenses. Both Camp Gray and Camp Hancock are accredited by the ACA, and are inspected annually by their individual county health departments. Read more here for additional information about the accreditation standards for staffing and supervision.

Can you accommodate non-binary, non-gender conforming, trans, and other LGBTQ youth? How does that work? Yes! We can, and we have successfully done so. OMSI respects, values, and celebrates the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are. At camp, we don’t want anyone to feel left out—we want to provide an open and welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels safe and empowered to be themselves.

Because camps are traditionally co-ed, we have some barriers for the gender-diverse in sleeping and hygiene areas, but we’re committed to dismantling those barriers in a respectful way. Since each individual is unique and has different needs, we encourage you to reach out with specific questions or concerns. We appreciate any opportunity to speak directly with families about how we can work together to make the OMSI summer camp experience worry-free for everyone, regardless of orientation, gender, or any other identity.

I heard every camper gets a free OMSI camp t-shirt at the end of the week. Is that true? That rumor is absolutely true! We distribute t-shirts to everyone who attends, usually at the final campfire of the week. We encourage campers to wear the shirts home, and most choose to flaunt their new OMSI threads.

For more information visit omsi.edu/camps-classes-FAQ or contact us at 503-797-4661.

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