Whitfield Summer Camp

In the summertime, the cottonwood canopy of the bosque, the river and nearby conservation lands make the Middle Rio Grande region a great place to ignite our children’s curiosity and unleash their creativity.

One nature park children love exploring is the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area (WWCA), owned and managed for you by the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District.

If your children have enjoyed their school field trips to Whitfield, why not let them have a week of outdoor adventures there? This summer, from July 8-12, children of ages 9-14 are invited to attend the district’s Whitfield camp, which runs from 8 a.m. to 12 noon each day, at WWCA, 2424 N.M. 47, north of Rio Communities.

Each day, campers will explore a different outdoor space and have hands-on interactions with plants, animals and folks who are passionate about their work in conservation. Campers will draw on their new experiences and observations to express themselves in drawings, field notes and art projects.

At camp, thoughtful exploration, hands-on science and teamwork—out in nature—should provide an exciting and fun time for kids, without them realizing they are learning!

Camp will also be a chance for children to exercise and stay healthy each day, as they walk, hike and enjoy a healthy snack during a break from the summer heat. To stay cool and prevent insect bites, campers are encouraged to wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Participants will be given special Whitfield baseball caps to protect them from the sun and their own water bottle to fill at the district’s new water dispenser.

On the first day of camp, children will learn about the Middle Rio Grande environment. They’ll get their hands dirty learning about healthy soils and planting tomatoes from seed. They’ll see—on a small scale—how rain moves through different types of soil. They also will learn about the 100-year history of how the Rio Grande was channeled to irrigate our lands.

On the second day of camp, children will recall the prior day’s experience to record some field notes in their very own Whitfield Nature Journal. They’ll then visit three special spots within and around Whitfield, where they will paint what they see in the natural world around them, guided by artist Barbara Andrews.

Day three of camp will be off site, starting with a tour at New Mexico State University (NMSU) Agricultural Science Center on Miller Road in Los Lunas. The real fun begins afterward, when campers get to meet and pet goats and pigs at the nearby Russo-Baca farm.

Once back at the NMSU Ag Science Center, the pollinator garden there should provide inspiration for the campers to close the morning with field notes in their nature journals.

Day four of camp will be all about birds, including a live birds-of-prey presentation, birding walk around Whitfield, and an arts and crafts project. Children will be guided by Belen Art League’s Judy Turner as they make a bird-focused craft.

On the fifth day of camp, children will learn about the ecosystem within the Middle Rio Grande bosque. They will become junior community scientists, gathering water data from monitoring wells at Whitfield and within the bosque.

The grand finale will be a lunch of locally-sourced food for the campers and their families at 12 noon.

The camp is in its third year of operations and registration is now open. Spaces are limited to 15 children and are expected to fill fast. Thanks to our generous sponsors—the Friends of Whitfield and the Utton Center at the University of New Mexico—there is no charge to attend Whitfield Summer Camp.

To sign up for camp, parents or guardians should visit valenciaswcd.org/summer-conservation-camp. Call the district at 505-864-8914 for more information.

Of note, onlyinyourstate.com recently called Whitfield the “Hidden nature park in New Mexico with its very own botanical garden, nature center, and so much more.” We’re hoping you’ll come visit Whitfield and the district’s headquarters, open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. You will see that life really does happen outside.

Finally, to learn more about our Friends, a non-profit, tax-exempt, volunteer organization supporting the district’s work of habitat restoration, education and conservation at Whitfield, visit friendsofwhitfield.org. To learn more about the Utton Transboundary Resources Center, which promotes equitable and sustainable management of natural resources in New Mexico and beyond, visit uttoncenter.unm.edu.

(Teresa de Cherif, vice chairwoman of the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District, walks the 1-mile nature path at Whitfield every time she can.)