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Registration is NOW Open

By Anne Izard on September 20, 2020

We have spent the past few months re-imagining what summer at Green River Preserve could look like in response to the disruption of life in the wake of this pandemic. We have been dreaming and adjusting and hammering out so many different iterations of what could happen if we dreamed big and looked to the land. One thing that we all agree on here is that we do not want another summer to come and go without having the excitement and vitality that our campers and staff infuse into the program. Knowing this, we have put together a familiar yet different schedule for 2021. This allows for flexibility should we face unforeseen challenges again. One advantage we have over many other summer camps is land and private access to it. If we are mandated in the spring to be in cohorts of 8 outside,…..well we feel confident that GRP can do it.

Lots of new information about 2021 below. Thank you for reading patiently through it!

  1. We have replaced “Rookie Day” with a “Rookie Camp”. Labeled as Session 1, it is a short 5 day session for those first time campers. It will be a simpler camp schedule and format with tons of fun and activities. This session is great for first-timers or even those campers who feel like 5 days is just the right amount of time. Oh - and we have lowered the age to rising 1st graders!

  2. We have added a 3rd two-week session in August! You will notice there is the option to enroll younger campers in just one week of this session (Session 5 vs Session 6.) We will limit the amount of 1-weekers we will take and are encouraging those older campers to participate in the classic 2-week session - Session 6.

  3. Our 9th graders who were enrolled in the 3-week session for 2020 can enroll in base camp session 3, Base Camp Expeditions, OBX or BRX - or a combination of all three! So. Many. Options.

  4. You might notice our traditional two week sessions end on Thursdays instead of Fridays. We have built in two full days between sessions to allow for deep cleansing between groups. Thanks for understanding this essential pandemic change.

  5. We have something totally new…..BASE CAMP EXPEDITIONS!!!! We will be sharing more on these in the coming weeks; essentially, these are week-long specialty camps for those kids that want to dive deeper into a specific skill. These will be groups of 8-10 campers, ages 6th-10th grade, and each will focus on one skill in particular. The first base camp expeditions we will launch will be Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, and Circumnavigating GRP. The campers we are targeting for these trips are those who want to take the skill development further and are ready to rough it longer than camp-out allows. We are starting off small and running these throughout the first few weeks of camp. If demand is high, we will add more. Check out all of our expeditions dates here

  6. We are allowing “stay-over” time between sessions. What does that mean, you ask? Well, let’s say your kiddo wants to do the Mountain Biking Expedition and then the 2-week session. They can opt to “stay-over” at camp between sessions for a fee and minimize transitions in and out of camp. It is something new we are trying and hoping it will help those families and campers that want more camp time.

  7. Have a rising 12th grader or college freshman? For the past five years, we have been developing our Leadership in Training program. This next summer, we are really ramping it up. We are splitting the summer season for LIT’s between two sessions- one for 5 weeks, the other for 4 weeks. LIT’s will not only dive into leadership training and soft skills development, but will also be paired up with cabin counselors to assist in a smaller camper community.Check out details here

  8. Registration opened September 15th. All those registered in 2020 will still need to complete a new application to reserve your spot. If you rolled over tuition from this past summer and you have not registered by October 1, we will reach out to you to confirm your intentions. We will start processing new camper applications on September 21st. We expect the demand to be high and encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Whew…that’s a lot! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email. We are here and excited to reconnect with you all. We appreciate your continued support for GRP, for believing in our mission to support and grow our children as the next generation of environmental stewards, and for spreading the word about our magical place in the mountains.This year makes our traditional recruitment Roadshows not possible so we could really use your help in word of mouth, community-based support of our programming in reaching new families. If you have any ideas around this, we would love to hear from you. We are so grateful for our GRP community and look forward to seeing you all back on the Preserve next summer. Until then…

Yours in Camping,

Anne & Steve

Anne Izard
Anne Izard

Anne has worked at Green River over the years at summer camp, expeditions, and the school programs as a counselor, expedition leader, mentor, and program director. Anne’s related camp experiences include working as a counselor and program assistant at Camp Ton-A-Wandah in North Carolina, an expedition leader for Wilderness Ventures and an environmental educator and expedition leader for the Teton Science School. Prior to returning home to GRP, Anne was the Director of Education for the Mountain Studies Institute in Silverton, Colorado. Anne and her husband, Steve, are both actively engaged in the American Camp Association, The Association of Environmental Education, and The North Carolina Youth Camp Association. When Anne is not working, she can be found trail running, paddling, cycling, or backcountry skiing with her husband Steve, their sons, Phen and Hawkins,daughter, Alida,and golden retriever, Irie Bird!