Let’s look back at an amazing month of Spring Camps! We kicked off March with Spring Stewardship Weekend. A group of amazing volunteers helped us break Westwind out of its winter slumber and prepare for programs and rental guests. Next, we held our third annual Spring Friends and Family Camp, welcoming over twenty families to explore Westwind as the calendar turned to Spring. It was our busiest Spring Family Camp yet. And this weekend, we wrapped up our spring camps with our first-ever Foraging Camp. A small, but mighty community of foragers and local experts explored the wonderful world of edible and medicinal plants at Westwind.
Spring Stewardship Weekend
Spring Stewardship Weekend is an incredible moment of volunteer support for Westwind. With the help of fifty volunteers, we accomplished hundreds of hours of work during the weekend. This goes a long way in helping our site team prepare for the spring and focus on improving Westwind. During Spring Stewardship Weekend, volunteers carried hundreds of pounds of gravel to support Tyee’s new deck. SSC students continued their incredible cabin renovation work and we completed the remodel of Nottingham Palace, moving one step towards our goal of providing a safer, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient cabin experience at Westwind. Volunteers also helped clear trails, restock cleaning supplies, and chop firewood for a summer full of campfires.
Spring Friends and Family Camp
Though similar to our Fall Family Camps, there is something magical about being at Westwind as the spring blooms. Families spent the weekend exploring the beach, meeting new friends, and hiking through the forest as the first green shoots bloomed. The Fairy Hunt, as always, was an exciting activity for our youngest campers. After they spent the morning decorating their fairies, they spent the afternoon searching through the forest. This was our largest Spring Family Camp yet!
Foraging Camp
Most recently, we wrapped up our first Spring Foraging Camp! Led by an incredible group of expert ecologists and forests, we explored the edible and medicinal natural world. This camp focused on the many useful properties of plants from across the many ecosystems of Westwind. From old-growth forests to the resilient intertidal zone, our forests and beaches are teaming with useful plants. Campers learned how to identify edibles, how to process medicinal plants, and how to harvest sustainability. This camp is the start of a push to incorporate more conservation-focused programming into the Westwind experience. Be on the lookout for Spring Foraging Camp registration next fall, and as always Mushroom Camp registration opens in May.
What’s next?
Thanks to all of you, we have been able to grow our spring programs each year, and we will continue to next year as well. But just because our spring programs are finished doesn’t mean Westwind is slowing down. Through May we are hosting MESD Outdoor School and we have rental groups of all sizes every weekend. On April 19th, we hope to see you at our third-annual Earth Day Celebration and if you can’t make that, then we invite you to Visitor’s Day on June 21st. Want to spend the night at Westwind? Check out our single cabin rentals and be prepared for Fall Camp Registration opening in May.
