Teen Camp Essay Contest | Second Place Winner | Caitlin A!

Every summer, TU Camp and Academy graduates are invited to enter the TU Teen Essay Contest in which they share their camp experiences.  This year we have five winners, and we'll be sharing he winning essays throughout the months of October and November.  Visit the TU Teens Blog page to see the other essays and stay tuned for the grand prize winner.  Our second place winner is Caitlin A from PA.  She's pictured above on one of her favorite, relaxing outdoor spots.  You can read her essay and more about her below.

My Camp: The Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp in Pennsylvania

My TU Chapter: Forbes Trail chapter

My favorite stream: Yellow Breeches Creek in Carlisle

What I like most about being outside:  The thing I love most about being outside is the peace that comes with the beauty. When I'm alone in nature, whether it's hiking or fishing or anything else, I can be alone with my thoughts, and that is truly amazing. The camp I attended gave me the great chance to discover fly fishing as well, and I plan to do that much in the coming years.

TU Camp is...

By Caitlin A

            Whether you are an expert outdoorsman or a nature novice, this Trout Unlimited-sponsored youth camp is sure to bring your knowledge of the natural world to a new level. The Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp is an educating experience for all who attend. Bringing the importance of conservation to the forefront, this week-long program is designed to teach its students about every aspect of environmental science, and even teaches them how to fly fish. This opportunity is open to minors ages 14 to 17, and will prepare them for careers in the great outdoors. With rich history, groundbreaking classes, and well sought-after fly fishing lessons, this camp is sure to captivate the minds of all students.

            The first Rivers Camp was successfully held in 1995 at the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, and it was the first school of its kind. It inspired dozens of other schools across the country to be made in its likeness. The camps’ founders, Dr. John R. Beck and Mr. Enoch S. Moore, Jr., were both avid fishermen and members of Trout Unlimited, as well as being involved in other cold-water preservation programs. They and other people who played a key role in the school’s success are forever memorialized in the Fly Fishing Museum, located at the Allenberry Resort. Everyone in the museum has made great strides in conservation and educating our youth. The camps’ board of directors put a year of planning into each camp and picking 32 boys and girls to attend. Much time and effort is put forth to ensure that all attendees get the most out of this historic and ground-breaking camp.

            The school’s curriculum touches upon a wide range of subjects taught by experts in their respective fields and are taught in lecture form. Students are encouraged to take notes in the binders provided for them. All of the speakers are volunteering their time to these aspiring students, and some even give them free copies of relevant books they have written. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission also provide a book on Pennsylvania fishes. Brochures and informative guides are also given so students can have information to take home to their families. Some of the classes include: geology, entomology, ecology, the history of fly fishing and tying, environmental law, and many more. In addition to the daily classes, students are given the amazing opportunity of working with the Habitat Management Division of the Fish and Boat Commission to reinforce the bank of the Yellow Breeches Creek and create a fish habitat I the process.

            One aspect of this school that sets it apart from other conservation camps is the fly fishing and the lessons that go with it. Starting from the first day, students are taught how to properly cast, and as the week progresses, students learn how fly rods are assembled and are given numerous opportunities to fish the Yellow Breeches Creek outside of the hotel. Lessons in the classroom are also applicable to the students’ fishing endeavors. Students are taught how to tie their own flies and are given a box with flies in them already. Lessons on fish behavior and habitats also aid students in the stream. All attendees are given Trout Unlimited hats and a fishing vest on their first day too and fly rods are available to those who need to borrow them. This camp can turn a beginner fly fisherman into an expert and give experts the chance to be masters.

            The Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp is an invaluable experience for any boy or girl interested in the environmental sciences or simply the outdoors in general. With its amazing staff and resources, anyone who attends is sure to retain the knowledge for years to come. The young people who graduate from the school go on to make great strides in conservation of Pennsylvania’s natural resources and preserving nature. It’s intricate backstory of how the camp came to be, its one of a kind classes, and the incredible experience of fly fishing, this school is the opportunity of a lifetime. For more information, visit RCFFYC’s Facebook page or http://www.riverscamp.com/ or http://www.tu.org/camps