New Alsace Conservation Club camp sponsorship available

Jan. 4—Each year, the New Alsace Conservation Club raises funds to send children in the fifth or sixth grade to the Karl E. Kelly Conservation Youth Camp. This year there are extra openings available, so those involved are soliciting children from area schools in the hope of getting more children interested in the outdoors.

The camp is organized and ran by the Indiana Conservation Officers Organization (ICOO). They are a not-for-profit organization of self guidance. Their website is www.icoo.com, where more on the camp can be found .

It is their belief that it is vital to educate young people about the importance of natural resources. They believe also that as the only state law enforcement agency directly responsible for protecting these resources and being also mandated to offer and administer the Outdoor Education courses in Indiana, teaching the concept of enjoying these resources in a safe and responsible manner is a natural extension of our law enforcement duties.

To provide a summer camp program that will educate youth about conservation of natural resources by:

Offering certification in the Outdoor Education programs of the DNR Law Enforcement Division.

Introducing campers to outdoor life sports which will teach appreciation for natural resources and cultivate respect for the Indiana Conservation Officers that protect those resources.

Each camper will take part in or have access to the following:

Certification in Boater education and Hunter’s Education Certification

Range Day (firearms, bows, tomahawks, etc.)

Water day at Raccoon Lake with the DNR SCUBA team, canoe safety class, air boat and jet ski rides

Canoe Trip down the Sugar Creek

7 day/6 night overnight Camp running the third week of June each year at Ross Camp in West Lafayette, Indiana.

This camp experience is open to any boy or girl that has completed the fifth or sixth grade in the preceding school year.

The camp fee is $350 per camper and includes all meals, lodging and needed equipment for camp.

The $350 camp fee is covered by the New Alsace Conservation Club for those selected. All camp registration must be coordinated with club secretary Dale Back.

The club has sent over 132 kids to this camp in the past 18 years and highly recommend it to those who have an interest in the outdoors.

Parents should contact me Back at 812-212-2601 or Casey Gilmore at 812-577-5078 no later than Feb. 1, 2025. If interested, the club needs the child’s name, responsible parent(s) name, phone number, and email…