Pat Donahue/Times-EnterpriseCamp STEMtastic focused on natural resources this session.

THOMASVILLE — It was back to nature — and looking ahead on how to conserve it — for this year’s Camp STEMTastic.

The campers presented their camp-ending videos Friday afternoon, wrapping up their week of activity and learning.

In years past, the campers learned about the science of flight, robotics and marine and freshwater ecology. This year’s camp focused on natural resources and included trips to Arcadia Plantation and Providence Canyon, called Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon.

At Arcadia Plantation, the campers used GIS to track red-cockaded woodpecker cavities — the birds are endangered — also used GIS to plot old growth longleaf pines. They also learned how controlled burns help the vegetation.

“I learned about how on certain plantations they decide to burn every year and it comes back healthier,” said Armani Miller.

The trip to Providence Canyon was a different experience for some of the campers. Many of the campers, soon to enter the 10th grade, are part of the original class.

“It was nice to be able to go and experience different things,” said Carly House. “We’re all girly-girls, so going outside and hiking is not exactly our cup of tea. But it was nice. It’s nice to say I hiked a canyon.”

Camp organizer Jen Hamilton said one student said the Providence Canyon trip was his favorite. 

“I would never have been able to go do something like this if I hadn’t been part of camp,’” she said the student told her. 

The students also said they don’t get to do things in school that they do in camp or to the extent they get to do them at camp.

“That’s exciting. That’s encouraging to us,” Hamilton said. “With them coming back, they want to have more opportunities with the different activities we have.” 

The campers also learned that not all plastic items sent to recycling end up getting a new life. Some plastic is not recycled at all. The campers were shown the movie “Plastic Paradise” and learned where the plastic goes.

“One fo the things we wanted them to do is to be more aware of this plastic,” Hamilton said. “We see that the stuff we think is being recycled maybe isn’t being fully recycled.”

As part of that lesson, the campers are teaming with Thomasville City Schools and Thomas County Schools to collect 400 pounds of plastic bottle caps. The caps, including the tops of laundry soap containers, will be sent to a south Florida company, which will turn them into material that makes boards.

Those boards in turn will be used to build what are called “buddy benches,” spots where kids who are lonely or in need of someone can sit and show that need without having to say so.

“You create these buddy benches and if you see someone on them, you know it’s someone that may be just looking for someone to talk to,” Hamilton said. 

Serenity Williams said she once thought about being a lawyer or a nurse.

“Now, I think I want to major in biology,” Williams said. “Over time, I’ve gained knowledge about different things.”

Camp STEMtastic participants must be recommended for having an interest and an aptitude for STEM subjects and come from low-income backgrounds. The same group of campers studies a different topic for a week each year during camp.

The camp has had an impact on the students, they acknowledged.

“It’s important to keep these natural resources and available,” Faith Ridley said. “If we don’t take care of them, maybe one day they won’t be here.”

To see the students’ videos, visit https://campstemtastic.weebly.com/natural-resource-stewarship.html.

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.