Haines’ first Harvest Camp will make its debut Aug. 13-16 for Southeast Alaska youth, inspired by a popular and successful Chilkoot Culture Camp operated decades ago.
The Harvest Camp will take place on property near the end of Chilkoot River Road at the previous Chilkoot Culture Camp site. It’s free to youths age 11-18 and funded by the Chilkoot Indian Association and AmeriCorps. Funding pays for supplies like gloves, life jackets, knives, binoculars, jars and other items for activities.
Day camp will last for four days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an overnight stay Aug. 13. A maximum of 15 participants per day will be taught to jar, smoke, pickle and fresh pack salmon, make river nets and fishing lures, identify birds, and to appreciate elders and Native culture.
Members of the Takshanuk Watershed Council will teach campers how to make blueberry jam as well as educate the participants on salmon ecology. An employee of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will teach the campers how to fish, make lures, and properly use a rod and reel.
Chloe Goodson of the American Bald Eagle Foundation will teach birding skills and lead participants in bird walks and other wildlife activities. The Haines Borough Public Library will provide mobile devices for the campers to document their experiences with pictures and videos that will be added to the library’s story board map.
The Haines Borough Public Library joined forces with CIA and AmeriCorps to plan the event, with additional support from the eagle foundation, Fish and Game, TWC, RurAL Cap, Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alaska Native Sisterhood.
Six employees and members of the above organizations will staff the camp, and additional chaperones, parents and family members are welcome to join.
“I went to the Culture Camp when I was 10 years old,” said Jessie Morgan, library education/cultural coordinator and primary camp organizer.
Morgan said it was a great experience, and a lot of other cultural camps in Alaska and the Yukon Territory have modeled their programs after the camp in Haines.
Campers can attend as many or as few days as they would like. Seven campers were registered at press time.
Morgan said the organizers have long-term goals to continue the camp in future years and hope to get more people involved if this year’s run is successful.