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KidZone Museum offers new day program family camp

Special to the Sun
Submitted to aedgett@sierrasun.comDr. Chris Feldman, aka The Snake Guide, offers children opportunities to see, touch and learn about snakes.
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TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212;-For the first time since its inception five years ago, KidZone Museum Family Camp will offer families the opportunity to join in on guided nature walks, art projects, science exploration, entertainment and home-cooked meals for just a day, skipping the overnight camping. Family Camp is held each year at Sagehen Creek, U.C. Berkeleyand#8217;s field station where researchers are stationed to study natural science. The station is located 8.5 miles north of Truckee. Camp festivities start Friday, Aug. 12 and end Sunday, Aug. 14. The cost for the entire weekend is $180 for adults and $80 for children; Saturday only camp cost is $45 for adults and $15 for children; evening programs run $25 for adults and $10 for children. Kids under 2 years of age are free.

and#8220;The new day program option gives families an opportunity to introduce themselves and their children to the program without having a weekend-long commitment,and#8221; said Carol Meagher, executive director, KidZone Museum. and#8220;We want to give families many options by which they can participate and learn. The experience is invaluable.and#8221;

At Family Camp, University of Nevada at Reno (UNR) scientists share their knowledge of the natural world with hands-on exploration of bugs, snakes and fish. Dr. Chris Feldman volunteers at camp every year. He is a UNR research professor with research interests in conservation and evolutionary biology along with being a dad of two children ages 1 and 6. Heand#8217;s known as the and#8220;Snake Guideand#8221; who offers children opportunities to see, touch and learn about snakes indigenous to Sagehen and the Sierra. University of Nevada at Reno scientists also lead insect and bird explorations. Local hydrologist, Dave Shaw teaches hands-on workshop on watersheds; all workshops are geared toward young children but are interesting for adults as well.



and#8220;We have been attending family camp for three years and our children still canand#8217;t wait to go again and explore the fish viewing chamber and the meadows in Sagehen,and#8221; says volunteer Camp Director Kerry Stendell. and#8220;The children also love all the many teen volunteers who help with camp programs, and I appreciate all their help.and#8221;

and#8220;Camp activities have grown over the years, and this year will feature live music Saturday night by the Northern Nevada Bluegrass Association and a special visit from Tahoe Institute of Natural Scienceand#8217;s, Kirk Hardie, who will be presenting Birds of the Tahoe Region,and#8221; said Meagher.



Natural Science learning receives much praise, but parentand#8217;s enjoy the gourmet food thatand#8217;s served. For three years, volunteer chefs Rich Valentine, Rene Kaldunski and Romina Branje have been preparing food that includes a specialty dessert like barbecue peaches with Mascarpone cheese for dessert. Each morning adult campers wake to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the beauty that is Sagehen.

The year round Sagehen Creek Field Station sits 6,380 feet high on the east slope of the northern Sierra Nevada, approximately 20 miles North of Lake Tahoe. This pristine area, roughly an 8,000 acre Sagehen Creek watershed includes yellow pine, mixed conifer, red fir forests, brushfields and scattered mountain meadows. Sagehen Creek is about 8 miles long, extending eastward from near the crest of the Sierra to Stampede Reservoir on the Little Truckee River. Sagehen Creek Field Station is a research and teaching facility of the University of California at Berkeleyand#8217;s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the Berkeley Natural History Museums and the U.C. Natural Reserve System.

For more Family Camp information visit http://www.kidzonemuseum.org. To sign-up to attend, call the KidZone Museum at 530-587-KIDS Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.


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