Poughkeepsie… With hands-on activities like hiking, campfire building, survival skills and more Dutchess County Parks’ Adventure and Survival summer programs help connect youth ages 9-17 to nature. The programs are offered at Bowdoin Park in the Town of Poughkeepsie and Wilcox Memorial Park in the Town of Milan. This year, there will be two separate registration opening days online at dutchessny.gov/parkseducation.
Dutchess County Parks Director Brian Coons said, “Our great naturalist team at Dutchess County Parks give children a wonderful chance to play, explore, and build new skills all while enjoying the natural world around them! These programs are incredibly popular, and sessions fill quickly, so be sure to get your child’s spot.”
The summer programs are held Monday-Thursday, from 9:30am to 4pm, with early drop-off and late-pick up options available. Sessions cost $200 per student, per session. Due to the popularity of the programs, there is a limit of one session per child.
Adventure Programs (Registration opens Tuesday, March 18)
Survival Programs (Registration opens Thursday, March 20)
Additionally, Dutchess County Parks offers programs for children ages 6-8. Eaglet Adventures gives children a chance to become better explorers and scientists. Children will develop skills to identify animal tracks, discover pond life and begin to see the interconnection that keeps the natural world in balance. Eaglet Adventures will be offered August 4-7 from 10am-2pm at Bowdoin Park. Cost is $150 per student. Session is limited to 12 children. Registration opens Thursday, March 20.
Other naturalist programming, including group weekday Archery, Junior Survival, Scout Programs and School Field Trips are available by appointment and reservations can be made by calling the Parks office at (845) 298-4602.
For registration and programming information, visit dutchessny.gov/Parks.
