Camp Nawaka was a non-profit co-ed residential summer camp located in the Berkshires, East Otis, Massachusetts. The property was formerly a boys' swimming camp known as Camp Aquatic, which operated during the 1940s and closed in the mid-1950s. Nawaka opened in 1967 and closed following the summer of 2009. [1] Nawaka offered sessions for children between the ages of 8 and 16. The camp was owned and run by Camp Fire. It was a small camp of approximately 40 staff members and up to 120 campers, the last director was Nicole, and some of the last counselors included Andrew, AJ, Mike, Pam, and Brian (Dukie). The camp centered on its own 16-acre (65,000 m2) private pond, Larkum Pond. The camp ran from the end of June until the end of August. The last session was called color week where the camp was split into two competing teams, this week was often the most popular. The facility was available to rent during late spring and early fall. Campers aged 13–15 were able to sign up for the "Senior Camp" program, where they slept in tents and often traveled outside of the camp. Another option was "Adventure Camp," where campers slept in cabins or dorms (for younger campers.) Nawaka campers developed a strong attachment, returned for multiple years, and remained active as adult alumni.
Scouting in Massachusetts includes both Girl Scout (GSUSA) and Boy Scouts of America (BSA) organizations. Boy Scouts of America was founded in the 1910s in Massachusetts. Girl Scouts USA was founded in 1912, by Juliette Gordon Low. With a vigorous history, both organizations actively serve thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
A summer camp or sleepaway camp or residential camp is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps are known as campers. They generally are offered overnight accommodations for one or two weeks out in an outdoor natural campsite setting. Day camps, by contrast, offer the same types of experience in the outdoors but children return home each evening. Summer school is a different experience that is usually offered by local schools for their students focused on remedial education to ensure students are prepared for the upcoming academic year or in the case of high school students, to retake failed state comprehensive exams necessary for graduation. Summer residential and day camps may include an academic component but is not a requirement.
Firecrafter is a service organization within the Boy Scouts of America. Formed in 1920, the Firecrafter Organization mainly operates within the Crossroads of America Council, Indiana, but has been known to exist in other areas including Illinois and Texas.
The Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA consists of Camp Becket, Camp Chimney, and Becket Day Camp, all of which take place in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts during summer. Camp Becket and Camp Chimney identify as boys-plus and girls-plus, respectively.
Camp Rising Sun is an international, full-scholarship, leadership summer program for students aged 14–16 by the Louis August Jonas Foundation (LAJF), a non-profit organization. Its seven-week program was operated from a boys' facility in Red Hook, New York, and a separate girls' facility in Clinton, New York, about 90 miles (140 km) north of New York City in the Hudson River Valley. Participants come from all over the world and are chosen by merit. Instead of being asked to pay for tuition, campers are requested to pass along the benefits they gained to someone else.
Haliburton Scout Reserve (HSR) is a 22 square kilometres Scout camp, originally a frontier Canadian logging camp, located east of Haliburton, Ontario and just south of Algonquin Park, one of Canada's natural wonders situated deep and secluded within the Canadian shield. Being one of the oldest camps in Canada, the Haliburton Scout Reserve opened in 1947 and has been operated consistently by Scouts Canada. HSR is located in the heart of the Haliburton highlands with 18 lakes and a rolling natural landscape rich in nature and untouched beauty. Centered on Kennabi Lake to the southeast of the property are 24 campsites accessible by water. HSR is Canada's largest Scout camp and third largest in North America. Scout troops normally come to the camp for week-long summer camps. The young and energetic HSR staff provide numerous adventurous programs for tens of thousands of scouts from around the world. HSR, as it is commonly known, is currently operated under Greater Toronto Council supervising the 50-70 young, well-trained resident staff who cooperate to run the diverse camp program throughout the summer months.
Camp Timanous is a summer camp in Raymond, Maine. It offers a traditional program of land and water activities, aimed at developing "Body, Mind, and Spirit". Camp Timanous is both a progenitor of the Maine sleepaway camping tradition and industry and is one of the oldest continually operating summer camps in America. In a typical summer, some 40,000 children participate in youth summer programs, mostly at one of Maine's 200 licensed summer camps, such as Camp Timanous.
Camp Tel Noar is a Jewish summer camp for children ages 7 through 16. It is located in Hampstead, New Hampshire, in the United States, which is about 1 hour north of Boston. The camp sits on Sunset Lake and has about 275 campers.
Beartown State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features located in the towns of Great Barrington, Monterey, Lee, and Tyringham, Massachusetts. The state forest's more than 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) include 198 acres (80 ha) of recreational parkland. It is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Camp Sealth is owned and operated by Camp Fire, a non-profit youth organization, and located on Vashon Island, Washington. Sealth hosts resident and day camp during the summer, environmental education for school groups during the spring and fall, and is a year-round conference and retreat center. Camp Sealth is accredited by the American Camp Association.
Kutsher's Sports Academy (KSA) is a summer sleepaway camp in Monterey, Massachusetts, for children ages 7–17. It was originally "conceived and developed by Milton and Joseph Kutsher and legendary basketball coach Clair F. Bee in 1968." The land was originally the Harmony Country Club. The Kutsher family owned and operated the academy until 2005 when they sold the camp to Marc White, the longtime Executive Director. Until 2007 it was located in Monticello, New York. The camp moved to the Berkshires at the start of 2008, and is now located on Lake Buel, just outside Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The former site in Monticello is being leased by an Orthodox Jewish camp.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society, commonly known as Mass Audubon, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "protecting the nature of Massachusetts". Mass Audubon is independent of the National Audubon Society (NAS), and was founded earlier than the NAS. Mass Audubon protects more than 40,000 acres of land throughout Massachusetts, saving birds and other wildlife, and making nature accessible to all with its wildlife sanctuaries and 20 nature centers.
The Mayflower Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves the MetroWest and southeastern regions of Massachusetts.
Northeastern Pennsylvania Council, with headquarters in Moosic, Pennsylvania, formed in 1990 from the merger of Forest Lakes Council and Penn Mountains Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It covers the metropolitan area of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The council serves Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Wyoming counties, and portions of Susquehanna county.
Camps Mohican-Reena were sleepaway camps founded in Palmer, Massachusetts, in 1928. For 36 summers through 1963, they were among the most highly regarded summer camps. The camp colors were green and gold.
Camp Avoda is a Jewish boys' overnight camp located on Tispaquin Pond in Middleboro, Massachusetts. It has been in continuous operation since the summer of 1927, making it the oldest Jewish boys' camp in New England.
Camp Rockmont for Boys is an American Camp Association accredited Christian residential boys' summer camp in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Rockmont was founded in 1956 on the former campus of Black Mountain College. There are four "classic" sessions held each summer, as well as a one week starter session. Within the classic sessions are a three and four week option for more experienced campers. Capacity for each session is about 400 boys, with each session varying slightly depending on enrollment.
Camp Watonka was a residential summer camp for boys aged seven to sixteen in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, from 1963 to 2019. It was the only science camp for boys accredited by the American Camp Association in the United States. Accommodation was in traditional cabins with modern bathrooms and electricity. Campers could stay for two, four, six or eight weeks.
Camp Hi-Rock is a YMCA summer camp for boys and girls in the Berkshires region of western Massachusetts. They were founded in 1948 around Plantain Pond on Mt. Washington.
Griswold Scout Reservation (GSR) is a 3,500-acre (14 km2) reservation for Scouting located near Gilmanton Ironworks, New Hampshire, and operated by the Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It comprises two camps, Hidden Valley Scout Camp and Camp Bell, which both run an eight-week summer camping program. Founded in 1971, Griswold Scout Reservation serves Venturing crews and Scouts BSA troops all across New England.