Narragansett Bay Serves as the Campground for Save The Bay Summer BayCamps

PROVIDENCE, RI – Registration is now open for Save The Bay’s week-long Summer BayCamps, running June 20 through August 19, for children who’ve completed kindergarten through 11^th grade. Held in Providence, Newport, Wickford, and Westerly, these half-day and full-day camps give campers hands-on experiences with Narragansett Bay, exploring the shoreline, swimming, snorkeling, visiting islands, and cruising aboard one of Save The Bay’s three education vessels.

“Narragansett Bay really is our campground,” said Save The Bay BayCamp Director Dan Blount. “We want to reach and teach as many children as possible about the value of the Bay and how to care for it, and we do it in a way that’s fun and engaging for them. The future of Narragansett Bay lies in their hands,” Blount said.

Led by counselors with marine science and education training and backgrounds, Save The Bay BayCamps include age-appropriate lessons in navigation, charts, and plankton, marine-based games and activities that make learning fun, boat trips to locations for swimming, snorkeling, seining for fish, and canoeing. One of the highlights for many campers is experiencing various islands in the Bay, such as Prudence Island, where they explore the salt marsh and the shoreline at Potters Cove and tour the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve. Many boat rides include a trawl, hauling all sorts of creatures from the Bay into the touch tanks onboard.

“Every day at pick-up, the girls were full of stories about what they had seen and touched from the Bay. Even when it’s raining, they learn new games and fun facts,” said Heather Aliotta of her daughters Lauren, 11, and Emily 14, who’ve both attended BayCamp for five summers. “At the Bay Center, the touch tank was their favorite. On the baot, swimming and trawling were tied for best activities. A boat ride ending with a stop for ice cream was popular, too,” Aliotta said.

Ellie Adams, 10, came home from BayCamp one day “with a great art piece she had made of Narragansett Bay, and I remember her saying ‘I was inspired by being on the water,’” said Adams’ mother, Erica Busillo. “It’s so wonderful that this intersection between science and art exists at BayCamp. Both my girls loved being on the water and interacting with Bay life, but I think they also really enjoyed the intersection of science and art that the staff is so fantastic at facilitating,” Busillo said.

Junior BayCamp, for children who have completed kindergarten and first grade, will be held in Newport and Providence. Newport Junior BayCamps include full-day and half-day options at the Exploration Center and Aquarium on Easton’s Beach. Providence Junior Bay Camps are all full-day camps based at the Bay Center.

BayCamps for children who have completed second, third, and fourth grades will be offered throughout the summer in Providence at the Bay Center, in Wickford at Wilson Park, in Newport at the Exploration Center and Aquarium, and in Westerly at Save The Bay’s South Coast Center.

Shipboard Camps for children who have completed fifth, sixth, and seventh grades will be offered in Providence at the Bay Center and in Wickford at Wilson Park.

High School BayCamp is designed to allow older students to explore possible college career paths. Campers tour local colleges and their various marine science labs and enjoy guest presenations on such topics as salt marsh restoration and conservation. Serving as temporary coastal ecologists, they also evaluate the overall health of Narragansett Bay, testing water quality, trawling for marine life, identifying live plankton species and other activites.

Busillo said she would absolutely recommend Save The Bay camps to other parents. “The amazing camp staff get to know each camper individually and go above and beyond to make certain BayCamp is an awesome experience for everyone. I believe BayCamp is more than worth every penny,” she said.

Save The Bay also partners with Providence Community Boating and Edgewood Sailing to offer Sailing and Science Camps, the perfect blend of marine science and sport, “a great way to experience the Bay from different perspectives,” Blount said.

BayCamps begin June 20 and run through August 19. Full-day camps run from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and half-day camps run from 9:00 a.m. to noon. More information and online registration is available at http://www.savebay.org/camp.

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