The Environmental Science Program is a unique month-long summer program that provides exciting outdoor adventure as students develop an awareness of environmental issues, ecology, and outdoor skills.  

Ages: 7th - 10th graders (LIT positions may be available for youth going into grades 11 & 12)

Dates: Monday, July 1st - Thursday August 1st, 2024

Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (some trips may differ from these times)

Location: Program meets at Bowen Elementary School, 280 Cypress St

Requirements:  students should have sturdy, over the ankle boots, and be able to participate in hiking and vigorous outdoor activities.  If choosing bicycle trips, a working bicycle and helmet are necessary.  Students must meet hiking and endurance criteria in order to participate in the Mount Washington overnight backpacking trip at the end of the program.

The Program centers around the idea that students learn best about their surroundings when taught by other students in the specific environment. To do this, leaders develop science workshops for each location to teach to students during daily trips. Topics include geology, botany, ecology, wildlife, the water cycle, pollution, forest succession, climate change, and conservation.

Highlights of the program include walking trips, bicycle trips, T trips to science landmarks in Boston, a 12-mile canoeing adventure on the Charles River, an expedition through the salt marshes of the North shore near Gloucester, and hikes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire such as the Blue Hills Reservation and Mount Monadnock. The Program ends with an exhilarating three-day backpacking trip up Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeast, which includes a two-night stay at the AMC Lake of the Clouds hut. 

"Trip Slips" describe the details for each of the trips that will occur during the summer.  Trip slips will provide information about what time the trip leaves and returns, method of transportation, what is needed on the trip, etc.  

Registration opens January 31, 2024 at 7:00pm for Newton residents and March 1 for non-residents.  Register online at www.newtonmarec.com

Scholarship assistance is available for families that qualify.  Camp Scholarship Application