Camp Tamarack Outdoor School

Going to Camp Tamarack at Dark Lake when Outdoor School is running is like going back in time. The squeals of happy kids fill the air, the silly sounds and antics of college-age instructors goad them on to keep the spirit of learning about the nature of our Earth in the out-of-doors fun.

This is Outdoor School 2014 - very much like it was when it first appeared in the mid-'60s.

Last Monday morning, 31 fifth-grade students from Seven Peaks School in Bend - along with Principal Megan Martin and parent David Craven - rolled into the old Camp Tamarack horse camp on Dark Lake for 2-1/2 days of intense, lively, and fun-filled learning about the place they call home in the Pacific Northwest.

The high school counselors - like Josie Nunnely, a graduate of Redmond Proficiency Academy, who will be a "house mother" to the students - are eager to get to know the children who will be under their wings.

The students go to stations where they learn about water, plants, and animals.

"Coho" taught the students about the many faces of water - the elixir of life. Each child has the opportunity to test the water quality of Dark Lake, and to capture macroinvertebrates, learn their life history and how they contribute to the health of the lake.

Patrick Larson, whom the students know as "Coho," is from the Tri-Cities country in eastern Washington, near the Columbia River. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in communications in environmental planning, with a lot of environmental education wrapped in it.

He spent five years with the Washington Water Conservation Corps working on restoration of salmon habitat.

The students from Seven Peaks went home with their heads - and their hearts - filled with the love of water, and what it means to all life around them.

Kristin Trahern of Sisters, who graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in fire science, is teaching the students about plants. Kristin spent several seasons working with Maret Pajutee, ecologist with the USFS Sisters Ranger District, monitoring and controlling noxious weeds.

Last summer, Kristin and her dad, a well-known Sisters runner, had the wonderful experience of hiking the 210-mile John Muir Trail, which passes through Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks - ending on the summit of Mount Whitney, 14,405 feet above sea level - in 13 days! Remembering back to her experience, Kristin said, "It was the finest daughter/dad experience anyone could ask for."

"Squirrel," AKA Abigail Clark, who hails from Boston, is the young woman who holds it all together during school sessions. As she says, "I tag-team everything to make sure our outdoor school is running smoothly and the students get what they came for." Then with a big grin, she added, "even if it means I have to help out in the kitchen..."

Abigail's main goal is, as she puts it, "To see that this outdoor school experience turns the kids into environmental stewards, and understand what our resource are all about. Some would miss these elements of life if they weren't here."

Rob Larson - known at outdoor school as "Bear" is a returned LDS missionary who served his two years in Frankfurt, Germany. He brings age-old campfire games and skits to life. He's studying to be an engineer at Brigham Young University, while at outdoor school he provides that spark of fun that the students will remember for ages.

Seven Peaks Principal Megan Martin recalled her own outdoor school experience.

"Outdoor school was one of the most life-changing events in my life," Megan said. "When I was in the sixth grade life had me walled in, but outdoor school swept away walls and barriers. I became comfortable with thinking of who I was and what I could do. I was more capable to cope with what came next in my life."

Holding it all together is Charlie Anderson, who calls himself the Camp Director. He's also the dreamer who felt in his heart he could turn the old horse camp into a first-class outdoor school. Thanks to the cooperation of the Forest Service and the lease that allows the camp to live on the shores of Dark Lake, and the use of the surrounding rich natural resources around the site, more than 1,500 students from Redmond, Bend, and La Pine have experienced the beauty of the land, and went home with a lot of love in her hearts for the beauty of Sisters Country.