Environmental Education
The Mission of The Environmental Education Center at YMCA Camp Thunderbird is to foster a respect for and a relationship with the physical and social environment, to develop life skills, responsibility and confidence in an environment that is fun positive and experiential.
For more information click on the links below:
• Curriculum
• Facilities
• Staff
• Downloads
• Links
• Email Maura Baker, Director
• Email Annie Gresko, Assistant Director
• Curriculum
• Facilities
• Staff
• Downloads
• Links
• Email Maura Baker, Director • Email Annie Gresko, Assistant Director
• Email Maura Baker, Director • Email Annie Gresko, Assistant Director
THE CURRICULUM
Camp Thunderbird offers you and your students many unique opportunities that can't be done in the classroom. Choose from the existing list of curriculum or give us a call for any special curriculum needs that you may have and we’ll do our best to meet those needs. Here are charts of correlation between activites offer at Camp Thunderbird:
Choose from:
| • Advanced Aquatic Ecology |
Grades 5 and up -All Year |
| • Astronomy | All Year |
| • Aquatic Ecology | All Year |
| • Bird Study | All Year |
| • Canoeing | Grades 4 and up -All Year |
| • Challenge Course - Low Elements | All Year |
| • Compass | All Year |
| • Environmental Debate | Grades 5 and up -All Year |
| • Fish Seining & Dissection | All Year |
| • Fishing & Fish ID | All Year |
| • Forest Ecology | All Year |
| • Garden Study | Sept, Oct, April, May |
| • Group Dynamics | All Year |
| • High Ropes Challenge | ($7/student) Grades 3 and up-All Year |
| • Living History | All year |
| • Meteorology | Grades 4-7 - All Year |
| • Meelewing – Character Development | Grades 5 and up - All Year |
| • Native American Study | All Year |
| • Nature Art | All Year |
| • Pioneer Study | All Year |
| • Soil Study | All Year |
| • Wildlife Ecology | All Year |
| • Fiber History | All Year |
Is there something we can help you with??
Often schools will be focusing on a particular curriculum objective or subject area. We can help you tailor your trip to best fit your needs. Just give us a call and we’d be glad to help you build or create curriculum that we may not offer in one of our classes!!!
Evening Programs
YMCA Camp Thunderbird Staff can lead the following activities for you from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Each activity lasts 45 minutes long. Your school, if it wishes, may bring a snack to drink and eat, in between the two evening programs. Your entire school will be together during this time period.
It is also your option to bring in any guest speakers, DJs, or run your very own evening programs. Just let us know.
Choose from:
• Campfire and Skits
• Night Hike ( Only offered to schools with under 100 students)
• Wacky Olympics
• Liars Club
• Action Auction
• Nature Movie
• Dance
• Science Fair
• Predator Prey
• The Lorax
• Snakes Alive
• Discovery Place
• PEAK Program
2009 Fall EEC Staff
Having a great site and great resources are one thing, but here at the Environmental Education Center we pride ourselves on our professional staff that will work with your students. Our staff is made up of adults that have received college degrees in areas such as; biology, conservation, forestry, education, and recreation to name a few. We also get a great opportunity each year to sponsor a few young adults from Europe and the United States that participate in an internship where they gain skills to take back to their countries or education. All in all, our staff is a very diverse group of instructors that enjoy working outside with children in a highly energetic and active environment that promote respect, responsibility, caring, honesty and faith for everybody and the environment.
Maura BakerDirector
Once named "Best Northern Transplant" by a jury of her peers, Maura hails from Royal Oak, MI. She earned her BS in Biology from Alma College. This is Maura's ninth season here at Thunderbird, but before this she has previously worked at Latta Plantation as a naturalist and as a TA for her biology department. On her down time, Maura likes to identify spiders, go biking and hiking, relax on a camping trip, or speed stack cups to the amazement of her friends. In certain circles, Maura is known as a karaoke queen...one day you may have the privilege of observing this talent.
Annie GreskoAssistant Director
Annie was born and raised in Carrolltown, PA and she earned her degree in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. This is Annie's eighth season at T-Bird. She's also worked at Pelham's Summer Treatment Program for at risk youth, the New Canaan Nature Center in New Canaan,CT, YMCA Tockwogh Camp & Conference Center in on the Eastern Shore of MD and the United States National Whitewater Center right here in Charlotte. If Annie's not teaching, you can probably find her playing softball, at a concert or attempting to climb high things! Annie likes to think of herself as a Knockout Champion and will challenge any 5th grader that crosses her path.
Barry Welch
Program Coordinator
Barry is originally from England, but has lived in the states since 1999. Barry has his BTEC National Diploma in Public Services from South Downs College. Barry has a long history with Thunderbird, having previously served as an EEC instructor, special events coordinator and changeover coordinator. Barry most recently served as the Conference Director at YMCA Camp H.R. Erdman in Honolulu, HI. When he's not serving the YMCA in some form, you can find him honing his skills as a cup stacker, sure to be an Olympian in this particular sport one day. He's also pretty good at mini-golf, but only marginally better than Annie.
Bob FeemsterScheduling Coordinator
Bob hails from Clemson, SC and he will be joining us for his third season at Thunderbird. He attended Clemson University, and graduated with a degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Bob brings to us a wealth of experience in the Environmental and Outdoor education field, having worked for numerous camps including: YMCA Camp Harrison, YMCA Camp Greenville, Lake Greeley Camp and Anderson Area YMCA, just to name a few. Bob's a ropes course guru, who also enjoys hiking, observing wildlife and teaching people about the environment. Bob once won over 200 tickets playing "Let's Make a Deal" at Adventureland...it was sweet.
Christopher Eckart
comes to us from Simpsonville, SC. He attended Presbyterian College where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Chris has previously worked for the YMCA of Greenville as a member services representative, as also as a tutor and teaching assistant for the biology department at Presbyterian. This will be Chris's third season at the EEC. Our resident Eagle Scout, you can also find Chris out in the field searching for critters, especially reptiles and amphibians. He is also quite the handyman, so he'll be our resident Mr. Fix-it this year. Chris is a video game aficionado, and his X-Box prowess has impressed many.
Danielia Barron
is from Old Forge, NY. She graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor's degree in Recreation Management, with an Outdoor Adventure Leadership concentration. This is Danielia's third season with us at Thunderbird, and she's got a great camping background, previously having worked at Franziska Racker Center as a residence counselor and at Iroquois Springs as a ropes course facilitator and counselor. Danielia is also well versed at volunteer work, having spent time in the Big Sisters program and also as a support at the City Health Club in Ithaca, where she assisted a woman with mental impairment during workouts. D is just a ball of fun-loving energy, and I'm pretty sure she should have her own TV show some day, so the whole world can be entertained. Maybe if you're nice, she'll create one of her special pieces of flair-tastic jewelry for you. Oh, and one time she touched a shark.
Shawn Kurtzman comes to us from Mansfield, OH. He earned his BA degree from Ohio Wesleyan University in Zoology. This will be Shawn's second season at T-Bird's EEC. Shawn has done quite a bit of research on reptiles, including the feeding frequency of the Lake Erie Watersnake as well as the basking behavior of the Lava Lizards on the Galapagos Islands. Shawn's a wild and crazy guy who will fearlessly tame any wild animal that he encounters…from ferrets to hellbenders. Shawn's a movie buff who also likes hiking, climbing and canoeing.
Adrienne Dorison is travelling to SC from Deerfield Beach, FL. She earned her BS degree in Wildlife Conservation with a specialization in Human Dimensions from The University of Florida. This is Adrienne's second season with us, and before coming here she has participated in an international wildlife program in South Africa, where she taught environmental education to students. This girl's got a big laugh that we love hearing from a mile away. Adrienne's got a wide array of outside interests, including trail running, water polo, swimming and working out. She's also a salad guru, and I've seen her make some pretty sweet concoctions in the T-Bird dining hall. Also, if Adrienne asks you for a Diet Coke, please give her one…she's had some harrowing experiences with this in the past.
Maggie Winkowski comes to us all the way from...York, SC! Maggie earned her BS in Biology from the College of Charleston. This is Maggie's second season with us. Maggie has previously worked as a marine biologist in Anchorage, AK, where she became a "salty sea dog". This past summer, Maggie was a whitewater raft guide at the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC. Maggie's a super friendly and outgoing person who loves to go to movies and concerts, as well as play a mysterious card game called Euchre...what the heck is that?? Apparently only former Michiganders know.
Alex Navarro made the trip down south from Andover, MA. He has a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut. This is Alex's second season at the EEC. This past summer he worked for the Audubon Society in Sharon, CT, where he handled some sweet animals, including snakes, turtles and raptors! He has also been an environmental scientist for TRC Environmental in Lowell, MA. Alex is happiest when he is outside playing, especially if it involves climbing or taking nature-y photos. He is our resident foodie, and we're expecting plenty of gourmet meals this season!
Alesia Zaragoza joins us from Clarksville Tennessee. She has a BS in Biology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. This is Alesia's first season at T-Bird. She has previously worked for the Clarksville Parks and Rec Department as a gym assistant as well as a desk assistant at Morrill residence hall at UT. Alesia played the clarinet for 11 years...perhaps she will serenade us one day? She also likes exploring unique places, drawing, painting and reading.
Dave Estabrook is originally from Springfield, MA. He earned his BA in History from Westfield State College in Westfield, MA. Before coming to Thunderbird, Dave has worked as a teacher for Springfield public schools in MA as well as a camp counselor at Camp Holy Cross in Goshen, MA. Dave is certainly a unique character whose interests include (in no particular order): Raison Bran, running, High School Musical, singing, and coaching. This will be Dave's first season at the EEC.
Samantha Smith comes to us from Chicago, IL, where she earned her BA in Environmental Studies from Northeastern Illinois University. Sam has been an intern at Friends of the Chicago River, teaching students about water quality. She has also been a peer writing consultant at NIU. This is Sam's first season with us. When she's not thinking about water quality, Sam loves to go to live music shows, spend time with family and play with just about any animal she comes across.
Kristin Samples is originally from Kennesaw, GA. She has a BA in Art, emphasis in painting, from Brevard College in NC. Kristin joins us for her first season here. Before coming to T-Bird, Kristin has worked at a variety of places, including Camp Horizons, The Green River Preserve, Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp and Appel Farm. Kristin is a certified yoga instructor, so hopefully she will be teaching us some of her mad yoga skills. Kristin also likes to read and quilt...how cozy!
Leon Whyte comes to us from Candler, NC. He earned his BS in Political Science from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Before coming here, Leon worked at Camp Challenge in Singapore, where he helped run teambuilding programs and outdoor adventure activities. He also worked here at Thunderbird as a counselor for our summer camp program. Leon is a pretty darn hilarious guy, so keep your ears open for that rapier wit of his. When he's not making witty observations about his surroundings, Leon likes to hike, write, camp and listen to music. This is Leon's first season at the EEC.
Anna Mooney is originally from Nashua, NH, but more recently comes to us from NYC. She has her BS in Biopsychology from Wagner College and her MA in Psychology from Hunter College. This is Anna's first season at T-Bird. Before coming to us, she has worked as a lifeguard for the Manhattan Youth Community Center, interned at the Institute for Learning Innovation and been a Assistant Women's Volleyball Coach at Hunter College. Anna's a very outdoorsy gal, and when she's not working on her upcoming poster presentation for a national conference, you can find her playing volleyball, horseback riding and working out.
THE FACILITIES
Located in the heart of the Carolinas, our site is nestled on 106 acres along the banks of Lake Wylie. On the border of North and South Carolina just 17 miles from Charlotte, NC our site is very accessible from Interstates 77 and 85.
The Lake
The 12,455 acres of Lake Wylie is one of our greatest classrooms as your students may find themselves determining the pH of the lake, digging in the bottom of the lake for aquatic insects, or sharpening their skills in a canoe in one of our protected coves. Lake Wylie also offers a great backdrop to your evening campfire, dining experience, and walks around the site.
 Canoeing / Seining cove |
 Canoe site 1 |
 Aquatic Ecology site |
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The Land
Our forest trails provide a path for discovery around each bend with many living and non-living components of the forest. Recreation fields provide ample space for group activities, as well as a place to recreate with your students.
 Enjoy the garden |
 Welcome @ the Ampitheater |
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 The Garden |
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 Our own Pioneer cabin |
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Indoor Program Areas (J-Hall, Wildlife room, Seining room)
Although most of our programming occurs outdoors, our center is equipped with heated indoor classrooms, cabins, recreational halls, and dining facility. Our center also has an outdoor amphitheater, two outdoor pavilions, challenge course, climbing tower and high ropes elements, wildlife room, pioneer cabin, Native American site, fish lab, and "Star Lab" planetarium.
 Rec Hall |
 Aquatic ecology room |
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Cabins
Should your group choose to spend the night, you will enjoy the accommodations of your cabins and your cabin mates. Cabins have bunk-style beds, and are equipped with heat, restrooms, and showers.
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Dining Hall
Overnight groups will also enjoy a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals in our spacious dining hall overlooking Lake Wylie
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