I Can Camp! 2010
A project of: Education and interpretive services
Quick Facts
Status:
Complete Counties Affected
Roseau, Rice, Lac qui Parle, Mille Lacs, Winona, Traverse, Lake, Pipestone, Red Lake, Steele, Pine, Chippewa, Wilkin, Rock, Brown, Grant, Clearwater, Isanti, Goodhue, Ramsey, Lyon, Freeborn, Dakota, Fillmore, Mower, Martin, Cass, Pennington, Carver, Blue Earth, Koochiching, McLeod, Itasca, Renville, Stearns, Jackson, Cook, Nobles, Crow Wing, St. Louis, Swift, Morrison, Carlton, Norman, Wright, Washington, Marshall, Kandiyohi, Wadena, Sherburne, Murray, Kanabec, Todd, Lake of the Woods, Watonwan, Sibley, Douglas, Pope, Benton, Faribault, Yellow Medicine, Anoka, Clay, Lincoln, Chisago, Hennepin, Cottonwood, Le Sueur, Meeker, Beltrami, Otter Tail, Big Stone, Dodge, Mahnomen, Nicollet, Hubbard, Redwood, Waseca, Stevens, Houston, Kittson, Becker, Wabasha, Scott, Polk, Olmsted, Aitkin
The I Can Camp! program provides people new to the outdoors with a safe and comfortable way to learn the basics of tent camping, through first-hand experience, providing all equipment and instruction, combined with conservation education and hands-on outdoor recreational skills activities. The DNR offered and conducted four, one-overnight workshops each week for a 10-week period from mid-June through the third week in August, 2010.
About the Issue
After some 50 years of growth, nature-based recreation turned a corner in the 1990s and is now declining on a per-capita basis in Minnesota and nationally. Per-capita visits to state and national parks, use of state trails, hunting, fishing, boating, wildlife watching, and wilderness use are all down. The primary contributing trend is a drop in participation by young adults (ages 20 to 40) and their children. This can be attributed to many parents today did not have opportunities to camp when they were growing up and have fears about safety, dangerous animals, hygiene, and other issues. They would like to provide the experience for their kids, but are not comfortable with trying it on their own. In order to help overcome declining trends in outdoor recreation and connect more people with outdoor learning, camping skills workshops have been shown to help parents overcome their fears and become more comfortable recreating in the outdoors on their own.
Status:
Complete
Start Date:
June 2010
End Date:
January 2013 Project Details by Fiscal Year
Project Manager
Pat
Arndt
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN
55155
651-259-5578
Email:
patricia.arndt@state.mn.us Related Topics:
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Roseau, Rice, Lac qui Parle, Mille Lacs, Winona, Traverse, Lake, Pipestone, Red Lake, Steele, Pine, Chippewa, Wilkin, Rock, Brown, Grant, Clearwater, Isanti, Goodhue, Ramsey, Lyon, Freeborn, Dakota, Fillmore, Mower, Martin, Cass, Pennington, Carver, Blue Earth, Koochiching, McLeod, Itasca, Renville, Stearns, Jackson, Cook, Nobles, Crow Wing, St. Louis, Swift, Morrison, Carlton, Norman, Wright, Washington, Marshall, Kandiyohi, Wadena, Sherburne, Murray, Kanabec, Todd, Lake of the Woods, Watonwan, Sibley, Douglas, Pope, Benton, Faribault, Yellow Medicine, Anoka, Clay, Lincoln, Chisago, Hennepin, Cottonwood, Le Sueur, Meeker, Beltrami, Otter Tail, Big Stone, Dodge, Mahnomen, Nicollet, Hubbard, Redwood, Waseca, Stevens, Houston, Kittson, Becker, Wabasha, Scott, Polk, Olmsted, Aitkin

