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Thursday, April 26, 2007

By GISELLE GOODMAN

Staff Writer

KENNEBUNKPORT - Campers attending the University of Maine 4-H Camp on Vaughn Island this summer are going to see the island in a way they've never seen it before.

From space.

That's because the Vaughn Island 4-H Environmental Camp in Cape Porpoise is adding global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technology to its list of outdoor-camping equipment.

"The idea is to meet the kids where they are," said camp director Jon Prichard. "Kids have gotten so geared toward technology that it seemed like it would be interesting to include that as part of our camp out there."

Every summer for the past 35 years, kids from ages 9-14 have trekked to Vaughn Island in Kennebunkport's harbor to learn the basics of outdoor, leave-no-trace camping. They sleep in tents, visit tidal pools, explore the island, hike the trails, make art out of nature (rock sculptures, for example), canoe and visit a lighthouse.

They go to the uninhabited island without any modern ammentities -- a lesson in low-impact camping and earth stewardship.

Bringing the technology with them this coming summer will breach that tradition a bit, but Prichard said it will teach the children even more about their planet. With the GPS unit and GIS capability, the campers will be able to understand where they are in relation to the rest of the planet, and they will be able to actually see the island, from space, on a computer screen.

"What we plan on doing is training them on the technology by having them actually use it to navigate the water and trails, the island and the harbor," Prichard said. "And teach kids how to use technology to learn about the environment and how to take care of the earth."

In keeping with the environmental awareness of the camp, the GPS units and computers will be powered by a solar generator.

"Because our camp island is uninhabited, there is no man-made power there," said Prichard. "But there is plenty of sunlight."

The Vaughn Island 4-H Environmental Camp is a 3-4 night sleep-away camp, affiliated with Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center. It is accredited by the American Camping Association and collaborates with Maine Island Trails association and Kennebunkport Conservation Trust.

Vaughn Island is a 40-acre stretch of beaches, rocky shore, saltmarsh, and oak/pine forest owned and cared for by the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust and open to the public for use, as long as that use, like the camp, for example, leaves no trace.