Posted on Sun, Sep. 07, 2003 in the Contra Costa Times

Learn in nature at Camp Arroyo

CAMP ARROYO, the East Bay Regional Park District's youth camp and environmental education center in the hills south of Livermore, is now accepting reservations for both its fall and winter sessions.

Camp Arroyo is the result of a unique partnership involving the park district, the Taylor Family Foundation, and the YMCA. During the school year, the camp serves as a residential environmental education center for schoolchildren from throughout the East Bay and beyond.
During the summer, the Taylor Family Foundation uses the site for a summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses. The camp is operated for both agencies by YMCA of the East Bay.
The environmental education program takes advantage of the camp's surroundings and features. Located on 138 acres of beautiful, oak-studded hills adjacent to Del Valle Regional Park, Camp Arroyo is an example of "green" architectural design.

Wherever practical, recycled materials were used in the camp's construction. The camp's dining hall/social center has straw-bale insulation. Solar-heated water is used in the residential cabins, whose metal roofs catch runoff water for irrigation. Buildings are positioned to take maximum advantage of the site's climate for cooling and heating. All facilities are accessible to the disabled.

Funding to build Camp Arroyo came from the Taylor Family Foundation, the Proposition 12 State Park Bond Act, the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and allocations from the 1998 and 1999 state budgets, with the support of the entire East Bay state legislative delegation.

The Regional Parks Foundation is funding camp furnishings and scholarships for youngsters from low-income schools.

The camp can comfortably house 144 campers and staff in its six duplex cabins. The curriculum emphasizes fun and hands-on activities to increase students' understanding of the environment, while encouraging teamwork and leadership skills. Campers chose one of four themes for their week's activities: hiking and nature study in the area, Ohlone Indian lifeways, organic gardening, or design and construction with recycled materials.

Besides the academic curriculum, the students enjoy activities such as swimming, campfires, night hikes, arts and crafts, and service projects.

Camp Arroyo's programs meet California state standards for math and science curricula in grades four through six. Basic cost is $215 per person for a five-day program.

"I think the camp itself is a very well-built, well thought-out campus," said Billy Dannals, vice president of camping services for the YMCA of the East Bay. "It's a great working classroom for environmental education."

When neither the summer camp nor the environmental education programs are in operation, Camp Arroyo is available for conferences, weekend retreats, family reunions and adventure camps (with a ropes course, a climbing wall and miles of hiking trails in adjacent Del Valle Regional Park).

Camp Arroyo is open to groups by reservation only. Those interested in obtaining more information about Camp Arroyo's programs and schedules can phone the YMCA at 925-371-8401.

For more information about the summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses, visit the Taylor Family Foundation's Web site at www.ttff.org or call 925-455-5118.


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