Kids Day Camp: Wildlife Search & Rescue

Give your child the gift of our Wildlife Search & Rescue day camps which are excellent for exploratory learners 8-14 (and seven year olds okay if they attended a prior camp, if attending with older sibling, or if already a strong hiker in the outdoors). Please Note: New autisum spectrum students are encouraged to enroll our Wilderness Survival Craft camp next week, as our wildlife tracking curriculum requires a lot of flexibility as we follow tracks and bird calls, so it’s good for those who like to follow a schedule to get used to Wolf Camp a bit before attending this less predictable week.

##### July 14-18, 2025 Wildlife Search & Rescue Day Camp (no prerequisite)

Wildlife Search & Rescue is or original day camp theme and will celebrate its 29th summer in 2025 as we continue our mission to provide real connections to nature for a new generation of young people who face greater and greater separation through screens and virtual realities. Camp takes place at the wild Clark’s Creek Park where animals hide in their dens during the day before coming out at night to roam the fish hatchery and neighborhood farms.

Each day, we will explore field and forest for wildlife tracks and sign. We’ve found resident bears, watched bobcats hunting rabbits, heard coyotes yipping when catching prey, owls dropping countless pellets, herons and hawks fledging their young from dozens of nests, river otters and beavers going in and out of the creek, weasels hunting rodents around our neighboring farm … and those are just the big creatures.

Every find is a lesson to gain better understanding of who made the track; why it made the track; where it made the track; when it made the track; and what it was doing when it made the track. You will discover what it is like to be a bird or other animal by using sensory awareness skills to interpret what is happening around you. Participants will learn to understand and use the language of the birds and will practice interpreting bird language through a series of experiments.

Campers will work together to make plaster casts of our favorite animal tracks; craft tracking sticks; safely move through the woods; and investigate trails, lays, larders, and other signs of life. This camp is full of exciting, interactive, challenging and cooperative games. Campers will learn to work as a team to develop skills of leadership, cooperation, patience, orienteering, dexterity, and fun. Additionally, our staff, some of whom are Search & Rescue volunteers, will teach you how to navigate in the wilderness.

##### August 11-15, 2025 Advanced Wildlife Tracking Day Camp (with prerequisite)

Prerequisite: Wildlife Search & Rescue or two of our other day camps prior to this week.

Take it a step up and help us survey the wild birds, bobcats, bears and more secrets of Clark’s Creek Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Help with our annual survey of animal dens and other sign as part of a select group of overnight animal trackers, learning skills of the wildlife conservationist while also learning to harness the wisdom of an animal detective.

During this week, campers will learn how to: • design and run a wildlife Survey • set up wildlife cameras in areas with a high concentration of track and sign to capture photo evidence of active use; • document species’ presence, den locations, and movement patterns; • map critical habitat and habitat transition zones. All of our discoveries will be documented on a map overlay of the Clark’s Creek Park area and compared to data from previous years. Over time, day campers that participate in this week will be responsible for the development of comprehensive, analytically-based, documentation of all species known to use the site. This documentation will provide participants with a deep understanding of why they should, and how they can, protect unique habitat greenways in urban areas.

After this week, you will have joined an elite group of animal trackers, elevating your senses to new heights, using your newly found prowess to successfully search for animals, and gaining a deep understanding of the relationships between predators and prey.

##### Sample Camp Itinerary

Itineraries are subject to some amount of change based upon location, weather, instructor preference, and natural resource availability.

Monday: Awareness, Navigation and the Art & Science of Tracking Morning Session: Awareness Skills, Wildlife Safety, Arts of Tracking Lunchtime: Bring & Eat Lunch from home, then our After Lunch Activities (ALA) include choice of Archery, Chill Time, Sprinkler Games & Swimming (creek wading) Afternoon Session: Animal Families & Forms, Lostproofing

Tuesday: Bones, Skulls, Hides, and Teamwork Morning Session: Wildlife Journals, Animal Families, Hides & Skulls Lunchtime & ALA: (see monday description) Afternoon Session: Teamwork, Hand Signals, Scouting Expedition

Wednesday: Birds, Insects, and Amphibians Morning Session: Language of the Birds, Animal Tracks & Sign Lunchtime & ALA: (see monday description) Afternoon Session: Insects & Spiders, Reptiles & Amphibians

Thursday: Trailing, Scats, and Casts Morning Session: Trailing Animals, Scatology, Scent Marks, Browses, Lay Lunchtime & ALA: (see monday description) Afternoon Session: Plaster Casts, Beaver Dens & Dams

Friday: Human Tracking, Animal Rescue, and Celebration Morning Session: Secret Spot, Human Tracking, Animal Rescue Medicine Lunchtime & ALA: (see monday description) Afternoon Session: Wildlife Jeopardy, Review and Closing Ceremonies.

##### Daily Camp Schedule, Pick-Up & Drop-Off Directions

Meet at the Clark’s Creek Park – South Shelter, 1710 12th Ave SW, Puyallup WA 98371 located one mile west of the Puyallup Fairgrounds. The best arrival time is 8:45-9:00 am, and the best departure time is 3:45-4:00 pm.

8:30-9:00 Check-Ins & Morning Care (no early check-ins available)
9:00**–**9:15 Songs, Stories, Stretches & Late Check-Ins
9:15-11:45 Morning Lessons with snack break at 10:30
11:45-1:15 Lunch, Games & Archery
1:15-3:45 Afternoon Lessons with snack break at 2:30
3:45-4:00 Best Pick-Up Time
4:00-4:30 Aftercare & Late Pick-Ups

##### Camp Leaders


Camp Director Kim Chisholm directs this week with staff instructors at our hallmark 6-1 average student-teacher ratio that’s critical for safe and profound outdoor experiences. Read our FAQ’s for more details and check out camp testimonials dating all the way back to 1997.

##### Day Camp Tuition in Puyallup/Tacoma

$495 is our full tuition rate in Puyallup, but we operate on a sliding scale and we don’t turn anyone away from being able to attend at least one week of camp due to financial reasons. Just email us and let us know how much you can contribute to the cost of camp, or to apply for financial aid from the Conservation College via the Max Davis Scholarship fund, click here and submit answers to their 8 simple questions. If your camper has physical disabilities that make other camps inaccessible, please call to discuss the accommodations we have available and register over the phone at literally any contribution level. To contribution to the Conservation College – Max Davis Scholarship fund, click here.

You will need to pack a healthy lunch, water and substantial snacks every day. Tuition includes t-shirt at your first camp with us, then in subsequent camps a choice of orienteering compass, recommended field guide, firesteel and other outdoor essentials depending on number of camps attended, age and availability.

##### Registration Options

STEP 1 – Reserve your spots in camp by making $100 deposit per camper per week (or $50 if requesting scholarship or reduced tuition) via one of the following methods:

• Zelle is preferred using our email address with that extra “e” on skye plus try to add a note including camper name/age, camp start date/theme, plus your CONTACT INFORMATION (phone number is fine if system doesn’t allow sharing email) if we don’t already have your info since Zelle doesn’t automatically share that with us;
• Or use Venmo to @Chris-Chisholm-13 or • CashApp to $wolfschool but again, try to add your contact information, camper name, program theme and dates, or follow up right away with that via email;
• Or use Credit Card or Apple Pay by clicking here;
• Or call us between 9am-9pm at 425-248-0253 ex 1 with a credit card to register over the phone;
• Or use PayPal appearing on our website;

STEP 2 – If this is your camper’s first year with us, complete our once-in-a-lifetime Registration Form within one week of making your deposit, otherwise we will have to refund you and give your spot(s) to others. We’ll also email you Word/PDF versions of the registration form in case you’re having trouble downloading or making a copy of our Google Doc form which you can send or share back to our email address for review within one week to maintain your reservation. If your camper has attended Wolf Camp in the past, a new registration form is not needed, but we will may email a questionnaire for your camper to submit as application for this year.

STEP 3 – Pay balance before or during your summer camp weeks. We’ll email you an invoice this spring with camp prep info and balance payment options that can be done in advance or during your first camp week. All payments are non-refundable unless we refuse your registration. However, if you cancel (at any time for any reason is fine) we will save your payments as credit for you to use in future years, or you can choose to have us move the funds into our scholarship account if you prefer. The best practice is to make the minimum deposits to register, and then wait to pay the remaining balances during summer.