For many families, late spring brings plans for summer camp, a time for crafts, swimming, and sharing cabins with new friends. In the East Bay, a unique residential camp prepares for its annual shift from environmental classroom education to summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses.
The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) operates Camp Arroyo in conjunction with the YMCA and the Taylor Family Foundation, creating the camp's dual roles. During the school year, the YMCA providies a hands-on experience with the environment, sustainable gardening, and the culture of local Native American tribes for classes of school children from fourth grade through high school. In summer, the Foundation uses the facility to provide a classic summer camp experience for children who must balance their recreation with serious health problems.
The public-private partnership which made this possible began in 1996 when a representative of the Taylor Family Foundation contacted EBRPD to find a site for a summer camp. The Foundation had been operating a summer camp for children with AIDS for several years, but needed a better location and facilities. The District had a potential site already chosen for a future environmental education camp, and local school districts had shown interest, but no funds were available. Through the Taylor Family Foundation, the East Bay Regional Parks Foundation, state funding from two years of surplus budgets in 1998 and 1999, and an allocation from Proposition 12, a total of $12 million was acquired for camp construction. The camp began operation in 2001.
Camp Arroyo occupies a 138-acre site at EBRPD's Lake Del Valle Regional Park south of Livermore. Buildings are surrounded by the oak woodlands and rolling hills typical of the area. Both students and summer campers participate in activities such as swimming, arts and crafts, social mealtimes, and campfires. They stay in large cabins, each with space for 10 campers and two chaperones, and eat their meals in the large multi-purpose dining hall.
During the summer, the Taylor Family Foundation runs three free weeklong camps for children with HIV/AIDS, and provides the opportunity for similar camps run by organizations such as the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, the Children's Skin Disease Foundation and Special Olympics. The foundation also uses the facility on some weekends during the school year. Counseling and round-the-clock medical attention are available in addition to the usual camp resources.
Environmental education classes, scheduled through YMCA East Bay, are available for 4th-6th grade students from northern California. Students work on a week-long curriculum of six lessons. "Wild Places" takes students hiking through the area to observe, learn, and write their experiences in nature journals. "Voices of the Past" teaches students about the Ohlone Indians, including recreating Ohlone artifacts and producing a dramatic interpretation for the camp. The facility's organic garden provides the arena for "Food, Gardens and Worms", where students learn about the natural systems of the garden, cook healthy food, and use their experiences and garden materials to create art pieces. The fourth choice, "Everyone is a Designer", involves students in sustainable design and allows them to build structures and objects with recycled and re-used materials. Electives and a hike to the top of a nearby peak complete the lessons. Courses comply with state and county standards for environmental education. During the school year 2001-2002, 1400 students visited Camp Arroyo.
The Camp Arroyo site is itself an education in sustainability and energy conservation. The facility has won multiple awards from parks, architecture and planning societies for its "green" design.
The large dining hall is the largest straw bale structure in California; with walls almost two feet thick, it stays cool in summer and warm in winter. Its frame is made from recycled steel. The wall paneling for the large cabins is made of wheat and straw, and the insulation is made from recycled newspapers. Although the insulation is more expensive than fiberglass, it is also more efficient. Cabins are designed for passive solar heat gain in winter, and shade in summer. Solar heated water is used for showers and radiant heat. Workshops are held in circular yurts, a Mongolian design which uses cross-ventilation for cooling. The bathhouses were constructed using local clay and soil dug from the swimming pool site, which have the same insulating effect as adobe. They have stall dividers made from recycled yogurt containers and countertops of recycled glass. Water in the pool is disinfected using ozone in combination with chlorine, which reduces chemicals and allows the water to be re-used for landscaping and gardening. The camp opened during the state's energy crisis, offering an opportunity for particularly timely lessons in energy efficiency.
Sustainability and living in harmony with nature are lessons learned by all Camp Arroyo campers as they participate in the tradition of "a week at camp". The success of the public-private partnership which has enabled construction and operation of the facility means that those lessons will continue to reach campers with varying abilities and needs.
Leslie Stewart
For more information:
EBRPD, Shelly Lewis, 510-544-2208; http://www.ebparks.org
Taylor Family Foundation, http://www.ttff.org/camp/
YMCA East Bay, http://ymcaeastbay.org/Camps/arroyo.html, 925-371-8401