Because we are a childcare facility and still following public health protocols, we will retain a few restrictions, including requiring masking indoors and limited access to some public offerings and areas of our facility. We may also have to adjust our hours or access on short notice. We appreciate your patience as we work through changes in staffing and schedules, and work to find a healthy balance of access and safety for our community.
As always, our grounds and trails featuring self-guided tours are free and open daily from dawn until dusk.
Treat your child to a summer they’ll never forget with ALNC’s summer camps, where young adventure-seekers can canoe Wisconsin’s waters, budding scientists can discover pond critters, and future archaeologists can unearth ancient artifacts on a dig! ALNC’s action-packed summer camps will provide your child with exciting, hands-on experiences to explore, learn, and enjoy the wonders of nature.
We’re grateful for the interest in our camps and wish we could serve everyone.
Thank you to everyone who is interested in sending their children to summer camps at ALNC. This year, camps filled up faster than ever before, and we apologize to the people who didn’t get the opportunity to register or didn’t find space in the camps they wanted. We wish we could serve everyone.
If you haven’t had to opportunity to register or didn’t find space in the camps you wanted, we encourage you to utilize our waitlists. Registrations typically shuffle around in the coming months as families finalize their summer plans.
We accept Wisconsin Shares and tuition assistance is available for families in need. Our Wisconsin Shares FIS Provider ID is E276605. Please reach out to our Camps Coordinator via email or phone with any questions.
It is our goal to be inclusive and representative of our diverse community and to assist all families in enrolling, registering, and attending environmental education programs at ALNC. Families of ALL abilities, backgrounds, communities, income-levels, neighborhoods, and other societal structures are encouraged to register for Summer Camps at ALNC.
In an effort to be inclusive of our diverse community of varied backgrounds, ALNC reserves the right to hold space for families in financial need and/or who speak English as a second language.
Sprouts (4 year olds) Have Fun in the Forest, go on an Underground Adventure and explore The Pond & Beyond with these fun and engaging camps for 4-year olds. With full-week, full-day and full-week, half-day programs, as well as aftercare and tuition assistance available, ALNC Summer Camps provide accessible avenues for children to explore and enjoy the natural world with their peers.
Tadpoles (5 year olds) Get Wildly Creative, use your Animal Senses and explore Unsolved Mysteries in these exciting and educational camps for 5-year olds. With full-week, full-day and full-week, half-day programs, as well as aftercare and tuition assistance available, ALNC Summer Camps provide accessible avenues for children to explore and enjoy the natural world with their peers.
Polliwogs (6 year olds) Treat your child to a summer they’ll never forget with X Marks the Spot, The Great Outdoors and Summer Insects, Some Are Not camps for 6-year olds. With full-week, full-day and full-week, half-day programs, as well as aftercare and tuition assistance available, ALNC Summer Camps provide accessible avenues for children to explore and enjoy the natural world with their peers.
Wanderers (7-8 year olds) Engage your child with exciting camps that will have your 7 or 8-year old Muckin’ in the Marsh, Getting to Know Aldo and going on a Forage Frenzy. With full-week, full-day and full-week, half-day programs, as well as aftercare and tuition assistance available, ALNC Summer Camps provide accessible avenues for children to explore and enjoy the natural world with their peers.
Explorers (9-10 year olds) Explorers will enjoy Woodworking for Wildlife, Becoming Botanists and competing in nature challenges to become the Ultimate Survivor. With full-week, full-day and full-week, half-day programs, as well as aftercare and tuition assistance available, ALNC Summer Camps provide accessible avenues for children to explore and enjoy the natural world with their peers.
Adventurers I (11-13 year olds) Looking for an exciting, affordable, and educational experience this summer? Check out the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Adventure Summer Camps! These camps will give your child hands-on opportunities to experience and enjoy the best of the outdoors as they backpack local trails, learn to camp, and canoe the “crookedest river in the world”!
Adventurers II (14-16 year olds) Looking for an exciting, affordable, and educational experience this summer? Check out the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Adventure Summer Camps! These camps will give your teen hands-on opportunities to experience and enjoy the best of the outdoors with week-long canoeing or backpacking trips in the U.P.!
Summer camps will operate a bit different than in years past. They will be offered for children ages 2 to 10 and all camps will be on-site. Most camps will be full-day and run in two-week sessions. After a year of modified activities due to COVID-19, we’re grateful for the ability to continue to offer Summer Camp programs for your children. Our camps and other programs include adaptations to help ensure the safety of everyone, including emphasis on handwashing, minimizing personal contact, minimizing time indoors and monitoring health of staff and students. As health and safety guidelines continue to evolve in regards to COVID-19, we work in conjunction with and in adherence with our local public health authorities, and, as always, in accordance with Wisconsin’s Department of Children & Families.
Changes to our policies and procedures last summer include:
Curbside drop-off and pick-up by age group. Parents are to stay in their vehicles at all times unless there are tears and the camper needs help with the transition. If you need to leave your vehicle to escort your camper to their group, a mask is required for all adults that enter the group, so please have one available if needed. ALNC will conduct a Verbal Health Screening and temperature reading upon arrival. Our staff will conduct curbside check-in and check-out during these times only. If you must drop-off or pick-up outside these windows, please contact (608) 221-0404 x0.
Groups will not co-mingle and assigned ALNC staff will only work with their individual group to reduce as many transitions/contacts as possible.
Outdoor handwashing stations will be available throughout the ALNC grounds. Campers will wash hands upon arrival, in between activities, before and after snacks and meals, and before departing. Staff will carry hand sanitizer to use as appropriate if a handwashing station isn’t nearby.
Please expect and prepare your camper to be outside at all times as long as weather permits. We expect to use inside spaces only in the event of inclement weather (thunder, lightning, heat in excess of 90 degrees) and for bathroom breaks, filling water, etc.
ALNC staff will provide spray-on sunscreen (minimum spf 30) and bug spray (both deet-free and 10% deet). We will not apply from individual bottles brought from home this year to reduce contact. 4-6 year olds are not allowed to bring their own sunscreen (SS) and bug spray (BS) as they cannot keep with their belongings. We will not have our staff carry campers’ SS or BS, but will apply the spray-on option provided. Ages 7+ can bring their own SS and BS as long as they can apply themselves and keep with their belongings. ALNC staff will also have spray-on options available. Parents are encouraged to help their children apply SS and BS before arriving to camp each morning. Staff will reapply at lunch and as needed.
Campers should bring:
Backpack.
Lunch.
Refillable Water bottle. Drinking fountains will not be used for sanitary reasons, but places to fill water bottles will be available.
Mask with a baggie to keep in (extra masks are recommended). ALNC is requiring masks be worn inside the building as well as recommending them anytime physical distancing cannot be maintained outside. Please prepare your camper for this as well as let them know that staff will also be wearing masks at drop-off and at other times inside and out.
Comfortable shoes that can get wet.
Full change of clothes, including layers for all weather and a raincoat as needed.
Baggie containing: markers and/or crayons and a pencil and/or pen. If you do not have a supply or access to these at home, ALNC can provide an individual baggie for your camper.
Please discuss physical distancing with your camper before they arrive. ALNC staff will share guidelines at the beginning of camp, but it will be helpful if children are already aware and mindful.
Please label each item clearly with camper’s name.
Campers should avoid bringing:
Any small trinkets, toys, etc.
Anything else easily lost or meant to be shared (pokemon cards, legos, etc).
Hand sanitizer, SS and BS, if they are under age 7. ALNC staff will have these available and carry them for campers to use. Younger campers cannot have access to hand sanitizer, SS and BS in their bags due to licensing restrictions.
We created a short video to give parents and campers a visual reference of drop-off and pick-up procedures this year:
COVID-19 Cancellation Policy:
If ALNC cancels a program due to COVID-19:
you will be contacted by an ALNC staff to ask your refund preference
you may request a full refund, a credit towards future programs, or donate your program fees
if you do not respond with a preference by August 10, ALNC will issue you a credit (good for future programming) less a 15% administrative fee
If you cannot attend or need to cancel a program registration:
you may request a full refund up to 3 days prior to your scheduled program
no refunds will be given if less than 3 days notice is given, as ALNC plans staffing based on registration numbers
if participants do not call or do not show, no refunds will be given
If you would like to be added to our email list and receive information on program registration as it becomes available, please click here.
Remember, in addition to early Summer Camp registration, ALNC Members also receive 10% off all summer camps.
Visit the Member Page to join or renew!
