Look for more Nature Kamp photos in the next issue.
San Saba Kids’ Nature Kamp 2021 proceeded on with high expectations and completed fun June 1st, 2nd, and 3rd! Forty plus kids ages 8 to 10, seven teens, and twenty-six adults enjoyed three days of mostly outdoor activities at San Saba Mill Pond Park, San Saba LCRA Nature Park, and San Saba Community Garden area in our beautiful hometown of San Saba. We had awesome group guides who include Virginia Gonzales, Saif Gonzales, Mary Joy May, Maria May, Jasmine Gutierrez, Anna Burgess, Demitrice Patino, Sarah Saldivar, Raylee Wood, and Madison Shahan. They graciously met their group each morning with nametags and nature charms, then led Kampers to sessions, encouraged them, and instructed them along the way through each of the parks every day.
Kathleen Hawkins served as our photographer catching some good shots of nature in the works, Marcie Butler acted as our nurse, bandaging a few scrapes and cuts, and Giovanni Fauley and Nolan Mays helped willingly with session leaders’ requests.
Giving Nature Presentations during the three days were Winston Millican who spoke on our “Texas Native Nut, the Tasty Pecan”, Jimma Byrd who presented “Native Birds we see in San Saba”, Lori Buck who taught the Kampers about “Native Animals in our Area Woods and Pastures”, Celia Bell, who hosted a Ladybug Release and taught “The Beneficial Ladybug”, Barbara Bell who presented the “Rewards of Recycling, Reusing, and Repurposing”, Stephanie Faulkner who spoke on “Edible and Fun Plants”, Mason Murr who presented an awesome Game Display and talked about his work in San Saba as a state game warden, Cassie Merriman who interacted with the kids in Mill Creek finding creek creatures, Gale Ivy who taught the Kampers how to prepare pot plants to take home, Lesa Schulze who gave a presentation on personal journaling and led the kids in making a Nature Journal especially for Kamp, Aileen Roberts who taught the groups about “Aquifers Beneath and Near Us and So Important to Us”, and…. Eugene Bessent/Wayne Yarborough and the San Saba Parks Dept. instructed the kids on the History of “Mill Creek, the Pond, and the Structures Built There by and For San Saba’s Pioneers”.
Kampers took a break midmorning to enjoy refreshments of butterfly snack bags, fruit cups, birds’ nest candy, bananas, filled compost pots, and canned water. These were made and/or served by Debbie Shahan, Sandra Vaughn, Jacqueline Pearson, Mona McMahan, Rhonda Killion, and Dianna Furlan on the three different days.
Paula Wood and Debbie Shahan were Kamp 2021 Directors, acquiring presenters and group guides, materials, and setting up registration. Ellie and Corina Fauley assisted the directors in pre-Kamp preparations.
A great big “THANKS” goes to Keep San Saba Beautiful (Sarah Saldivar) for printing and registration bookkeeping, San Saba Garden Club for the use of their building and money donated, SS County Emergency Management (Marsha Hardy) for canned water, and especially, Mr. and Mrs. William Grusendorf, who continue to support us and provided bananas this year! Also Hickory Underground Water Conservation District and LCRA contributed educational handouts and fun freebies promoting Conservation and Water Resources these organizations represent in our community of San Saba. Thank you, City of San Saba, for having the Civic Center ready for us in case we had to move indoors!
God has truly blessed our town of San Saba with plentiful rain, beauty in nature, wonderful, enjoyable parks, kind and willing volunteers, and REMARKABLE children! San Saba Nature Kamp 2021 is in the books!