Woodlawn Regional Park was busy last weekend. Youth from the Estevan area were treated to some classic summer fun, to get an appreciation of the outdoors and all it has to offer. The 2015 Estevan Wildlife Federation Junior Wildlife Camp ran the gamut of outdoor activities, from cooking and kayaking, to hiking and shooting.
The August 6 - 9 camp had a strong instructional element where counsellors and instructors served as tutors dispensing a wealth of nature-related skills over the course of the weekend. Campers were particularly excited about the various styles of shooting activities that took place throughout the whole day on Saturday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great. It鈥檚 well-organized, and paintball is my favourite activity for sure, so far,鈥� said Randy Hamilton, one of the campers. 鈥淪hooting day in general is great practice.鈥澛�
On Saturday, campers were instructed in the handling and operation of several types of firearm including rifles, muzzle-loaded powder rifles, handguns and shotguns. There were also stations at which campers were instructed on how to use paintball guns.
聽Most of the shooting involved targets, whether they were stationary targets with the handgun and rifle station, flying clay pigeons in the case of the trap shooting station, or volunteers running and ducking for cover, in the case of the paintball station - all at an appropriate distance and with the proper safety equipment.
鈥淭rap shooting was my favourite,鈥� said Dylan Hall, a camper who spoke about what he thought of the camp just after pelting volunteers with several rounds from a paintball gun. 鈥淭he whole day was devoted to shooting, and so far it鈥檚 been my favourite day.鈥澛�
Instructors were impressed with the discipline and energy with which the campers took to their activities, throughout the weekend. This especially was the case with the safety-essential shooting stations. Instructors applauded the respect campers of all ages had for the powerful, and in some cases, dangerous weapons they operated, and their quick adherence to all safety protocols.
鈥淭he handgun station always excites them. Well, they all do. It鈥檚 the shooting day,鈥� said Monica Lainton, an instructor with the camp. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e all very good, and very safe about it.鈥�
Meanwhile, across the park, campers also had the opportunity to learn and practice a much older shooting art, at the archery range. A series of animal-like targets were set up, and campers were trained in proper shooting technique using composite bows. Even in the case of a highly disciplined sport like archery, there were plenty of smiles.
鈥淜ids are all having fun. It鈥檚 just fun for everyone,鈥� said Adam George, an archery instructor. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good that the kids are getting a taste of everything.聽 They can decide if they want to buy something or continue on with something, after trying it out here.鈥�
Cindy Hokanson, a camp organizer who got the whole thing running from the start, compared campers, instructors, and counsellors to a big family meeting regularly, with many people coming back to participate, year after year. Many counsellors and instructors are, in fact, longtime campers, returning to help out and show their appreciation for the fond memories they cultivated at Woodlawn.聽
The camp has an assortment of activities that vary from year to year, and sometimes has a focus in certain disciplines. On some years, the focus is on survival-related skills, often incorporating tracking and strategies to keep warm and sheltered in averse conditions. This year, in addition to the canoeing and other forms of fishing, the camp had聽 a heavy focus on water activities, with the introduction of kayaking and fishing from a pontoon boat.
鈥淚t was too windy, but in total, they caught 77 fish yesterday,鈥� said Cindy. 鈥淪o fishing on the whitecaps was pretty good.鈥�
This year was also a particularly good year for a sending off for Cindy and Dale Hokanson, the original organizers of the camp for the last 18 years it鈥檚 been running. Shortly after the activities concluded for the weekend, Cindy disclosed in an email to the Mercury, that she and Dale have stepped down from their roles as camp organizers.聽
She commended Woodlawn Regional Park for the tremendous amount of help it has been providing through the years, facilitating the event, and noted that the Lainton family will take over the direction of the camp.
鈥淭he kids love it. We (kept) saying we (were) going to retire, but then we鈥檇 get out here and end up having so much fun every time,鈥� said Cindy.聽 鈥淲e鈥檝e got strong volunteer support, dedication, and strong upcoming leaders.鈥�
