By Laura Cowan

Why did the snake cross the road? To get home because he has been unceremoniously dumped into a poisoned bog. My neighbor, the plumber, says he just threw a Missassauga Rattlesnake in our swamp down the street because he heard they wouldn’t cross the road to get back to his farm. Another neighbor dumped a giant snapper in the bog because it was eating all his pond ducklings. This year we also learned that we were positioned precariously between two known PFAS plumes off the Huron River.

All of this got me thinking about recent news of imbalances in the river ecosystem around the Huron River north and west of town where we live. Just this year, I learned that several kids’ summer camps take trips down the Huron River, and I thought that sounded like a great replacement for the bygone childhood romps through nature. These days, everything is scheduled, so why not pencil in some river tubing fun? Well, things didn’t go quite as planned because of the pollution, and a few other problems we ran into along the way, but there are still some cool ways to sign your kids up for some water-themed fun this summer. Here is what we learned about how to keep your kidlets safe while attending outdoor programs.

Leslie River Days & Matthaei Creek Walks

Everyone knows the Leslie Science Center on the north side of Ann Arbor has great outdoor summer camps, but did you know they have programs that take kids for day trips to the river as well? We spoke with Camps Program Manager Zachary Wood, who told us, “We take fourth and fifth grade campers on a river trip about every week as well as [taking] half of our middle school camps.” This is because the fourth and fifth grade camps are environmentally focused, and Leslie has new camp options for middle school students that combine a STEM focus with environmental education. It’s fun though, nothing like summer school. Kids get out into nature and really explore in these camps, which is what we were hoping for.

“We love taking our campers to the river,” Wood said, because it’s an excellent ecosystem to explore for environmental education. Plus, it’s beautiful and a lot of fun.” When kids hit the river, they’re also being trained on how to team build and communicate. They learn how to pilot double kayaks or rafts. “Sometimes navigating a kayak with another human being can be challenging,” Wood told us.

Leslie also partners with the Hands On Museum and the Yankee Air Museum for STEM-focused camps where kids explore physics of motion through building marble coasters and the like. Keep an eye on their website for camp information, which goes up during the winter.

If you’re looking for a daytime summer play event outdoors for a younger kid, Matthaei Botanical Gardens has recently expanded their garden “Nature Popup” programs for ages three to seven, as well as nature hikes often recommended for kids age four to eleven. Youth Education Coordinator Elizabeth Glynn said they do a lot of guided field trips for groups that can even include multiple families that sign up to come together, which is a great option for homeschooling families.

“Summer programs are all outdoors,” Glynn said. “Sometimes we make paper indoors because we have tables there, but we try to be outside all the time.”

Matthaei takes younger kids on “Wetland Explorers” tours of what a watershed is and what wetlands look like. Glynn said they start with an overview of how water flows downhill in a watershed and then drill down to what animals live there. “We explore, look at maps, and then we go outside and dip nets into the pond,” she said, to look at organisms that live in the water. “We focus on making observations and for the older middle school kids we introduce simple chemical testing to see how much dissolved oxygen is in the water,” Glynn added, “or nitrates. We connect that to fertilizers and runoff and talk about how youth can participate in keeping water healthy.”

The Matthaei “Bugs Are Beautiful” camp helps kids and their adults appreciate the diversity and beauty of the insect kingdom, and four to seven year-olds learn body parts of insects and practice catch and release methods of examining insects out in the botanical gardens. “Older kids get into learning about pollination and predator prey relationships,” Glynn said. “Things With Wings” is a similar free family program, and the paper mentioned before gets made during “Tree Trail Hikes.” For artsy kids like mine, there is a program called “Sketchbook Detectives” where kids use watercolors and sketching to make observations about nature. “It’s about being quiet, having fun, and using color,” Glynn told us, “and they really get to tap into their artistic expression.”

There is a creek that runs through the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, so many of these programs integrate water into their nature-exploration programs. If you want fun mud play, bubbles, and nature pay for little ones, Matthaei has been expanding their popup events through the summers in the children’s garden on Mondays.

For more information about the latest programs and summer camps run by Leslie Science Center and Matthaei Botanical Gardens, which change year by year, please visit mbgna.umich.edu or www.lesliesnc.org.

Fuller Park Swim Camps

We thought we were off to a great start with summer camp options near water, but then we ran into a snag. The marketing copy for the Fuller Pool camps is inspired, nostalgic stuff: s'mores, bounce house, log rolling, tubing, fishing, camp crafts, swim lessons. This place sounds awesome. But… well, not a lot of that actually happened at the camp my kidlet attended, I’m sorry to say. Her bestie who invited her to join still had a great time, but we think it’s worth mentioning that when registering for themed camps, you might want to call ahead and ask which events will actually take place during the week you’re signing up.

Read related article: Leslie Science & Nature Center: Adventures and Education

in a Park in the City

The teenagers who run Fuller Pool camps are friendly, but smiling and telling me they would put extra sunscreen on my daughter’s nose did not in fact get any high-spf sunscreen on her day after day, until she was sick with sunburn by mid-week. The counselors do make the kids reapply sunscreen every two hours and drink plenty of water, but the problem is they never let the kids go inside. Ever. Fuller Pool camps are supposed to be cool because they combine swim time, camp crafts and activities, and days on the Huron River. But what we got was more like kids running everywhere in the sun all day, or sitting under a cramped picnic shelter regardless of weather, than a day camp version of sleep-away camp. However, this is a great camp for kids who don’t want to be stuck inside with scheduled activities all day.

“We try to give kids activities that are fun that involve a lot of water,” Fuller camp and facilities director, Gayle Hurn told us. “Kids love the cascades, and little kids do rafts in Argo pond.” She did also apologize that the camp can be a bit lax on delivering themed activities like the animal crafts my daughter was excited about during Wild Animal Week that didn’t materialize beyond a couple camp games and playing with beads and face paint.

Hurn said, “Sometimes counselors get a bit complacent, and I think we need to do a better job of soliciting feedback from parents during the week rather than at the end.” Hurn also said the camps have so many repeat kids year after year, and week after week, that they need to plan the camps to accommodate older kids now, as they’re really designed for the younger set.

At Fuller, the camps are very popular with kids who like to swim and play outdoors all day. Hurn said many campers come all summer and are repeats for years.

Some of what went wrong for my daughter was circumstantial, and couldn’t be avoided. Campers are grouped by age and track with camp counselors for the week they attend Fuller Pool Camps, but what happened to my kidlet was that her oldest age group cabin ran out of space so she was put into the next cabin down in a group with more than one child with behavioral problems. She had to spend all the activity time with mostly boys two years younger than her and couldn’t see her friend except during free time. During free time they were forced to sit in the sun or at picnic tables with kids screaming around them for hours (as you’ve probably guessed, not my kid’s thing), and during swim time they weren’t allowed to leave the pool or sit in the shade for two hours straight every day in week-long 90-degree heat wave. Kidlet came home exhausted and, frankly, mad as a rattlesnake. Staff varies by year, of course, and we’re lucky to have had such positive summer camp experiences up to this point. Kidlet’s bestie seemed to be having fun all week and wasn’t bothered by the sun at all.

My daughter was too sick with sunburn by day three and begged off to stay home, only to miss tubing at the Argo Cascades, which did sound like a good time. It was hot enough all week in late August to melt me like a chocolate bar just picking her up from the parking lot, and, Hurn told me, last year they had at least one week over 100 degrees. Hurn is advocating for a larger picnic shelter for the kids next year, but there are still no plans for indoor breaks because the pool facilities don’t have indoor daycare space. I’m sure other weeks are cooler, but you should know before signing up that these camps are heavily weather dependent with zero recourse for inclement weather.

Still, Hurn is sensitive to the river pollution issue and cares a lot about her kids having a good time. “I’m from Flint,” she said of her awareness of the PFAS pollution in the Huron River, “We’re dealing with other people’s children, so we err on the side of caution. We go by the policy of the livery. If they’re closed, we don’t go, but the week they reopened after the sewage spill, we decided not to go [too].” So, lots of time outdoors, and great for younger kids who like to run all day or swim for hours. Just be proactive communicating if you need your kid’s cabin changed, if there are problems with staff, or something similar, and go to the director, not through counselors if your concerns don’t seem to be handled.

Fuller Park Pool is located at 1519 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor MI 48105. You can find information about summer camps online at a2gov.org/departments/parks-recreation/parks-places/fuller/Pages/default.aspx#daycamp or by calling (734)794-6236.

How Can Parents Monitor PFAS?

Some City of Ann Arbor camps entirely focus on river fun, and are a great way to get your kid outdoors if you have to work all summer. Except… there was sewage, raw sewage, in the Huron River the week we considered signing kiddo up for actual fun at the river. Lord help me. It sounds like such fun, but what are kids actually touching in the river every day when PFAS foam is poisonous and sewer drains can back up like this? A rattlesnake sounds like a pristine encounter with the great outdoors compared to this. I called Jennifer Lawson, the City of Ann Arbor Water Quality Manager, to hear about progress handling the sewage leak that closed down boating rentals and trips for two days. Lisa Wondrash, City of Ann Arbor Communications Director, responded with more information on PFAS and where parents can keep up to date on a changing situation, which seems like the right plan since this unfortunate situation will be changing for years, sometimes weekly, as pollution levels shift and laws requiring cleanup are still in the works.

“Swimming or bathing in water containing PFAS is not a health concern because the amount of PFAS is typically low compared to the foam,” Wondrash told us, though the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued a “Do Not Eat Fish” advisory for the Huron River and now advises people and their pets to avoid foam on the Huron River where the pollution concentrates. City canoe liveries around town have installed washing stations for concerned citizens wanting to rinse PFAS foam or river water off themselves after boating, which has raised more concerns about the levels of pollution among parents, in particular. It’s hard to imagine kids boating down the river without coming into some contact with foam if they’re anywhere near the dam or any rapids. Fortunately, a lot of camps for younger kids stay in Argo pond with calm water, which is some comfort.

City of Ann Arbor River Camps

What goes on in the river camps once kids get there? Cheryl Saam is the Recreation Supervisor at Gallup and Argo Parks on the Huron River. “We run River camps here at Argo for middle school and at Gallup for younger children,” she said. “The programs are often full to capacity, and are very popular because you get to hang out on the river and try different activities.”

Boating options include single and double kayaks, mini kid kayaks, tubes, paddle-boards, paddleboats, and five-person rafts. Saam said, “We look for river critters to learn about ecosystems, and we catch bugs and catch fish and let them go.” Super cool. Critters don’t include poisonous snakes, I’m assuming.

Saam said that as kids gather Monday morning, they do “an introduction, lay out camp rules, safety procedures, and right off the bat we go kayaking. Younger kids kayak in Gallup pond and older kids do river trips.”

Leslie Science Center does some live animal programming of what animals might live in the river for the city river camps. “In the afternoon we paddle to the playground at Gallup and paddle back,” said Saam. “Tuesday is all about paddleboats and rafts, raft towers, and tubes in the cascades. Big kids go all the way down the river in five-person rafts. There is a lot of team building there.”

Wednesday little kids do paddle boats and canoes and then go swimming at Fuller Pool and look for bugs at Island Park. The nature themes here really strike me as being similar to how I grew up without much supervision, looking for bugs in the woods at Leslie, picking berries, and creek walking. Saam said that big kids go on Thursdays to Dexter and do a river trip, which is another bonus of extra nature. It seems that if your kid wants more river time and less pool, this is a fantastic option to switch the ratio of outdoors to swim time.

“Friday is a cookout with paddleboats and canoeing,” Saam said. “Big kids get to choose their favorite boat and kayak up to Bandemer Park and do disc golf and paddle back.”

It’s not clear if kids get any more time inside at Argo than at Fuller, but there is more of a cabin there as opposed to small sheds for backpacks only at Fuller. “Behind Argo we have a camp cabin and have hammocks and tents and kids use that as their home base,” Saam said. “Camp registration starts February 1st and fills up quickly. Many of the camps fill within a day. It’s all about boats and space.”

Learn more at Life Transition Zone online.

City River Camps are licensed by the State of Michigan and employ experienced instructors who help keep kids safe on the water. The liveries offer many fun river programs such as summer camps, preschool programs, night paddles, and Huron River Day.

For river program or camp questions please call the Gallup Livery office (734) 794.6240.

Argo River Camp is for kids who have completed 6th-9th grades. Each day features paddling on a different section of the Huron River, and kids can choose from kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, tubes, rafts, and also have fun fishing, geocaching, playing disc golf, and having a bonfire lunch.

Argo River Camp is based out of the cabin and pavilion at the Argo Livery. Argo River Camp has a girls only week for sixth to ninth graders from July eighth through the twelfth.

Argo also runs a program called River Kids that allows kids age two to seven to explore Gallup Park (Resident, $70; nonresident, $84 per child/month). This camp is parent supervised and creates a fun space for parents and littler kids to paddle around Gallup pond in a kayak, canoe, or paddleboat. Kids can also try fishing off the dock, and enjoy a story time and some arts and crafts. River Kids sessions run May through July. Red Fish Blue Fish Teach Kids to Fish is another program in June that is only $5 per child that teaches parent-supervised kids to fish. All ages are welcome.

Gallup Park Livery is located at 3000 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI. You can find information about river camps run by the City of Ann Arbor online at a2gov.org/departments/Parks-Recreation/parks-places/gallup/Pages/River-Programs.aspx or by calling (734)794.6240.

Argo Park Livery is located at 1055 Longshore Drive, Ann Arbor, MI. You can call for details on Argo Park programs at (734)794.6241.

So, we didn’t run into rattlesnakes, at least, but it was a weird summer and a little challenging due to the state of our waterways. One thing is for sure. There are some adventurous options for outdoor summer camps for kids, but you need to pay attention to the state of the waterways. That probably was the case long before we knew how polluted local rivers were, or knew they were probably full of snakes my neighbor doesn’t want. We are looking forward to including more outdoor activities, for our family (have you done the night paddles at Argo? They’re the best!), and for kidlet with her friends. Stay cool this summer, have fun, and speak up before problems build up. Our mistakes are your navigation map for a trip down a thoroughly modern Michigan river.

Laura K. Cowan is a columnist and editor for Crazy Wisdom Community Journal, the co-founder and executive editor of Cronicle Press Tech News (http://www.cronicle.press) out of Ann Arbor, and a contributing writer to The Ann Arbor Observer and Reiki News Magazine. She blogs about green tech and wellness at www.laurakcowan.com. She is a Reiki master and meditation coach through Great Lakes Healing Arts at www.greatlakeshealingarts.com.