February 12, 2018

MDIFW NEWS -- Camp North Woods Lottery Now Open

For Immediate Release February 12, 2018

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Camp North Woods is back for another great summer of learning in the Maine outdoors! The Department created Camp North Woods in 2015 to provide opportunities for youth and their families to learn lifelong outdoor skills as well as the importance of sustaining Maine?s natural resources. The camp has also been established to build upon the overwhelming interest by youth who have grown to love the hit TV series on Animal Planet, North Woods Law!

Camp North Woods will again be held at and hosted by the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond. Camp staff and instructors will include Maine Game Wardens, Fisheries and Wildlife Biologists, Recreational Safety Coordinators, Information and Education staff as well as staff from Bryant Pond.

A co-ed overnight camp for children ages 9-11 will be held July 15-20, 2018 and a co-ed overnight camp for children ages 11-13 is planned for July 29-August 3, 2018. This year, each week will accommodate 100 campers and will provide hands-on learning opportunities in a number of outdoor related activities in a safe and comfortable environment. Campers will be joined by their parent(s) or guardian(s) for the last day (Friday) of camp for a family field day.

Because there are a limited number of spaces at Camp North Woods, a chance lottery will be held on April 11, 2018. Campers may enter the drawing for a chance to attend Camp North Woods if they have not attended camp before and will be at least 9 years of age by July 15, 2018 and no older than 13 years of age on August 3, 2018. Each child may enter the drawing only once. The entry fee is $5.00 and all proceeds will go to support Camp North Woods. Both residents and non-residents may apply and lottery winners will be composed of 70% Maine residents and 30% non-residents and 50% boys and 50% girls.

If selected in the lottery, the registration fee is $435 for Maine residents and $635 for non-residents and includes meals, lodging and instruction for the week. Interested campers can apply for the online lottery by visiting bit.ly/campnorthwoodslottery.

The deadline to apply for the lottery is April 6, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.

For more information about Camp North Woods please visit us online at bit.ly/CampNorthWoodsMaine or email Brittany Humphrey at brittany.humphrey@maine.gov

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Maine Department of Inland Fisheries of Wildlife (MDIFW) preserves, protects, and enhances the inland fisheries and wildlife resources of the state. Established in 1880 to protect big game populations, MDIFW has since evolved in scope to include protection and management of fish, non-game wildlife, and habitats, as well as restoration of endangered species like the bald eagle. In addition to its conservation duties, MDIFW is also responsible for enabling and promoting the safe enjoyment of Maine?s outdoors? from whitewater rafting to boating, snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation. The agency?s constituents include the fish, wildlife, and people who call Maine home, as well as the visiting outdoor enthusiasts and eco tourists who call Maine Vacationland and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars each year to the state?s economy.