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Programs
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Turtle Island's school camp is full of fun and adventure based on exciting educational experiences with nature. Hands-on "doing it" nature crafts step students into another realm of consciousness as they experiment with nature through daily lifestyle activities. While living in tipis and Adirondack shelters, making nature crafts, students not only create meaningful art, but also develop self confidence and group cohesiveness.
We work with students of all ages and levels of outdoor experience. The school trip is a living experience, confronting and realizing the essentials of life. Students have the opportunity to see the world through new perspectives created through immersion in the natural environment. They are guided by sensitive naturalists toward understanding the beautiful intricacies of life. We purposefully maintain primitive surroundings instead of "overdeveloping" our site.
Our educational program is based on students' interaction with and development of outdoor living skills. These skills are taught by extraordinary naturalists who have integrated the outdoor living theme into their personal lives. WOODS WISDOM gained from such activities as making and tending a fire, pitching a tipi, making a bed, and gathering water gives campers a fundamental education for living in the wilds comfortably. As skills develop so does confidence
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 Our unique Boys and Girls Camps offer a totally natural living experience and exceptional education. All campers and instructors live in tipis and rustic shelters. Campers learn to make what they need for wilderness comfort. We are here to provide Basic Living and Environmental Education experiences which help boys and girls become balanced people.
All of our Summer Boys and Girls Camps activities promote positive growth through fun and exciting learning opportunities. We also provide quiet time for reflection where youth can gain a dee per understanding of themselves and their relationships with others. Turtle Island Preserve offers an excellent outdoor classroom where hands on activities breathe life into Native American and Colonial history, as well as the natural sciences. We believe learning should be fun.
Our Summer Camps provide youth with a strong experiential foundation and motivation for cultural and scientific studies. Summer camp is "our gift to the world". Over 15 professional educators-not just college students as is standard in summer camps, but a clan of extraordinary, unique individuals are chosen for their excellence in their field. These professionals come together to create a phenomenal community with a staff to student ratio of better than 1:2.
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Camping is a time for slowing down and escaping the fast pace of our busy scheduled lives. Turtle Island's Family camping trip provides a unique and special opportunity. Parents and their children can "slow down" and enjoy each others uninterrupted company while experiencing the joys and wonders of the natural world.
Daily activities are designed to acquaint participants with their new surroundings, to understand, enjoy and appreciate the natural world. There's no age or experience limit. Family camp is a time for growing and learning. We work on fundamental lifestyle crafts and activities of the "back to basics" simple living, that has so much to teach us regarding universal truths and values.
There is no need to rough it in the wilds when your family can learn to work with the natural world and camp comfortably. Outdoor living teaches much on a practical level.
Click here for more family camping photos!
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Explore traditional tools, techniques and practices of a sustainable historic economy.
This time with Eustace Conway is an adventure in time travel. The workshop will be held on Turtle Island's horse drawn farm; a real working farm abounding with rich Appalachian tradition.
This will be a spontaneous interaction with crafts and lore that Eustace practices daily. Philosophy and real life anecdotes will weave into the day's pursuit. A small group intimately sharing like this will glean insightful, inspiring involvement with real live cultural engagement and interpretation. Get as involved as you dare or simply watch the intriguing activities that develop.
Activities may include spoon carving, plant gathering and usage, blacksmithing tools, horse and buggy rides, garden harvesting, cooking with wood, using a log builder's tool kit and much more. The possibilities are endless. Eustace has been practicing these skills full time in a non-electrical alternative lifestyle for over twenty years.
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Adult Camp is a five-day program that offers a natural experience for those who wish to learn old time Appalachian mountain skills, develop a deeper connection to the earth and make new friends. It enables a profound understanding of our connection to all of the creatures and elements that share the earth. A small group of ten adults come together to learn while living comfortably outdoors in a beautiful forest setting. Participants should leave refreshed and inspired to actively uphold the values that are nurtured at Turtle Island.
ADULT CAMPS AND WORKSHOPS, SCHOOL TRIPS, SCOUT RETREATS, COLLEGE SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS AND FAMILY CAMPS MAY BE SCHEDULED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY
Click here for adult camp photos!
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Boy and Girl Scout troops have been roaming the wilds of America since their inception. Turtle Island provides a wonderful and impacting experience for these such outings - year round! We offer custom-designed visits, with overnight and weekend retreats.
Your troop will be guided through our wildland acreage by our dynamic staff. Join us for nutritious meals cooked over a fire, days spent learning the land and traditional Appalachian skills, through experiential activities and hands-on applications and a good night's rest in primitive, handcrafted shelters.
Our Gallery has many more pictures to view! View pictures from Troop 17's and Troop 726's recent visits to Turtle Island Preserve!
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 Come and see Turtle Island Preserve with Owner and Master Horseman Eustace Conway on a horse drawn carriage ride! Journey through our unique, horse-drawn
, real-living-history farm. Eustace Conway will personally guide you through miles of fabulous private trails. He can teach you as much as you want to learn about horses use while you enjoy the beautiful experience.
The cost is $75.00 for one individual, or $65.00 each for 2 or more persons, for up to two-hours of an instructional adventure through beautiful wilderness trails. (No charge for children age 3 and under.) The ride can be personally suited to your interest level and size of your group. Riders can also join us for lunch or supper in our outdoor, wood fired kitchen for an additional $15.00 for anyone age 12 and up, and $10.00 for kids age 4-11 and under (no charge for kids under 4 years old).
Click here for horse-drawn carriage ride photos!
These tours are available any time! Call (828) 265-2267 for an appointment.
Download a printable flyer:
Click here for the flyer in Adobe Acrobat format
"Thank you again for the buggy ride and tour of turtle island. It was unquestionably the most memorable part of our vacation! The kids are still talking about it and are asking questions about everything we saw. We are very grateful for the time you spent with us."
--Recent Visitors
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 T.G. Pelham
TG Pelham is the Director of the Boys Camp. TG's experience begins with his going off to summer camp at the tender age of 6. Spending a month each summer at a primitive camp in the mountains became a way of life that he has yet to shake. TG is proud to have been a counselor and director at Camp Cherokee for Boys in the 1980's, an instructor at Wolfcreek Wilderness School, and since 1994 a counselor and director at Turtle Island.
TG has a master's degree from Georgia State University, where he taught speech classes and coached debate. Currently, when TG's not working at Turtle Island, he is an education consultant for the National Debate Project - an effort to bring academic opportunity to inner-city high schools across America.
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Note: Please only use the driving directions posted here on our website! Mapquest and other web-based navigational sites will get you lost.
Open House
Open House is held twice a year, on the last Sunday's of September and March. The next Open House will be held Sunday, March 25, 2012.
This is a free event from 10am-4pm. There is an elaborate potluck luncheon served at midday, so bring a covered dish and join us. We'll be featuring many hands-on demonstrations and interactions throughout the day with skilled naturalists, buggy rides with Eustace, in and among the pristine Turtle Island base-camp. No registration is necessary. Its a rain-or-shine event.
2012 Summer Camp Dates
- Young Boys Camp (ages 8-10): June 24 - 30, 2012
- Older Boys Camp (ages 11-17): July 1-14, 2012
- Older Girls Camp (ages 12-18): July 15-28, 2012
- Young Girls Camp (ages 7-11): July 15-21, 2012
- Family Camp (all ages): August 6-10, 2012
Download the Summer Camp Application:
Click here for the application in Adobe Acrobat format
Workshops and Classes
- Adult Camp (ages 18+): June 26 - 30, 2012
Download a Workshop Registration Form to register for any of the above workshops:
Click here for the form in Adobe Acrobat format
"Buy Now" and register for all of the above classes and camps using a credit card or a Paypal account! Just click the "Buy Now" button below. You'll be directed to a secure Paypal site.
Be sure to add up all the costs for the classes or camps you wish to attend and fill in that amount on the secure site. Leave us a note in the "Special Instructions" area on Paypal about what you're registering for, or send us an email after your transaction has been processed.
If you don't have a Paypal account, just click the link on the following page that says "Use your credit card or bank account (where available)" to use Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover.
Important Liability Waiver - Read before entering: Please be aware that Turtle Island Preserve is NOT LIABLE for your safety, health or any impairment of it. Enter at your own risk. Your presence represents your acknowledgement that you accept full liability for any damage to your person or property. This applies to everyone on the property or associated with Turtle Island Preserve.
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Copyright © 2012 Turtle Island Preserve. All Rights Reserved.
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