High on a mountainside, a dozen middle school kids watched as Park Ranger Paul Super blew gently onto a captive bird’s chest to determine whether the bird had a bare spot beneath the feathers. If she possessed a “brood patch,” it meant she had a nest of baby birds.

Super also checked for other things such as parasites, age — were the feathers a bit battered or smooth? — and general health, then banded the bird’s leg. He was in the midst of research on migratory birds and the students were a part of that research as they helped record data, hiked out to check the nets along with researchers and, after all information was gathered, were allowed to hold the bird gently and then release it back into the wild.

The visit to the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob was one of many adventures for students attending the Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual Youth Environmental Stewardship Camp, or YES camp.

They also toured the Steve Ross Dairy Farm, the Waynesville water reservoir and the sewer plant, the county recycling center and the landfill. They hiked at the Pink Beds, into Graveyard Fields and to Devil’s Courthouse, slid down Sliding Rock and went snorkeling in the Pigeon River after being treated to free ice cream at Jukebox Junction. During the second week, held for last year’s students, campers visited the Colburn Earth Science Museum, the WNC Nature Center and Purchase Knob.

Other activities included using hand held GPS units, doing chemical testing on water and soil and using kick nets in Richland Creek in order to evaluate water quality by identifying the variety of insects found there. As usual, an overnight camping trip to Cataloochee Valley was the “grand finale.”

Established six years ago, the environmental camp leads students to learn first hand about a broad spectrum of environmental issues. The camp is led by Mark Ethridge. Ethridge, who received his national certification two years ago, teaches environmental science and other subjects at Tuscola High School as well as various environmental workshops for area educators throughout the year.

Gail Heathman, the District’s education coordinator, is a certified NC environmental educator. She organizes the camp and accompanies the students and Ethridge each day. The camp is also sponsored by Haywood County Schools and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It is funded by the Pigeon River Fund.

This article was contributed by Gail Heathman with the Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District.