The Cumberland Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited is accepting applications for its 30th Annual Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp June 15-20, 2025. The camp will be at Messiah University in Grantham, PA and begins on Sunday and ends the following Friday.
Admission is limited to 24 selected qualified students from 14 to 17 years of age.
“This is not a fishing camp. It is a conservation camp with fishing sessions and fly-fishing instruction,” Camp Chairman Clark Hall said. “Give us a budding angler with a passion to learn, and we will return a conservationist with enhanced fly fishing skills.”
The camp will begin accepting applications for the 2025 camp on November 1, 2024. Apply via the camp website, www.riverscamp.com.
The deadline for early acceptance is December 31. Students selected for the early acceptance will be notified in early January 2025. Applicants who apply during the regular application period of January 1 through February 28, 2025, will be notified in early March 2025.
The camp tuition is $550 per student. There is no cost to apply, and no money is required until after a student is accepted. Financial aid may be available to qualified students. All meals and accommodation are included for the residence camp.
Camp is a time for campers to disconnect from the distractions of everyday life and connect with nature and their peers. The use of cell phones at camp is strictly limited to in the dorm rooms at night.
The highly structured curriculum is based on college level classes. Students are instructed in ecology, aquatic biology, geology, hydrogeology, erosion and sediment control, ichthyology, riparian corridor protection, watershed management, entomology, and much more. Students also participate in a hands-on stream habitat improvement project. But it’s not all work. There are 10 fishing sessions, casting, and fishing instruction and fly-tying classes. Over 25 instructors, all experts in their field, teach the various classes.
A student doesn’t have to be an accomplished fly fisher or a budding aquatic biologist to attend. The student only needs to be highly motivated and willing to learn.
For more information, a camp brochure, or to apply, visit the camp website at www.riverscamp.com. Questions may be submitted at the website or via email to riverscamp@gmail.com.