OEE STAFF IN KAYAK TRAINING

Sean, an instructor in our OEE (Outdoor Environmental Education) Program, is excited to enhance his kayaking skills.

Drills, paddle techniques, kayaks on the water, OH MY!

Jeremiah (also know as Vortex) enjoys a bit of fishing off the camp dock. While he too loves kayaking, he had already gone through the training.

THE ISLANDERS EXPEDITION: Full for 2010

A message from Dave Affolter, Teen Program Director:

Islanders, one of Camp Orkila’s oldest and most historic programs now has the full team enrolled. The pic on the left is of the 2009 Group. This three-week expedition which began decades ago, in seafaring canoes, now tours the San Juan and Gulf Islands in fiberglass kayaks. Throughout this 22-day expedition high school participants build on their paddling skills, expedition knowledge, and outdoor leadership experience. Also, there's footage at the bottom of this post you can check out to see Camp Orkila welcome the Islanders home on their final day.

For those of you interested in outdoor adventure and exploring the different islands with a group of your peers, Teen Expeditions and Leadership Programs could be a wonderful path for you… As a long time alumnus of the program, I know it was for me…

A friendly reminder: If an expedition or leadership program is something you would like to pursue we have spots open in biking, sailing and kayaking programs for 7-12 graders. However, unlike traditional camp programs, teen programs have limited availability and multiple programs have already filled, so if these are paths you would like to explore this summer, I would recommended signing up sooner than later.

Now have a look at the moment from last summer if you'd like, when the 2009 Islanders returned from their epic journey!

Islanders Return to Orkila - 2009 from Camp Orkila on Vimeo.

LLAMA ON THE LOOSE!

Today when driving into Camp, what did we see? A deer? No. Though that is a common occurrence. Instead we saw a Llama. That's right. A LLAMA! The owners/handlers were in the truck, trying to guide it home.

Here is the LLAMA prancing right by us on the road. What a sight!

SPRING OFFICIALLY STARTS TOMORROW!

In preparation for the Spring, these brave little daffodils are soaking up (and loving) the sun. Right outside of Camp Orkila's Marine Center!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Happy St. Patrick's Day... and may you find a four leaf clover!

SUMMER PREVIEW @ WEST SEATTLE

The Camp Orkila & Camp Colman Summer Preview is this Saturday March 20th at the West Seattle YMCA.

Check-in is at 6:15 pm and pick-up is at 8:30 pm.

Open to kids entering 5th – 9th grade in the Fall of 2010. RSVP required. They can RSVP at (206) 382-5009 or colmanorkilainfo@seattleymca.org.

PROGRAM AREAS:
Carnival Booths
Hula Hooping
Large Group Games
Smore Making
Face Painting

Important Information for Parents:
Due to space considerations we are asking that parents check their kids in, go eat dinner or go shopping, and pick their child up at the end of the event. Of course, if you would really like to stay and hang out you are welcome to do so.


A waiver must be completed for each child in attendance. Download, print out, sign, and bring this Release of Liability WAIVER with you to the event. This waiver must be signed by a parent or legal guardian in order for campers to participate.

We're looking forward to seeing you!

ORCAS ISLAND GMAIL THEME

If you've been missing Orcas Island and you have a Gmail account... then this opportunity is for you!

Late last year, Google announced three new themes for Gmail: Turf, High Score, and ORCAS. How random. And how great!

It was created by one of their designers, who is from Washington but now lives in Zurich, Switzerland. He missed home. And this new theme was born!

There are rotating daily images of Orcas Island (sadly, no pics from Camp Orkila) - and you can see each day's image HERE. Enjoy!

FINAL MARINE LECTURE OF THE SEASON

The "Bashful, Brainy" Super Sucker Octopus?

The Marine Science Lecture Series on Orcas Island concludes its 2010 series with “Super Suckers: Giant Octopus and other Cephalopods” with Tim Carpenter.

Beautiful, bashful and brainy, the giant Pacific octopus leads a life of mystery. With a personality that’s as complex as its appearance, this animal is a master of disguise that can open jars, mimic other octopuses, and solve mazes in lab tests.

Tim Carpenter, Curator of Fish and Invertebrates at the Seattle Aquarium will give the free public lecture on the evening of Tuesday, March 9 on Orcas at Camp Orkila at 7p.m. (Carpenter will also present the lecture on Monday, March 8 onLopez at the Public Library.)

Like squid, octopi are cephalopods, meaning ‘head-foot’, so named because the feet (arms) are attached to the head. Octopuses have a highly developed brain and acute vision. The North Pacific Giant Octopus, or the Giant Pacific Octopus, is distinguished from other species by their sheer size. Adults can weigh around 33 lb, with an arm span of up to 14 ft.

Octopus live to be about four years old; with both males and females dying soon after breeding. Females live long enough to tend fastidiously to their eggs, but they do not eat during this months-long brooding period.

To make up for its relatively short life span, the octopus is extremely prolific. It can lay up to 100,000 eggs which are intensively cared for by the females. Hatchlings are about the size of a grain of rice, and only a very few survive to adulthood.

This will be the last lecture of the 2009/10 Marine Science Lecture Series, which was created to inspire the general public and to highlight the amazing fish and wildlife of our region. Visitors are asked to park in the upper parking lot at Camp Orkila. Shuttle service from the parking lot to the talk is available before and after the lecture.

The 2009-2010 Marine Science Lecture Series is presented by program partners The SeaDoc Society and YMCA Camp Orkila. It has been made possible through generous sponsorship by Tom Averna (Deer Harbor Charters), The Gould Family Foundation and co-sponsorship by Barbara Brown, Eclipse Charters, The Kingfish Inn, Shearwater Kayaks and Jim and Kathy Youngren.

Article from Bull Wings: Orcas Issues, Views, and News
Photo courtesy of J. Nichols

EVENT AT COAL CREEK YMCA

YMCA Summer Camps are waiting for you!

Attend our Summer Camp Sampler at the Coal Creek YMCA on Saturday March 6th from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm.

Whether you are looking for summer day camps, overnight camp, or both...we have gathered them all in one location.

Kids will have a chance to experience our camp programs in action, parents can speak with our seasoned staff and sign-up early for the best camp availability.

Activities Include

Archery ● Field Games ● Face Painting ● Carnival Games ● Arts & Crafts ● Sports ●Lanyards

This event is open to the community and all ages are welcome. The first 100 youth will receive a free YMCA Summer Camp t-shirt.

ORCAS ISLAND FIRE AND RESCUE HONE SKILLS @ ORKILA

Photo by Dimitri Stankevich

Late last week Orcas Island Fire & Rescue ran a drill at Camp Orkila on one of our old and dilapidated structures. The following news story appeared recently in the Island Guardian local paper about the training exercise...

( Orcas Island Fire & Rescue photo of a drill ) By Maxx Jones Orcas Island Fire & Rescue used

THIS IS A DRILL, THIS IS A DRILL by Maxx Jones

Orcas Island Fire & Rescue used live fire to hone their ventilation skills last evening at YMCA Camp Orkila. Using the abandoned structure, firefighters set a series of training fires inside the structure.

Teams of 3-4 then worked together to quickly ventilate the building to push the smoke and fire back so they could then enter and extinguish the fire.

The 29 responders had 5 different opportunities to stop the fire before it could destroy the building.

"These are vital skills we need to save lives and fight fire more effectively,² stated Training Division Chief and Paramedic Patrick Shepler. "We took this golden opportunity to train like we fight fires, taking the classroom into the real world. It was a very successful exercise."

Firefighters will have a second chance to train on the building for exposure protection and fire behavior training.

Maxx Jones is a Captain in the Orcas Island Fire & Rescue.


(Orcas Island Fire & Rescue photo of a drill)