Online registration for the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s 2017 summer camp program opens Jan. 25 at 10 a.m.

Now in its 70th year, the program offers week-long adventures in conservation education for children ages 11-17.

DEC operates four residential camps for children: Camp Colby in Saranac Lake (Franklin County); Camp DeBruce in Livingston Manor (Sullivan County); Camp Rushford in Caneadea (Allegany County); and Pack Forest in Warrensburg (Warren County). All four camps offer programs for children aged 11-13, while Pack Forest hosts children aged 14-17 for six weeks and Camp Rushford offers two weeks of programs for children aged 14-17. The complete schedule of camp offerings is available on the summer camp's website and the online registration program.

Campers participate in a variety of outdoor activities including fishing, bird watching, fly-tying, archery, canoeing, hiking, camping, orienteering, and hunter safety education. Campers also learn ecological principles about fields, forests, streams, and ponds through hands-on activities and outdoor exploration. DEC counselors teach youth conservation techniques used by natural resource professionals, such as measuring trees and estimating wildlife populations.

All four camps will operate for seven one-week sessions (Sunday to Friday) beginning June 25, with the exception of Pack Forest, which operates for eight weeks.

One week of camp is $350 per child, including meals and trips.

Sporting clubs, civic groups, and environmental organizations are encouraged to sponsor one or more children for a week at camp. Groups who sponsor six paid campers will receive a scholarship to send a seventh child to camp for free. Information about Sponsoring Youth to Camp is available on DEC's website.

For more information, visit DEC's website, call 518-402-8014, visit "NYS DEC Summer Camps" on Facebook, or write to DEC Camps, 3rd Floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-5256.