This study was never meant to be revolutionary or complicated, though the data processing certainly was. It wasn't about producing entirely new findings. Instead, the goal was to make sense of existing climate data and show camp professionals that a wealth of information is already available to help us understand what's changing.

The challenge is that there's so much data — it can feel overwhelming, making it hard to pinpoint what's actually happening and what matters most for camps.

So, this study uses a few specific, relatable variables; not percentiles or abstract indices, but days. A day or two of rain is manageable, but as anyone who has lived in a cabin or tent can attest, soggy sneakers and damp clothes for an extended period of time can limit the overall program or create devastating conditions like flash floods or other dangerous conditions.

The same goes for extended periods of high heat, regardless of indoor or air-conditioned spaces, impacts to the camp program are inevitable.

When I started, my plan was simple: create maps that help people. But as I talked with others in the camp community, I realized that the story behind the maps matters just as much as the visuals themselves.

This interactive StoryMap is dynamic and accessible; you can zoom in on your region, your state, your county, even your individual camp. They make climate change tangible, showing how it will shape the camp experience in the years ahead and offering a practical tool to start preparing for the future.

Prefer to listen? Katie joined the CampWire podcast to talk through this research — check out the companion episode below.

What Does This Tool Mean for Camps?

Across all regions, the results were clear: every camp will experience climate impacts, but not all in the same way. In the best-case scenario, the Western region experienced the most days with extreme heat, and the Central and Eastern regions experienced more days with extreme precipitation.

In the worst-case scenario, a more uniform distribution of extreme heat was apparent with the reduction in variance across all three regions. In contrast, the Central and Eastern regions experienced greater days with extreme precipitation.

From Data to Action

Unfortunately, camp directors and administrators working along the West Coast are no strangers to climate change's devastating impacts, with the threat of wildfires limiting camp operations and access to property insurance (De Angelo, 2019; De Angelo, 2020). While not intended to be alarming, these visualizations offer a starting point for data-driven decision-making conversations regarding climate change at camp.

The scenarios presented in these maps demonstrate the complexity of climate change and the need for a multifaceted approach to climate action. Community-based solutions and collaborative efforts between local communities and government offer the potential for climate resiliency and support amongst changing weather patterns.

Camp professionals are innovative community-builders, and climate action will require environmental adaptions along with social and economic changes, as an opportunity to care for campers, staff, and their families persists in the opportunity for climate action.

A day of rain is manageable, but frequent days of extreme rain limit our ability to operate our program at the level we (and our campers and their parents) expect.

The solution to climate change is not camp. However, camp can be part of the larger solution for collaborative climate action, beginning with discussions amongst the industry on the impact of climate change our communities and programs are already facing and looking to adjacent agencies for opportunities to combat these risks.

Access the interactive storymap here or view below.
 

Katie Thurson, PhD, studies data science, positive youth development, and out-of-school time experiences with a focus on climate-related risk. She currently works as the Youth Protection Program Manager for Civil Air Patrol, US Air Force Auxiliary. Katie knows first-hand the power of camp for youth, having served on the director team for several years at Camp Zeke which will always be her "home" camp! Find more of her work.