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2021 Camp Colley Season Ends Due To Mandated Forest Closure

This year’s fire season has been incredibly devastating for Arizona. Beginning with the Backbone Fire still burning at over 40,000 acres, and now five more in the Coconino National Forest that erupted just days after Backbone began, tens of thousands of acres of fires have caused a Stage 3 closure of the national forest. Dangerous levels of air quality, state road closures limiting access to Camp Colley, and no additional available firefighting resources have culminated in a very fraught camp season. Camp Colley, nestled squarely within the national forest, has been directed by National Forest Service experts not to host children at camp until the Stage 3 closure is lifted, currently scheduled for September 1, 2021. With this information top-of-mind, we made the grueling decision to cancel the remainder of the Camp Colley 2021 season. There will be no further sessions of camp this summer. For the past two weeks we closely followed the AZ Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Transportation, and Coconino National Forest updates in order to make the most informed decisions about regarding Camp Colley and the safety of our campers. We had hoped that it would be possible to resume our season, but after being directed not to bring children to camp by the national forest service, we were left with no other choice. We are heartbroken. We have notified parents and program partners about this season’s cancellation. All registration fees will be refunded to the parents or caregivers of this summer’s campers in the coming days. Additionally, all campers have been referred to low cost or free day camp programs operating in Phoenix to mitigate...

Camp Colley 2021 Session 5 Cancelled

The Backbone Fire, now at 38,321 acres with 1% containment, has continued to create potentially hazardous air quality at Camp Colley and state roads leading to camp from Greater Phoenix remain closed. Three additional fires started nearby earlier this week, including the Snake Fire which is burning slowly at 74 acres just 17 miles from camp north of Clints Well.   Monday officials with the Coconino National Forest declared a Stage 3 closure to the forest to the public and individuals there will need to vacate by Wednesday morning. Camp Colley, private property owned by the City of Phoenix, will remain accessible only to staff with permits issues by the National Forest. Because of this, Session 5 (June 28 – July 2, 2021) of our season will be cancelled.   We have continued to follow the AZ Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Transportation, and Coconino National Forest updates in order to make an informed decision about resuming Camp Colley for the remainder of our season as soon as possible. We will make all efforts to provide campers with alternative program arrangements in the event camp is cancelled through the summer.   We have notified parents and program partners about next week’s cancellation. All staff are safe off property, and we are working with them to create a mid-term plan for housing for those who are from out of town.   We will continue to share more information about these fires’ impact on Camp Colley as more information becomes available.   Take care,   -Camp Colley...

Never Have I Ever: Camp Colley

by: Kristen Whiteman, Research Intern There is a game that my daughter and her friends like to play called “Never have I ever.” The person in the middle of a circle of people tries to get other people out of the circle by listing activities that they think the other people have participated in but the person who is it has not. It is funny to hear what some of these activities include and how creative the players have to be because so many of the kids have had such rich experiences in their lives and have done so much. This game would not have been so entertaining though with some kids that I lately had the opportunity to spend time with, as there were many activities that they have never participated in. Recently I had the good fortune to spend a weekend at Camp Colley with a group of families who were there for a horseback riding weekend. One of the families I had the privilege to meet had never been to the mountains before. Imagine how fun it was to watch this dad looking at the trees in wonder and taking deep breaths of the mountain air as he exclaimed how beautiful it was. And, the kids couldn’t seem to calm down when it was time to get settled in a tent because they were so excited to sleep in a tent, in sleeping bags; two more things that were new to them. Of course we made s’mores around a campfire that first evening and again these kids experienced a first when they toasted marshmallows over the...