"Burn bans, flashlight campfires, extreme heat and stronger rainstorms: Today’s campers are experiencing their summer fun against the backdrop of climate change."
"Jill Laidlaw has worked for 37 years at Camp Cavell in Lexington, Mich., a little spot of paradise on Lake Huron. But she has seen trouble in paradise: climate change.
Temperatures in Michigan have risen by two to three degrees, on average, in the last century, and Ms. Laidlaw said she had seen the effects of that warming in many ways, from hotter days and warmer nights to stronger rainstorms, harmful algae blooms in the region's lakes and an explosion of ticks. And increasingly common bans on most outdoor burning have even restricted one of the most beloved aspects of summer camp, she said: “We've had ‘flashlight campfires’ the last few summers.”
Climate change, which affects many aspects of children’s lives, is upending the camp experience, as well. After more than a year of pandemic isolation and disrupted schools and social lives, the 26 million children who typically attend day and sleep-away camps are ready to get back to summer fun. But the stewards of many of those camps say that the effects of climate change — not to mention the ongoing coronavirus precautions that many camps are dealing with — are making it harder to provide the carefree experiences that past generations enjoyed."
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