Waitsfield, Vt. Northern Forest Explorers, the signature youth program of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT), offers rural youth five-day paddling trips that support healthy lifestyles and connect them with pride to the natural world, to their communities, and to the North Country region as a whole.
Beginning in June, 20 week-long trips will take place in the four states of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, up from last year’s twelve. Trips will take place in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. More than 200 young people aged 10-14 from communities along the Trail will be given an opportunity to take part in the trips. Participants learn basic paddling and outdoor skills, environmental and ecological relationships, and fundamentals of leadership and self-development. All trips are guided by local outfitters and a specially trained Northern Forest Explorers intern.
Locations and dates for the 2012 Northern Forest Explorers program:
Adirondacks
- Old Forge/Long Lake Region: July 9-13
- Tupper Lake/Saranac Lake: July 16-20
- Plattsburgh area: July 23-27
Vermont
- Richford/Enosburg area (Missisquoi River): June 25-29
- West Charleston/Island Pond (Clyde River): July 2-6
- Newport (Clyde River Watershed): July 30-Aug 3
New Hampshire
- Errol/Dummer/Milan region (Lake Umbagog/Androscoggin River): June 25-29
- Colebrook/Stratford (Connecticut River): July 9-13
- Groveton Region (Connecticut River): Aug 13-17
Maine
- Fort Kent/Allagash (Allagash River): July 16-20
- Eustis/Stratton (Flagstaff Lake): July 23-27
- Jackman (Moose River): July 30-Aug 3
- Rockwood/Greenville (West Branch Penobscot): August 6-10
Fee: $100 per student; financial aid is available. Space is limited. Applications are due May 27 and are available online at http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/NorthernForestExplorersYouthProgram-3/Summer-2012-Trip-Schedule-87 or by contacting Youth Program Director Roger Poor at (603) 801-9597, Roger@northernforestcanoetrail.org.
NFCT seeks to integrate the program into trailside communities by partnering closely with local schools, community organizations, and guide services. Parents have seen the transformation that can occur when young people are given the opportunity to learn and grow in an experiential outdoor setting in their own backyards. It is supported by grants and assistance from local outfitters, individual donations, civic groups, outdoor retailer Eastern Mountain Sports and the Federal Government.
Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a 740-mile inland paddling trail tracing historic travel routes across New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire, and Maine. Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Inc. is internationally regarded as the preeminent water trail organization in North America, and connects people to the Trail’s natural environment, human heritage, and contemporary communities by stewarding, promoting, and providing access to canoe and kayak experiences along this route.
Caption: A Northern Forest Explorer on the Moose River in Maine. Photo: Northern Forest Canoe Trail.
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Media Contact:
Kevin Mack, Director of Partnerships & Marketing
(802) 535-5855, kevin@northernforestcanoetrail.org
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