Camp North Woods lottery open

BRYANT POND — Camp North Woods is back for another summer of learning, and the deadline to enter the lottery for a chance to attend is April 3.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife created the camp to provide opportunities for youth and their families to learn lifelong outdoor skills and the importance of sustaining Maine’s natural resources. The camp was also established to build upon the overwhelming interest by youth in the TV series “North Woods Law” on Animal Planet.

Camp North Woods will be held at and hosted by the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond. Camp staff and instructors will include game wardens, fisheries and wildlife biologists, recreational safety coordinators, information and education staff and staff from Bryant Pond.

A co-ed overnight camp for children ages 8 to 10 will be held July 16 to 21, and a co-ed overnight camp for children ages 10 to 12 is planned for July 30 to Aug. 4.

Each week, the facility will accommodate 100 campers and will provide hands-on learning opportunities in outdoor-related activities. Campers will be joined by their parents or guardians for a family field day on Fridays.

Because there are a limited number of spaces at Camp North Woods, a lottery will be held April 12. Campers may enter the drawing if they will be at least 8 years of age by July 16 and no older than 12 years of age on Aug. 4.

Each child may enter the drawing only once. The entry fee is $5 and all proceeds will support Camp North Woods. Residents and nonresidents may apply and lottery winners will be composed of 70 percent Maine residents and 30 percent nonresidents. An equal number of boys and girls will attend the camp.

The registration fee for a Maine winner is $435; for nonresidents, it’s $635. The fee includes meals, lodging and instruction for the week.

The deadline to apply for the lottery is April 3.

FMI, apply: bit.ly/campnorthwoodslottery, bit.ly/campnorthwoods, brittany.humphrey@maine.gov.