The Upper Main Line YMCA in Berwyn has over fifty acres of land, including wetland and wooded habitats. Staff members have been taking kids on hikes through those areas for years.

A few years ago, the YMCA added an environmental education summer camp program. 14 year-old Brian Quindlen is a junior camp counselor. He's also been a camper.

"My parents got me involved in it first when I was younger. They knew that I liked the outdoors," says Quindlen. "And now, eight years later, I'm still here."

Quindlen says his favorite camp activity is hiking, because it gives him a chance to practice things he's learned, like identifying the different species of animals.

"We have a lot of songbirds. If you listen, you can hear a lot of robins, cardinals, woodpeckers, but there's also a lot of other things," Quindlen says. "Salamanders live down at the creek, frogs live down at the pond. Every now and then we'll see a red tailed hawk coming through."

Environmental camp coordinator Sally Leathersich says the camp takes advantage of the wildlife in the region for educational purposes. "We never let the campers take the animals home," says Leathersich. "We always replace them in their habitat. But we will take them out and put them in a tank and observe them for a while."

Leathersich says the camp combines typical summer activities with education. "We're here to have fun. We're here to learn about the environment," she says. "We try to encourage and practice environmental stewardship. We'll do things like take a creek walk. On our field trips we'll explore different kinds of habitats."