| About Expedition Lanark |
Expedition Lanark is a half day summer camp located at the Alabama Nature Center, part of historic Lanark in Millbrook, Alabama, just 10 miles north of Montgomery and only a couple of miles from I-65. The Alabama Nature Center is a Planned-Use Outdoor Education Facility offering hands-on, outdoor-based educational programs and activities. |
| General Information |
How to Register
Pre-registration is required with full payment to guarantee enrollment in the camp session of your choice. But hurry! Space is limited for each session. To register, fill out the registration form and camper information sheet and fax to 334-285-4959, ATTN: Expedition Lanark. Visit or call AWF at 800-822-9453 for more information.
Registration begins: March 1, 2008
Registration ends: May 1, 2008
Lanark, located in Millbrook, Alabama, (just 10 minutes from Montgomery) contains four distinct destinations: Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) Headquarters, Historic Lanark, Lanark Pavilion, and the Alabama Nature Center.
The Alabama Nature Center (ANC) is a Planned-Use Outdoor Education Facility offering hands-on, outdoor-based educational programs and activities. It encompasses over 350 acres of striking forests, fields, streams, wetlands and ponds that are traversed by five miles of boardwalks and trails in three distinctive regions: Still Creek Run, Turkey Ridge, and Hilltop Pass.
Drop-off and Pick-up
Campers should be dropped off at the Lanark Pavilion between 7 – 8 a.m. and picked up between 12 – 1 p.m., unless other arrangements have been made with the Camp Director.
The AWF office is open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday, for all other camp needs.
Water Activities
Certified lifeguards supervise all swimming activities at the ANC. All campers are required to wear a personal flotation device when canoeing.
Staff Information
Our full time staff is carefully selected based on their experience in education, nature and natural history, as well as working with children. As safety is of utmost concern, our staff must pass background checks and have taken CPR and First Aid courses.
What to Bring
Each camper should bring a daypack containing the following items: swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, bug repellent, sneakers (not sandals), socks and a change of clothes, labeled with the child’s name. Campers should also bring a snack and drink each day; however, these items are available for purchase at the ANC Pavilion Outpost (gift shop).
Cancellation and Refund Policy
More than 2 weeks prior notice = full refund, minus $25.00 processing fee
Less than 2 weeks notice = 50 percent refund
Less than 1 week prior notice = no refund
| session dEscriptions |
Each camp session offers a unique theme using both plants and animals to create a fun outdoor learning experience for your child. Campers will explore field, forest, stream, and pond environments while participating in activities such as nature discovery hikes, canoeing, swimming, field games, fishing, nature scavenger hunts and tree, plant and animal identification.
Historic Encounters
Session 1 (Part I) | June 2 – 6
Session 8 (Part II) | July 28 – August 1
Campers really “dig” this session! What is it like to be an archaeologist, historian or anthropologist studying Alabama’s cultural heritage? What can we learn about the past from artifacts that we discover at Lanark today? This session allows campers to experience an actual archaeological survey through hands-on surface collecting, light digging, research and preservation practices. Campers will also engage in activities dealing with old time traditions such as making root beer, fiddling for worms, clay sculpting and much more.
Water Explorers
Session 2 | June 9 – 13
Session 4 | June 23 – 27
Session 7 | July 21 – 25
Wet and wild best describes the activities planned for this session. Why is it important to keep our water resources clean, and how can we better balance the use of them? Campers learn the answers to these questions and more as they explore our water resources of today through swimming, fishing and just wading in the creek. They will also learn how to protect our water resources through hands-on activities such as water testing, water relays and aquatic life round-ups.
Wild Detectives
Session 3 | June 16 – 20
Get acquainted with the wonderful world of animals and nature in this session. What is it like to be a wildlife biologist? How can we take care of wildlife while sharing our world with them? This session allows campers to explore native wildlife and their ecosystems while searching for signs of life in the forest. Fishing in one of Lanark’s beautiful ponds and bird-watching up on the Tree Top Walk are just a few of the fun activities planned in this session. Campers will also have a chance to search for and identify hidden wildlife with state of the art technology, something very few people have experienced.
Fantastic Foresters
Session 5 | July 7 – 11
How do we manage our forests to be sustainable? Why are trees important to us and our wildlife? What is it like to be a forester?
These are some of the questions that are answered as campers engage in fun learning relating to forests. Campers will participate in activities such as tree identification, orienteering, hiking, and forest and tree measurements.
Underlying Expeditions
Session 6 | July 14 – 18
How is soil formed? How can we each do our part to conserve our soils? What lies beneath our soils here in Alabama? Well, here’s the “dirt” on this session… soil, rocks, plants and fossils! Campers learn about growing plants and protecting our soils. In addition, campers will explore our earth’s past through activities such as rock-hounding and fossil hunting.
| session fees |
Sessions |
Dates |
Max. # of campers |
AWF Member |
Non-Member |
| session 1 Historic Encounters |
June 2-6 |
30 campers |
$100 |
$110 |
| session 2 Water Explorers |
June 9-13 |
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| session 3 Wild Detectives |
June 16-20 |
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| session 4 Water Explorers |
June 23-27 |
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| session 5 Fantastic Foresters |
July 7-11 |
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| session 6 Underlying Expeditions |
July 14-18 |
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| session 7 Water Explorers |
July 21-25 |
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| session 8 Historic Encounters |
July 28-Aug 1 |
| Directions to Lanark |
Download Directions to Lanark (PDF) FROM I-65 SOUTH: |
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