The annual conservation camp allows students to participate in three days of natural resources education, and the opportunity to spend time outdoors and learn from Domtar Dryden Mill Foresters.
Domtar Corporation has announced that it has funded the 62nd Annual Conservation Camp for 9th Graders of Dryden High School, and that employee volunteers from the company’s pulp mill in Dryden, Ontario, Canada served as instructors and coordinators at the camp.
The three-day course began on May 29th and provided hands-on opportunities for the 9thgraders of Dryden High School to learn about the sustainable management of water, soils, wildlife and forests from professionals in the resources industry. Domtar makes a wide variety of everyday products from sustainable wood fiber and is one of the world’s largest producers of a complete line of absorbent hygiene solutions and an innovator in absorbent technology. Located in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, Domtar’s Dryden Mill employs more than 380 people in the community and produces Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft pulp suitable for a variety of uses.
For the last six decades, the Dryden Mill has provided the resources for program organization and development, as well as professional foresters to guide students as they learn about harvesting, regeneration, stakeholder values and what it takes to be environmentally responsible in the forest. Domtar is committed to investing in the local communities where it operates. Domtar’s commitment to sustainability, one of the company’s core corporate giving pillars, takes many forms—from the products it makes to the local community service projects the employees support.
“We are so pleased to continue to deliver this program and celebrate its 62nd year because it is an excellent way for our local youth to gain a greater appreciation for our natural surroundings,” says Dianne Loewen, Domtar’s Coordinator for Forestlands and Public Affairs and the Conservation Camp organizer. “It gives them an opportunity to learn about our region’s core industry and understand the importance of the resource sector here in Northwestern Ontario.”
Beginning in 1957, the Conservation Camp, once known as the Conservation Course, has educated Grade students from Dryden High School, focusing on resource management and conservation concepts. The instructors and coordinators supporting this program come from industry, government agencies, Domtar and the education community.
“It is incredible that Dryden High School Conservation Camp has been running annually for a little over 60 years,” said Dryden High School Principal Richard Hodgkinson. “In a time when we are now starting to understand the impact on our environment and the need for conservation and sustainability, it is imperative that we help our youth understand, respect and conserve our natural resources. The students at DHS tremendously benefit from this great opportunity of hands-on and out-in-the-field learning with their teacher and our community partners, working together to help develop a positive vision of the future for our youth and our area.”