BURLINGTON — They are made up of cabins scrawled with old camp signatures, wide lawns, friendship bracelets, campfires, lake games, tearful partings and general childhood delight. Summer camps have been the launching ground for life lessons for decades of American kids, but the latest threat to preserving that magic could be climate change.
In light of the recent flooding at Camp Mystic in Texas, dangerous weather presents a very real threat. Now, Vermont summer camps are working to learn from the tragedy to better ensure camper safety.
Summer weather has been big news in recent years, and locals have taken notice. Scott Whittier, the warning coordination meteorologist in Burlington for the National Weather Service, said that the most noticeable change is the variations and persistencies of weather extremes.
In past Vermont summers people might experience higher heat days, Whittier said, but typically a cold front would follow to provide some relief. However, within the last five to 10 years, periods of high heat last longer. On June 22, Burlington reached 99 degrees, the fourth-highest temperature on record for the city in history.
A warmer atmosphere can hold 4% more water vapor for every one degree Fahrenheit of increased temperatures, according to Whittier.
“If we’re continuing to have a climate that is warmer and warmer, that gives us more potential for more water in the atmosphere to eventually rain down,” Whittier said. That means heavier rain events.
Over the course of the last half-century, annual precipitation in Vermont has increased about 20%, according to Whittier. But the frequency of heavy rainfall events up to 4 inches have seen a 200% increase. Vermont is seeing more heavy rainfall episodes, and in between those episodes, drier, hotter periods that last longer.
The American Camp Association, a membership organization that has accredited more than 3,500 overnight summer camps, plays a crucial role in promoting safety precautions to camps certified in its network.
While Camp Mystic was not ACA accredited, the organization released a statement in regard to the tragedy and the aftershocks it sent through the camp world.
“In times like these, the loss of even one life touches every camp, because the camp community is and has always been deeply interconnected,” said the ACA in an online statement . “We stand together in sorrow, in solidarity and in support.”
This ACA statement said it was working as a resource to support those impacted by the tragedy and to provide camps with more resources to listen to local needs.
Michele Rowcliffe, executive director of the ACA’s New England office, spoke to Community News Service prior to the tragedy at Camp Mystic about the work being done to combat the changing climate in the camp world. Prior to the event, Rowcliffe said the shifting environment is something camp professionals are taking seriously.
“It has been a heightened conversation. I’d say camping is a really resilient and flexible industry. I think that camps and camping professionals are super nimble,” Rowcliffe said. “As part of licensing, as part of accreditation, having emergency action plans are required. So there’s always a plan A, a plan B, a plan C.”
Even with the shifting environment, Rowcliffe reiterated the important transformative experiences that summer camps provide youth.
“While the world changes so fast, there are some of these traditions of camping that haven’t changed, and it’s basically working together, learning group work, learning conflict resolution, making decisions without a parent or caregiver being there, being out in nature,” Rowcliffe said.
While flooding is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, high heat can also pose a potentially dangerous threat to campers if not properly prepared for. Hosmer Point, in the Northeast Kingdom, and Camp Farewell, in Newbury, Vt., are both ACA-accredited camps pivoting their programming under climate change.
Hosmer Point Camp Director Carrie Glessner said she expected the ACA to release new guidelines for all accredited camps later this summer. But, while flooding is an issue Hosmer Point was aware of at other camps, its location meant it wasn’t an issue on their property, Glessner said.
“Hosmer Point is on a hilltop, and although our cabins are next to Great Hosmer Pond, the pond itself is at the top of the watershed — no rivers drain into it — so there is no appreciable flood risk at our site,” Glessner said.
But after the floods in 2023 and 2024, though Great Hosmer Pond was unaffected, the camp realized that if local roads were closed, they needed emergency routes off the property. Glessner said more food is now kept on the property in case of delivery delays.
Glessner says the biggest issue for the camp is frequent thunderstorms because their location on a hill puts them at greater risk for lightning strikes. This threat, mixed with unpleasant weather, means camp activities must be moved inside.
“We’ve been investing more time and budget on indoor activities to improve that area of our programming, but it’s still a challenge for staff to bring the enthusiasm if we have multiple days in a row of thunderstorms,” Glessner said. “We have a detailed protocol for thunderstorms — when to keep biking and boating trips near shelter and when to bring everyone indoors.”
At Camp Farewell, which also wasn’t affected by flooding in 2023 or 2024, directors Rachel Morgan and Marley Hansensaid the camp is learning to prepare and pivot in the event of heavy rainfall.
“We always have our staff plan for the fact that we know we’re gonna have rainy days so they go into the summer having rainy day plans,” Morgan said. “We keep going as much as we can, but obviously safety comes first. But we’re resilient.”
The same flexibility is essential when the heat index turns dangerous.
“For us, it means turning every activity possible into a water activity, not planning running-in-the-sun activities, lots of coolers of lemonade, making sure campers have bedding for hot weather and really doubling down on the reminders to drink water,” Glessner said. “There are more hot days now, but it doesn’t change what we do for them.”
At Camp Farwell, altering activities like turning regular tennis into water balloon tennis helps cool down campers, or switching out baking classes with smoothie making.
“Pivoting and making the best situation can be really positive and leave really great memories, especially when it’s impromptu and the kids haven’t experienced it before,” Hansen said.
In the wake of tragedy and change, summer camps are looking toward the future.
“One thing that I’d want to point out is the resiliency, the flexibility, the loyalty and passion that folks have in this industry,” Rowcliffe said. “So many people have been in it for decades and we really believe in what we’re doing and making a difference in young people.”
Kate Lewton is a reporter with the Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.