Camp Creature - the Beaver

Quick, name the largest rodent that lives in North America and even populates the lakes around Camp Foley.  If you guessed the beaver you are correct!  It may come as a surprise, but yes the beaver is actually a rodent and belongs to the same family as woodchucks, squirrels, chipmunks, and even prairie dogs.  In fact, the beaver is the second largest living rodent in the world.  Only the capybara of South America is larger.  If you have ever taken a canoe trip to Hidden Lake you’ve probably seen the large beaver lodge and the numerous beaver-gnawed trees.   

Check out those teeth!

The beaver, from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail, can reach a length of 5 feet and weigh up to 90 pounds!  Though on average, beavers are roughly 3 feet long and weigh around 45 pounds.  Beavers usually sport a dark brown pelt (the skin and fur of an animal) and are best characterized by a large, flat paddle-shaped tail and enormous orange incisors (the narrow edged teeth in the front of the mouth).

Paddle-shaped tail.

The beaver spends the majority of its life in the water and has become perfectly adapted to its aquatic environment.  Its large tail and webbed feet, similar to the feet of ducks, gift the beaver with unmatched swimming power.  Additionally, the beaver’s nose and ear valves shut as it submerges, and a membrane layer slide over the beaver’s eyes and act as natural goggles.  This allows the beaver to remain underwater for over 20 minutes at a time!

Beavers will venture out of the water to feed.  In the spring and summer months, beavers will eat leaves, buds, twigs, fruit, ferns and even the roots of water plants.  In the fall and winter, beavers eat the cuttings (small twigs and branches cut from trees) they have stored in their lodge or underwater.    

Being a very shy creature, beavers will usually slap their tail on the water in alarm at the first sign of a human and disappear into their lodge, humans usually only see the telltale signs of a beaver:  Gnawed down trees, beaver lodges and beaver dams.  With very strong jaws and teeth the beaver can chew through a small tree in only 15 minutes and chews down hundreds of trees a year.  The beaver uses the branches of these trees to build their lodge as well as dams.
 

Beaver lodge on Hidden Lake.

Contrary to popular belief, the structure a beaver lives in is called a lodge, not a dam.  A dam is the structure used to block the flow of a stream. This blockage helps to create a “beaver-made” pond in which the beaver family will build its lodge.  Camp Foley’s family of beavers have not built any damns, they instead live in a natural pond that we call Hidden Lake.

So the next time you are canoeing around the shores of Whitefish Lake, or are fortunate enough to take a canoe excursion into Hidden Lake, be sure to keep an eye, and a listening ear, out for the largest rodent of North America.  Or just ask Alli to see the numerous pictures of the Camp beavers she has collected by using her variety of ninja skills!

For more information on beavers, visit the DNR website.

Get Crafty!

Crafts has a fairly long history at Camp Foley. One of the first mentions

Campers getting crafty in the 50s!

of crafts in a newsletter was back in
1957 when Red Dawn, a full blood descendant of a Sioux Cheiftain came for a day-long seminar featuring feather crafts, headdresses and dancing. Again, in 1958 a newsletter describes some craft projects: lamps, lanyards, bracelets and belts. Campers were also able to finger paint and create pine cone bird feeders. In 1978, after girls were spending summers at Foley, Art was available for girls and was held in the garage on the west end (currently known as the girl's weight room). It wasn't until 1987 that boys were allowed to take art. In 1994, Ed McGaa visited Camp Foley during the three-week session to share Native American crafts!

80s crafting on at the picnic benches!

As we know, Crafts (and Art) has had many homes throughout Foley's history. From picnic benches, to an art tent outside of Osawaka, to above the Mid-Washo and even into Osawaka. But, in 2010, Crafts was given its own, dedicated building located where Shop was held for many years. I can't speak for the Craft instructors or campers, but I'm sure they love the well-lit, larger space that the new building offers!


So, we know what Crafts is all about within the Foley community, but what is "crafts" in the outside world? According to Wikipedia, "A craft is a pastime or profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work." I guess that makes sense. Historically, craftsmen were concentrated in urban centers as they depended on the exchange of goods to provide for their families (craftsment could not be as self-sufficient as those involved in agricultural work). A craftsman did not simply become a craftsman. First, he would have to find an apprenticeship

Screen printing in 2012!

and when that was complete, a journeyman in search of a place to set up a shop. Once, he established his own shop, he could consider himself a master of his craft. Obviously, this is a rather outdated practice, and today we consider crafting to be more of a hobby. Different types of crafts may include: studio pottery, metal work, weaving, wood turning, wood working, glass blowing or glass art. It's not unlikely that the more talented crafters are able to turn their hobby into a profession, especially with the use of the internet to sell their products.

Whether you consider yourself a "master of your craft" or someone who just enjoys let their creative juices flow every now and again, we hope you join in a Crafts class at Camp Foley. Who knows what you'll make? The opportunities are endless as you let your creativity shine! 

TBT - Memorable Moments of 2012 (Part 3)

What better day than Valentine's Day to throwback to 2012 and hear what some of our campers LOVED about last summer.

Sofi Guzman (1st & 2nd session): "Camp this year was the best year. I loved Matoaka, my cabin, because of the people, and it was fun that we all stayed for 1st and 2nd session! The best moments I had in camp was going sailing with my friends. There wasn't anything new that I can remember, but I really enjoyed the whole month I was there and all the new experiences I had."


Jens Damgaard (2nd Session): "Well it was another amazing year! I went during a different session so that was really cool to meet a lot of new people. Honestly, the one huge thing that sticks out the most were my awesome cabinmates, and also being reunited with a counselor that I haven't seen in 4-5 summers... It was so crazy to see him again and really cool that he was my cabin counselor. Of course the activities were great, as always. I had a great time shootin' down at the ol' riflery range and blastin' some clays with Aaron at trap. As for banquets, the Roald Dahl theme this year was fun. Definitely the coolest thing of that banquet day was the activity where they turned the entire Wabi into the Chocolate Factory! I thought that was really cool and fun!"

Sam Munkeby (3rd Session): "This probably was my favorite year at Camp so far! The banquet was so funny especially when the counselors came out of the kitchen dancing like Whos! It was fun just being there with my friends; it didn't really matter what we were doing! I liked chilling on Foley Green and pretty much every activity I did, especially DRAMA!! All the food was amazing, and I ate so much because it was the best!"

We hope everyone is excited to get back to camp this summer  to enjoy all of the things the love at camp once again! If you won't be back in 2013, why not share with us what you loved about your years at Camp Foley?
 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing our entire Foley Family a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with lots of love!

Camp Creature - the Ice!

Alli atop the ice ridge.

Sometimes, we consider the lake to be a “creature” of its own as there always seems to be something cool happening with it, especially in the winter. Whitefish Lake doesn’t get quite as much action in the winter as it does in the summer, but it does get some! There are currently a collection of ice houses, used for ice fishing on the lake, and there are other winter activities, such as cross country skiing or snowshoeing, that can take place in the winter as well. 

Marie and Alli were recently out on the lake looking at the amazing ice heaving (or jacking) that has taken place and caused some ridges on our shoreline. We wanted to investigate what causes the ice on the lake to pile up on shore in such a way. 

Alli atop the ice ridge.

First things first, why does the ice crack and separate? Usually, it is caused by wind or underwater currents. The wind can push the ice around, causing it to fracture and pile up in some areas or pull away from the shore in other areas. Temperature can also play a part in the ice cracking. As the temperature rises and falls, the ice sheet contracts at different rates at the top and bottom of the ice sheet – the rate is especially different when there is limited snow fall and thus little insulation on the ice sheet. Often, ice cracking can be heard by those near it, such as ice fishers or cross country skiers. 

Alli and Nike exploring.

After the ice is cracked, the now separated ice sheets can be pushed toward or away from the shore by wind, causing it to pile up and form the ice ridges. Apparently, very little wind is needed to actually cause the ice to drift. The ridges can also be formed by the expansion of the ice due to cracking. When water rises in the cracks and freezes, the ice sheet expands slightly. As the temperature fluctuates, the ice will continue to expand and thus push against the shore. 

It creates quite an interesting sight, but sometimes these ice ridges can cause serious damage to property as the ice pushes soil and rock into mounds on the shoreline. But don’t worry, the Marina and Swimdock both seem to be handling the ice just fine! 

Enjoy this fun video Alli and Marie took:

 

Are there any fun winter weather things happening in your area? We know the east coast got hit with a huge winter storm last weekend. Here at camp, we got eight to ten inches of snow. Forget outside sweep, we had a lot of outside shovel and plow to do this Monday morning at camp! Whatever the weather is like in your area, we hope you're enjoying your winter months!

TBT - Camp in 1993

OLS: Cooking over a fire in 1993

For this edition of Throwback Thursday, we're going waaay back (20 years!) to summer 1993. After picking through some old newsletters, I found some pretty interesting things...

-In 1993 Outdoor Learning Skills “OLS” was introduced as an activity at Camp Foley. Now known as “Campcraft, “OLS” was introduced to teach campers important tripping skills including fire building, cooking and baking over a campfire, safety and first aid, knifesmanship, putting up tents and how to have fun exploring our wilderness. There was even an OLS pledge:
 

The OLS Pledge
To be among the animals and plants,
And in providing for my comfort and safety,
To respect my natural neighbors and their homes;
To step carefully and travel gently,
Finding friendship and beauty in my natural world.

Coke bottle a the boys canteen in 1993

-Camp Foley got a bike trailer in 1993, which meant bike trips could go out. Camp cleverly called these trips, “Bikepacking.”

-If you got a pop (or soda) at canteen you received it in a glass bottle, which you had to return to crates outside the canteen after you finished. Also, in 1993, girls were still getting their canteen between Pocahontas and Matoaka!

-Campers and staff used 864 Hershey bars for s’mores in 1993. Do you think we can eat more or less in 2013?

-Camp Foley played a four-hour baseball game against Camp Lincoln. The newsletter leads me to believe we lost…

Sailing on the P'zzazz in 1993

-The 1993 Closing Banquet was nautical themed. Campers were encouraged to bring cruise clothes or sailor outfits. Campers joined in the fun of Foley’s version of the “Love Boat” and/or “Gilligan’s Island.” There were five other special all camp theme days: Pirate, Sherlock Holmes, Fourth of July, Paul Bunyan and Gold Diggers.

 -Foley campers competed and did well in a regatta on the lake sponsored by the Whitefish Chain Yacht Club.

 Were you a camper in 1993? Or, were you a camper when Foley still had glass bottles at canteen, when OLS was still an activity, or when girl's canteen was still between Poc/Matoak? Let us know! What do you remember about your days at Camp Foley?

Just Keep Swimming

2012 at the Swimdock on the mat.

What's the one activity that absolutely everybody does at Camp Foley at one time or another? Swimming! With 4,000 acres of fresh, clear water right outside our cabin doors, it isn't surprising how often campers are down at the waterfront. One of the first things campers do when they arrive at Foley is take their swim test. And for those of you that continue with swimming past that first day at Foley, we thought we'd look into the history of swimming in general and some of its history at camp.

The earliest records of swimming showed up in Stone Age paintings from about 7,000 years ago! But swimming, as we know it today, started right here in the United States in the early 1800s, and breastroke was the first stroke used in competition. How about this for a fun fact: Many Americans often used swimming competitions to settle differences (such as property rights) in the frontier. Swimming was a part of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, and from the likes of recent phenoms Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, the sport of

Connor Dwyer, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and
Ricky Berens win gold in the Men's 4x200
Freestyle Relay at the 2012 Olympic Games. photo

swimming has continued to grow in popularity.The IOC (International Olympic Committee) recognizes four strokes - backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle - and 32 individual swimming events. Swimming has more officials than most sports (which may be a surprise to some). The officials include a referee, a starter, a clerk of course, timekeepers, inspectors of turns, judges of strokes and finish judges! Can you believe it takes all of those people to keep track of some swimmers going down and back in a pool?

Not so surprisingly, not all competitive swimming takes place in a pool. There is also open water swimming that takes place usually in a lake or sometimes ocean. The 2008 Olympic Games in Bejiing was the first time an open water event was added to the Summer Olympics; however, in the first four Olympics (1896-1906), all swimming events were held in open water. Some other interesting Olympic Swimming dates include: 1912, when electronic timing was introduced; 1936, when swimmers first dove into the pool from diving blocks rather than the edge of the pool; and 1976, when swimmers first used goggles!

Below are some interesting Camp Foley Swimdock Facts:

Buddy Board in the 50s.

1950s - First mention of the “check board” and buddy system

1951 - Swimming class becomes optional for those who have passed their swim tests
1984 - Sauna added
1994 - New basketball hoop added
2002 - Purchased 12 paddleboards and paddles, inner-tubes - Paddlemania!
2005 - Addition of the underwater snorkeling park

2006 - First summer for the log

2011 - Water mat and new diving tower added

Greasy watermelon in the 80s.

A lot of campers enjoy the water through activities such as diving, sailing, snorkeling or waterskiing, but think of all the times you've enjoyed just a nice free swim playing at the waterfront or enjoyed a cool off swim. Maybe next summer you'll take advantage of a swimming class to learn some new strokes or to improve your technique? Or maybe you'll just head down to the waterfront a few more times to enjoy a swim in Whitefish Lake and cool off after a warm Minnesota summer day. In whatever you choose, think of how many Foley campers before you have done the same!