South Carolina Waterfowl Association Education Programs
Home of SCWA’s School Year Education Program
What We Believe
The mission of Camp Leopold is “to create an ecologically literate citizenry by heightening student awareness of the natural world, fine-tuning the skills necessary to read the landscape, and instilling a love, respect, and admiration for the land so that each individual might develop a personal land ethic.” Camp Leopold is named after Aldo Leopold, who is recognized as the father of wildlife conservation and management. Camp activities are designed to provide a creative outdoor classroom focusing on wildlife, wetland and upland ecology. The Camp Leopold curriculum is uniquely designed to help students and teachers achieve academic standards in science, reading and math through hands on outdoor education.
Educators are ALWAYS free. There are opportunities for the cost of students to be covered by our corporate sponsors or SCWA chapters. Reach out to Joe Gonzalez at joe@scwa.org to inquire about scholarships.
Take a look at our expansive facility through these photos. Air-conditioned accommodations are sure to satisfy, and we’re always growing. The Wildlife Education Center now boasts a waterfowl aviary, dual water zip-line, and a new 300-person dining hall coming soon!
Camp Leopold hosts students and educators on 1-day, 2-day or 3-day trips. Educators always attend Camp Leopold for free, and there are opportunities for scholarships to cover the cost of students and chaperones. You choose the classes for your trip, and we handle the rest!
Access all of the paperwork that you need to prepare for your trip. Connect to permission forms, the parent handbook, and information about cancellation and refunds. Your reservation packet will be sent to you by Camp Leopold staff when you schedule your trip.
(The video above was produced in December 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic.)
Camp Leopold is coming to your classroom! The Camp Leopold +PLUS program was born out of necessity as a result of schools not being permitted to take field trips due to COVID-19. It’s just like the on-site program; you pick the classes, date, and time, but we come to you!
“We did a ton of team building exercises that really helped us learn about each other in a way we wouldn’t have been able to before. The things we learned are things we never would have been able to learn if we didn’t come here.”
-HANNAH, St. Anne’s Catholic School
“My students really enjoyed Camp Leopold’s visit. The information they learned was interesting and invaluable. So many of my students would not have an opportunity like this, and I was excited that they were able to participate.”
-Riverbank Elementary
“My students enjoyed the knowledge of the presenters, the power points that had great text features and pictures, and most importantly, the hands-on of getting to touch hides, skins, antlers, and living animals.”
-Springdale Elementary
“I feel Camp Leopold did a great job in providing a learning experience of bringing nature inside. It allowed students to discover animals which are native to our state and use their academic skills to create a better understanding of our surrounding environment.”
-Congaree Elementary