The two-day camp inspires wonder and stewardship in 8-12 year olds.
Just a few miles west of Brigham Young University is a restored wetland—rich with wildlife, native plants and outdoor recreation opportunities. The Provo River Delta Restoration Project includes dozens of ponds and interwoven channels that split and rejoin. The dynamic nature of these braided channels improves water quality, increases biodiversity and produces a floodplain with a high capacity to absorb water. The project has most notably revived the June sucker fish from near extinction to a thriving population.
Recognizing this wetland treasure and hoping to share it with the rising generation, recent BYU graduate Josh Hammari developed a two-day camp to inspire wonder and environmental stewardship in 8-12 year olds.
“You’re not going to want to protect something if you don’t love it,” said Leah O’Barr, a student educator. “And you’re not going to learn to love it if you don’t experience wonder, awe and amazement at how many beautiful things there are in the world.”
With the support of BYU’s Bean Life Science Museum, Hammari created Kayak Camp for his 2025 capstone project in the BYU Master of Public Administration program. Hammari wants students to develop comfort and confidence recreating outdoors and learn science that leads to increased stewardship.
The camp begins with classroom learning about the Provo River Delta and wetland ecology, along with kayaking basics and safety. Students then kayak and hike, learning from field biologists and BYU student educators. The campers observe, identify and journal what they see and experience at the Provo River Delta.
“I can feel the breeze going past me and I can see dragonflies. I think if we were in a classroom showing pictures of these things, it wouldn’t be as real for them,” said Audrey Gordon, a student educator. As an example, Gordon described a child looking through binoculars and exclaiming, “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Hammari recognizes a spiritual quality to learning in a natural setting.
“There is a deeply spiritual connection to the outdoors,” he said. “When thinking about the design and the systems—all these things that happen that we don't even notice from day to day—it's amazing to think of God who is the creator and the designer.”
