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  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission and Ministry >
      • Virlina District Church of the Brethren >
        • GAG
      • Meet Our Team
    • Parent Info
    • payment
    • jobs at camp >
      • Summer Camp Counselors and Program Staff
      • Summer Grounds Crew
      • Summer Kitchen Crew
    • Our Newsletters >
      • eNewsletter
      • Printed Newsletters
    • Trading Post
    • Upcoming Events
    • videos
    • COVID19 >
      • Guest Group Options
      • Sounds of the Mountains At-Home Festival
  • Camps
    • Camps by Age >
      • Young Elementary Camps >
        • Knee-High Day Camp
        • Mini-Camp
      • Older Elementary Camps >
        • Elementary Resident Camps
        • Elementary Resident + Tubing
        • Elementary Resident + Equestrian
        • Elementary Adventure Explorers
        • Elementary Adventure Explorers + Tubing
        • Elementary 3-Day Sampler Camp
        • Elementary Day Camps
      • Middle School Camps >
        • Middle School Adventure Camps >
          • MS Adv Canoe + Climb
          • MS Adv Canoe + Tube
          • MS Adv + Tube
          • MS Adv Biking + Canoeing
          • MS Adv Biking + Tubing
          • MS Adv Climb + Tube
          • MS Moonrise Adventure
          • MS Adv Explorers
          • POTP Middle School Adventure
        • Middle School Resident Camps >
          • Middle School Resident Camps
          • Middle School Resident + Tubing
          • Middle School Resident + Equestrian
        • River Adventures for Middle Schoolers >
          • Paddlesports Adv for Middle School
          • James River Canoe Adventure
          • Stand Up Paddleboarding Adventure for Middle School
          • Kayaking Adventure for Middle School
        • Skills Camps for Middle Schoolers >
          • Digital Arts Camp
        • Trips for Middle Schoolers >
          • Backpacking MS
          • James River Canoe
          • New River Canoe Trip
      • Trips and Skills Camps >
        • James River Canoe Adventure
        • New River Canoe Trip
        • Paddlesports Adventure
        • Digital Arts Camp
        • Backpacking Trip
        • Kayaking Adventure
        • Stand Up Paddleboarding Adventure
      • High School Camps >
        • High School Resident Camp
        • High School Adventures >
          • HS Moonrise Adventure
          • HS Adv Canoe + Climb
          • HS Adv Canoe + Climb + Tube
          • POTP High School Adv 2
          • New River Trip 7 High School
          • RAP
        • River Adventures for High Schoolers >
          • Paddlesports Adventure for High School
          • New River Canoe Trip for High School
          • Stand Up Paddleboarding Adventure for High School
          • Kayaking Adventure for High School
        • Skills Camps for High Schoolers >
          • Digital Arts Camp HS
        • Trips for High Schoolers >
          • Backpacking Trip HS
          • Brethren United Mountain Adventure Trip HS
          • Mountains to Beach to Bay HS
          • New River Canoe HS
    • Camps by Date
    • Summer Staff >
      • Summer Staff Information
      • Counselors >
        • Senior Counselors
        • Junior Counselors
      • Coordinators >
        • Assistant Program Coordinator
        • Health Coordinator
        • Pool Coordinator
        • Unit Coordinators
      • Kitchen & Grounds >
        • Kitchen Staff
        • Grounds Crew
      • Why Work At Camp
      • Staff Adoption
    • ParentInfo >
      • About Summer Camps
      • Parent Information
      • Financial Assistance
      • request brochure
    • Camp Songs
    • Pay for Camp
    • Virlina Churches Good-As-Gold
    • Winter Camp Box
    • Self Guided Adventure Fun
    • CampAtHome >
      • Winter Camp At Home Box
      • Camp At Home Videos
      • Family Guided Adventures
      • Onward We Go Bible Study
  • Events
    • March 6 Camp Supporter ZOOM
    • April 3 Spring Workday
    • Sounds of the Mountains At-Home Storytelling Festival
    • Mothers Day Desserts Sale
    • Spring ACA Courses
    • Memorial Day Family Weekend
    • June-July Summer Camps
  • Groups
    • Facility Rental
    • Food Services
    • Band Camps
    • Camp Bethel Events
    • inquiry
  • Outdoor Ed
    • ACA Courses >
      • ACA Canoe Instructor Course May 8-12
      • ACA Kayak Instructor Course May 22-24
      • ACA Paddlesports Safety Facilitator May 29-30
      • ACA Trip Leader Course June 5-6
    • Compass/GPS Trail Adventures
    • KinderCritters
    • Your Outdoor Classroom
    • River Otters Paddle Sports
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • TradingPost
    • Self-Guided Adventures
    • donate
    • jobs >
      • Summer Program Jobs
      • Seasonal Grounds and Kitchen Jobs
    • Camp Reps
    • News >
      • Subscribe to E-News >
        • Subscribe
      • Print News
      • ReinDog
      • Spring Pond Otter
    • Summer Staff Adoption
    • Volunteer Projects
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A New Friend in the Spring Pond  - by Jenna Stacy
​
Nature is always active at Camp Bethel, and the fall months have brought us another friend.  As full time staff we often enjoy walks around camp to witness the beauty that comes with the changing of the seasons.  While walking by the Spring Pond one morning (October 17) Beth spotted a River Otter playing.  We assume that the otter was enjoying the many trout that were stocked into the Spring Pond for Heritage Day.  At a later point that day I was also walking around the Spring Pond and was able to catch sight of the River Otter playing.  As I stood in the grass and watched the otter swim around and play we would lock eyes every now and then, all the while I was using my handy dandy smart phone to capture the otter's photo.   It was as if the otter knew I was watching and was intentionally putting on a show: a very elegant show, as the otter was able to smoothly move around in the pond.  

Since spotting the otter I have been very intrigued by otters! Here are a few fun facts that I have found:

- River Otters are usually 3-4 feet long and weigh anywhere from 11 to 30 pounds.
- They eat a variety of aquatic wildlife such as fish, crayfish, crabs, and much more!
- River Otters like to live in dens that are along the water. Often abandoned burrows or empty hollows.
- When River Otters dive they close their nostrils to keep water out. They can stay underwater for up to eight minutes.
- River Otters have thick, protective fur that helps keep them warm while swimming in cold waters. This is probably very necessary for swimming in the Spring Pond. 

Come visit and see if you can spot the otter.  If so, then you can name the otter!  Just for fun!   :)
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WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING:
"Our son and daughter have been coming to Camp Bethel since they were 5 years old--they are now 13 and 14 years old. We have found that your camp is one of the few that our kids continue to enjoy even as they are older. Other camps (sometimes a lot more expensive) are nice but for some reason the magic of Camp Bethel remains. We also really respect the way that your camp incorporates God and Bible study but in such a way that it is still cool--a rarity these days to find a place were kids can be kids and learn to love God and care for one another in God's creation. Thanks so much for the awesome experience for our kids and the ongoing magic that is Camp Bethel. Thanks, Gina and Chris Engel" 

CONTACT US  540.992.2940
CampBethelOffice@gmail.com
328 Bethel Road, Fincastle, VA 24090

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