Client: Camp Michigania, Mitch Rosenwasser Topic Brief Team:Jason Duvall duvalljMelissa Hopkins mlhopCari Varner cjvarnerKim Wolske kswolsLocated in picturesque northern Michigan, Camp Michigania is a conference center designed for University of Michigan alumni and their families to engage in recreational activities. Current activities include various outdoor recreation (e.g. boating, archery, horseback riding, challenge courses, and swimming), arts and crafts for children, seminars for adults, etc. The Camp seeks to expand their programming through the building of a new 4,500 square foot nature center and design of a trail system. We see this as an excellent opportunity to integrate an environmental stewardship message into the Camp Michigania experience. Possible research questions include:1. How can Camp Michigania model environmental stewardship behaviors in the camp?2. Can trails be designed to be low-impact, usable, and take advantage of unique ecosystems in the camp?a. How can trail signage promote usability and facilitate awareness of the native flora and fauna?3. What kind of impact does the environmental stewardship message have on participants (short-term and/or long-term)? a. What can we learn from other camps that host a similar demographic?b. What can we learn from living-learning communities such as the Chautauqua Institution in New York?4. How can campers be involved in the development and design of the new nature center and programming? 5. What types of programming would be most effective, engaging, and appropriate for the audience?a. What environmental curricula and activities would be most appealing and effective for children?b. How can the environmental stewardship message be incorporated into the existing seminars available to adults?c. What activities would be most appealing for families?Possible Products:1. Trail design and signs2. Nature center displays3. Ecosystem inventory and management plan4. Study of effectiveness of approaches to environmentally responsible behavior (to be published in peer-reviewed journal)5. Recommendations for programming and nature center design based on our studiesand camper’s inputAreas of specialty needed for this project:- Landscape architecture- Ecosystem management- Environmental psychology- Environmental
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