The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) and the Ausable River Association (AsRA) have announced a new aquatic stewardship program for teens this summer.

Discovering the Ausable: An Aquatic Stewardship Program is a free five-day, four-night adventure in camping and aquatic stewardship for teens age 14-17.

Participants will explore the Ausable River watershed while learning about aquatic ecology and participating in water quality sampling.  “This is an opportunity for teens to have fun with their peers while developing their paddling skills and learning the intricacies of physical, chemical and biological sampling techniques. Participants will camp in a lean-to at Heart Lake’s Wilderness Campground while taking day trips to places along the Ausable River,” an announcement to the press said.

The program will be held July 8-12, 2015 at the Heart Lake Program Center in the High Peaks. The program is free and open to the public, but interested teens have to apply by submitting a short essay outlining why they are interested in the aquatic sciences and environmental conservation and how the program will benefit them and their community.

Applications are due April 15th and can be sent to Seth Jones at programs@adk.org.

Provided photo of the Ausable River courtesy Brendan Wiltse.