Following a successful debut in 2023, and popular follow-up seasons for the next two years, the state Department of Conservation is adding a new twist to its Camp Hellbender program for adults in 2026.
Designed as an opportunity for adults to relive their childhood summer camp experiences or try new outdoor activities, everyone who participates this weekend will be newbies at the first-ever “winter edition” at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area in North St. Louis County.
The program is free and open to anyone ages 18 or older. The summertime Camp Hellbender events are held at regional locations through June and July and conclude with a campfire celebration in August. Campers who attend any of the sessions, including this month's special event, are invited to the campfire to share stories and enjoy s'mores.
On the agenda for the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Columbia Bottom is a knife sharpening program in the morning, followed by an outdoor hike after lunch. Attendees are advised to dress in layers to be comfortable for both inside and outside portions of the camp.
Campers who register will be instructed to bring a water bottle, lunch and snacks. Participants may bring their own flat-blade knife for sharpening. The conservation department will provide instructions and sharpening stones.
The event is limited to 20 adults, and advanced online registration is required at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/owd. Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is at 801 Strodtman Road in Spanish Lake.
Campers can choose which of the summer sessions they wish to attend based on location and activities. Like the merit badges kids strive to receive in their summer camps, participants receive stickers for each of the outdoor skills they learn.
Activities are based on what each individual location has to offer. Summer campers have had the opportunity to learn kayaking, outdoor cooking of wild edibles, fishing in big rivers, archery, tree climbing, geocaching, stream exploration, and bumblebee surveys. Registration for the summer schedule will be available in May.
In past years, summer events have been held at Columbia Bottom, August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles County, Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood, Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood, and Tower Grove and Carondelet parks in St. Louis City.
Columbia Bottom is a 4,451-acre property at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers with more than six miles of river frontage. The area has been shaped by occasional flooding and the historic floods in 1973 and 1993. The department purchased the property in 1997 to be utilized as an urban conservation area.
This year the park gets a new assignment as setback levees are being built at Columbia Bottom to work with flooding cycles to recreate a more natural reaction to high water. Flooding will be allowed to occur on 3,500 acres to create improved habitat for wildlife and mitigate damage in other areas.
Once the new levees are built further back from the main channels of the river, the existing levees will be removed to resume the land's natural function of slowing, holding, absorbing and dispersing water. The new levees will protect the offices at Columbia Bottom, the maintenance facilities on the site and neighboring property owners.
The expanded flood plain will reduce creek and river backups upstream from the conservation area and slow water flow velocity downstream. The project will also benefit flood-dependent plants and wildlife including migratory birds, river fish, reptiles and amphibians.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.