September 19, 2016
Touch of Nature plans ‘Veteran Adventures’
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale is once again offering student veterans from around the region the opportunity to participate in Veteran Adventures during the 2016-17 academic year.
A trip to Missouri’s Eleven Point River is slated for Oct. 8-11. Participants will canoe, portage and camp three nights along the riverbank. It promises to be a fun outing with plenty of physical and mental challenges and the chance to take them on while bonding with fellow veterans. The cost is $50.
Deer Camp 2016 is slated for Dec. 9-11 at Touch of Nature Environmental Center, located about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road. Participants will learn about the historical and educational aspects of deer hunting in Southern Illinois and will then have the opportunity to bow hunt whitetail deer on the facility’s 3,100 acres. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and local hunting and trapping experts are also involved in this event and the cost is $100.
Another trip is planned during spring break. Student veterans will travel to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee March 11-19, 2017, for a backpacking and camping adventure. The trail will take participants on an exploration of mountains, streams and many of Mother Nature’s wonders. The cost of the trip is $100.
Each event is open to any veteran who is currently enrolled at SIU or other colleges in the region. The trips and camp are “all inclusive” with the registration fee covering transportation, food, gear, logistics/guides and everything else.
SIU’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center and Veterans Services are partnering to provide these opportunities for veterans. Donations and fundraisers enable them to offer the trips at such low pricing.
To register for any of the activities, visit www.veteranadventures.siu.edu. Pre-registration is required at least a week prior to each of the Veteran Adventures. For more information, contact Shane Brady at 618/453-1121 or by email at tonec@siu.edu.