About Hog Island Audubon Camp

Hog Island Audubon Camp opened in 1936, and many credit the camp as the origin of the nationwide environmental education movement. The camp's founding leadership believed that by helping campers, specifically teachers, develop a sustained interest in the natural world, they would go on to support wildlife and natural resource conversation. Thousands of teachers have studied in Hog Island's natural classroom since its earliest days, bringing what they've learned to thousands of more students around the world. 

Since the camp's founding, nature lovers have been drawn to Hog Island's rock coast and spruce woods. The profound beauty of the island and the lessons it offers about the natural world continue to inspire its visitors of all ages to become stewards of wildlife and wild lands. Throughout the decades, sessions at Hog Island have been led by some of the most respected naturalists and environmental educators in the nation, including Roger Tory Peterson, Allan Cruickshank, Farida Wiley, Carl Buccheister, Stephen Kress, Kenn Kaufman, and Scott Weidensaul, to name just a few. 

Today, Hog Island's legacy of teaching teachers continues through the annual Educator's Week camp session, where teachers rediscover curiosity, deepen ecological understanding, and gain practical tools to inspire the next generation. Through the decades, programming has expanded to reach new audiences. Residential camp sessions on birding, arts, photography and more are held for adults, teens, and families each summer. Local and virtual programs make it possible for all to experience the magic of Hog Island.

Continued operation of Hog Island Audubon Camp is made possible by the Friends of Hog Island (FOHI). FOHI volunteers descend on the island for a week before and after each camp season to open and close the island. While camp is in session, they are on hand to provide vital support in the kitchen, turn over rooms, and assist with grounds maintenance. More than 7,000 man-hours are contributed by FOHI each summer in addition to a very generous contribution to Hog Island's operating fund.  Want to become a FOHI? 

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