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NATURE'S AMUSEMENT PARK:

My son was five years old when we first hosted a National Forest Campground. Our "stint" lasted for four months, from May 15 to September 15. We liked the gig so well that we returned during three more seasons!

Why on earth would someone want to live out of a camper that has no running water, heat or electricity for a period of four months? NATURE'S AMUSEMENT PARK!

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Every child is a scientist. When given the opportunity to explore their environment, they compose intelligent questions that encourage us, as parents, to find answers. My son was open to everything. We started with the basicshow to set up camp. We would need to haul water every morning from the water pump, keep our supply of wood at-the-ready, and arrange our camper so that everything was convenient and tidy. Prior to the Park Rangers appearance, we had already completed a full-day's work accomplishing these goals.

Upon their arrival, we were versed in our responsibilities. First and foremost, they informed us, there were two dangers that were omni-present at a campground located at 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Bears and cougars. Because this particular location had been operating for more than 25 years, they had devised a set of rules to ensure the safety of both campers and the wildlife. There were two contributing factors that attracted bears, they said. The first was food and the second was foodin the form of hummingbird feeders. We learned that bears can smell aromas at one-part-per-million. Their attraction to the sugary syrups in hummingbird feeders was well-documented. Believe it or not, the Rocky Mountains attract over twenty species of hummingbirds during the summer. This fact alone draws tourists from all over the country. However, it was not necessary, they said, to hang a hummingbird feeder in order to attract these amazing creatures. They would arrive naturally, seeking the cool stream and the natural array of flower nectar that abounded in the woods. But the BEARS? They would be drawn to the feeder as if they were a bee being drawn to honey, and a bear in the campground was the last thing the Rangers wanted to happen. "Why?" my son and I wondered. "We would love to see a bear."

"Because," they explained, "a bear who has fed in the company of humans, is a bear that will associate food with humans. They will have to be tagged, and sometimes destroyed if they continue to browse among humans for food."

They went on to educate

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