Echo Hill Outdoor School

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Echo Hill Outdoor School
  • Residential
  • Adventure
  • Day Programs
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  • Chesapeake Heritage Initiative
  • Summer Explore Trips
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    Chesapeake Heritage Initiative

    Chesapeake Heritage Initiative is about discovering the Bay-the unique and complex ecosystems, the natural cycles, the overwhelming resources, the scenery and pure natural beauty, and the legacies of people and their Chesapeake Heritage Initiative boats. The program blends the science and the history of the Bay in a way that will be everlasting. Aboard historic Chesapeake Bay work boats, students learn in the heart of Maryland's Upper Eastern Shore, where time and tradition have all but stood still.

    The program takes place on the Chester River aboard Echo Hill Outdoor School's two historic bay craft, the buy-boat Annie D. (1957) and the skipjack Elsworth (1901). Each boat can accommodate six participants for three to five day overnight programs. The students eat, sleep, and live on board as the two boats explore the Chester River together. Day programs are also available for group sizes of 8 to 30 participants. Chesapeake Chesapeake Heritage Initiative Heritage Initiative Programs are appropriate for any type of student group: middle school, high school, college, and beyond.

    The Chesapeake Heritage Initiative is an opportunity to experience the past, consider the present, and look ahead to the future. Activities include fishing, setting sails, navigating with map and compass, interviewing people on the River, and learning about regional lifestyles and folklore. Students learn to value cooperation and personal responsibility as they share the daily chores of cooking, cleaning, and keeping the boats shipshape from galley to berth.

    Availability

    Chesapeake Heritage Initiative programs are available in the spring from May 1 to June 15, and in the fall from Sept. 1 through Oct. 15.

    Echo Hill Outdoor School

    Echo Hill Outdoor School is a private, non-profit organization. Its programs are offered to all without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, or gender. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Outdoor School is approved by the Kent County Health Department and the State Fire Marshall. The School is regularly inspected by the Maryland State Department of Education.