BRYANT POND - The Maine Conservation School will become the site for the new University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond, those groups announced Friday.

The new program is the result of collaboration between the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation and the Maine Conservation School, according to a statement by the groups.

"The initiative will enable expansion of the experiential natural resource and outdoor education programs that the Maine Conservation School has offered for more than 50 years," the statement said.

New support from UMaine Extension and the 4-H Foundation will enable the organization to reach more of Maine's children and families, giving them the skills and knowledge to safely and confidently explore our outdoor heritage, the statement said.

New programs for the school and the community will be offered in the spring and fall, and plans are under way for further program development, the statement said.

"This is a place that 4-H has a history with. I remember joining with Lew Berce of Aroostook County in the 1960s to bring 4-H groups to the Maine Conservation School, as well as working with John Marsh from IF&W on the hunter safety program. It will be a goal of the 4-H Foundation to develop an endowment to help maintain the facilities at Bryant Pond, as well as to support the Camp and Learning Center so it can continue to provide the very best educational programs to the youth of Maine and New England," Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation President Harold H. "Brownie" Brown, who was a UMaine Extension 4-H educator for more than 30 years, said in a statement.

New brochures for the summer program are now available for families. For more information about the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond, call UMaine Extension's Oxford County office at 743-6329.