August 14, 2016

Take a Walk on the Wild Side at Trinity!

But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? Job 12-7-10.

MB pic One of the easiest ways to get assurance of the Divine is to take a good look at the world around. There is no better place to do that than Trinity Center through one of several programs on offer or with just a visit. From Ducks to Turtles, we have more wildlife than you can shake a stick at—not that we recommend shaking a stick at any of it. on the way

First and foremost is our Sound to Sea Environmental Education Program. Running during the standard school year, Sound to Sea is a non-profit educational service offered to public, private, and homeschooling school groups. Hawkins the Red Tail Trinity Center developed Sound to Sea to promote earth stewardship for upcoming generations. The classes and hands-on activities are open to all grade levels and meet the NC Standard Course of Study.

With three different Sound to Sea programs to choose from, all use the habitats of a Barrier Island System as an outdoor classroom. Being able to walk from Bogue Sound to the Atlantic Ocean in a matter of minutes and see the complex ecosystems they learn about in school has a tremendous impact on students.

Another option for the over 55 crowd is one of the marsh walk programs offered in partnership with the Road Scholar program. Road Scholar has been the not-for-profit world leader in lifelong learning and educational travel since 1975. Its mission is to empower adults to explore places, people, cultures and ideas, and in doing so, to discover more about themselves.

beaufort Trinity Center has combined Road Scholar’s unwavering commitment to lifelong learning with our beautiful outdoor and indoor classrooms and a talented teaching staff comprised of area professors and professionals, as well as our own staff of gifted instructors. Trinity provides programming covering a variety of subjects from the ecology and culture of the Outer Banks, to emerging technologies used to document and protect this fragile ecosystem. ponies

Offering programs to develop new or enhance existing skills in Digital Photography to capture North Carolina’s dynamic coast, to Birding in the Outer Bank’s coastal forests and island sanctuaries, to exploring the historic homes and gardens of some of North Carolina’s oldest communities, Road Scholar has something for anyone wanting to learn more about the beautiful coast of North Carolina.

Girl on Bench_Frank Leith Rd Scholar Lastly, if you just want a place to feel close to nature without schedules or obligations, try one of Trinity Center’s retreats hosted at the Pelican House. Spend your days communing with egret the universe and being one with all the nature on offer along one of our many walking trails, by our pond, or on our quiet beach. Take a pair of binoculars into the salt marsh or sit on the dock jutting far into Bogue Sound and revel in a glorious sunset.

We are a very special location with something for everyone. But over all, it is the nature of Trinity to rest one’s soul. So take time to take a walk on the wild side and come for a visit. Join a program, bring a group, or come on your own…there are many ways to enjoy the unique nature of Trinity Center.

on the beach at sunset

January 14, 2016

Spend Family Time at Winter Camp!

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Trinity is offering something new this year for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Sound to Sea Winter Day Camp. We still have spaces available!

Give us a call at 888-874-6287

Day Camp and Family Time Retreats!

clams During the 2016 Winter Break over Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Trinity Center’s Sound to Sea Environmental Education Program offers a hands-on Science Day Camp January 18th & 19th for first through fifth graders. Come for Monday or Tuesday, or both (!), and learn about our Barrier Island.

Costing $50 per day or $90 for two days, youth will explore the habitats on Trinity’s 60+ acre property. Campers will wear chest waders and use dip nets in Bogue Sound to fin disecting class d out more about the biology on a barrier island. They will explore the beach habitat and learn what creatures spend their winters at the beach. Campers will fish in the pond and dissect a squid. We will also have fun, unique programs to learn about Whales and Sea Turtles!

Sound to Sea will provide all the the materials for your day at pond class camp. The schedule will run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Campers will receive a hot lunch and afternoon snack. Campers will need to bring a back pack with a refillable water bottle, long socks, an extra change in clothes, and appropriate winter accessories like scarves and gloves, or rain gear, depending on weather.

Take a Winter Break Yourself!

Parents or Grandparents who also have MLK Day free may want to take the opportunity for some quality Family Time and stay over Sunday and/or Monday evening. ponies

The NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (just a mile away on Hwy 58) offers free admission on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day so bring the fa Cluster room_Frank Leith Rd Scholar mily and enjoy the property as one of our Family Time Retreats. Guest rooms are available at our winter rates starting at $45 per night (restrictions apply).

Let the kids romp with Sound to Sea duri beaufort ng the day while adults rest and relax, or go gallivanting in our coastal towns enjoying shopping, museums, the Aquarium… in the evening go see Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens (again!) at our local movie theater at Atlantic Beach Station or watch a family movie in one of our living rooms cozied up by the fire eating popcorn. Or, enjoy roasting marshmallows at one of our campfire rings.

Winter is a fun time at Trinity Center. It is quieter, sure, but that only means the shell hunting on the beach is better….no competition!

We’d love to have you come visit! cloud cover 2

October 17, 2014

BIG SWEEP Saturday, October 18th

Come Sweep the Beach at Trinity!

During the month of October, communities of Carteret County are participating in the 28th Annual Big Sweep. Although the kick-off statewide is the first weekend, we extend participation throughout the month. Saturday, October 18th is the day Trinity Center and our Sound to Sea program contributes to the Pine Knoll Shores Big Sweep as part of our ongoing effort to keep our beloved beaches and waterways clean.

If you love our beaches, please join us on the Beach at 10:00AM, Saturday, October 18, 2014. Trinity Center will provide work gloves, trash bags and other tools. You bring the sunscreen and water bottle.

Volunteers will also log the amount and type of items collected, and how many animals suffered entanglements, to add to the statewide record tracking the types of trash ebb and flow over our waterways.

In 2013, 645 volunteers covered over 24 miles resulting in the removal of over 2500 pounds of trash from Carteret County waterways.

Some Big Sweep Tips for participation:

Take a hat or visor and sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.
Wear old, comfortable clothes. You will get dirty.
Take a snack and a drink along. You’ll probably get thirsty.
Bring some insect repellent and a pair of gloves.
Make sure your shoes are sturdy and have closed toes. Your shoes may get wet. Do not go barefoot.
Stay with a partner or group, and be sure that children are supervised by an adult.
Wear a life jacket if you’ll be in a boat. Do not wade into the water to gather debris if the current is fast. Never enter the water unless you know its depth and are wearing a life jacket. Be safe and careful.
Watch for snakes and spiders. Be careful of poison oak and poison ivy.
Watch out for steep, slippery, and unstable banks. If you are unsure of conditions, find a safer place or ask for assistance.
Do not touch medical waste, chemical containers, barrels, pesticides, or other dangerous items. Note their location and tell your site coordinator.
Do not touch any animals, dead or alive. Trapped or injured animals may bite, and they can carry disease. Alert your site coordinator.
Have a safe, fun time!

June 5, 2013

What’s happening? Ocean Rescue Water Safety Training!

Scott Bell of the Atlantic Beach Fire Department visited Trinity Center today & taught our annual class on Ocean Rescue Water Safety Training. Thank you Scott!

Sound to Sea staff, Camp Trinity Staff and a few of us from administration attended. We learned about rip currents, how to spot them, how to get out of them and ways to identify a distressed swimmer. Our staff also learned different techniques to bring a distressed swimmer to shore. Check out our photos!

Sound to Sea Day Camp and Camp Trinity Staff in Ocean Rescue Water Safety Training Class

Before visiting the beach this summer please take time to read a few pointers from our local professionals by clicking HERE!

May 31, 2013

Camp Trinity showing some LOVE!

Did you know Trinity Center has 2 youth camps running simultaneously on property throughout the summer? These 2 camps are Camp Trinity and Sound to Sea.

You may have read in our recent posts that Sanders Point has been in desperate need of repair due to erosion. We are grateful that Trinity Center’s Sound to Sea staff have taken lead in Sanders’ Point restoration by organizing volunteer workdays and partnering with the NC Coastal Federation to repair the shoreline. In recent weeks, many volunteers throughout the community and on Trinity Center’s staff have put in 180+ hours into bagging oysters and planting marsh grass. A big THANKS to all that have helped and a special THANK YOU to Sound to Sea.

Yesterday, Camp Trinity staff came to support our Sound to Sea instructors and showing some love!

Camp Trinity, Sound to Sea & Housekeeping all coming together as a team!

Sara (housekeeping Department Head) and Ella from Sound to Sea makes a great team!

How do you bag oysters? PVC pipes placed inside mesh liners were used to help bag all those oysters! 1 person shovels while the other packs. Love it!

The mesh bags used around the PVC pipe must be measured and crimped to a specific size.

Once the tube is packed full of oyster shells, the PVC pipe/tube was removed. Ta – Da!

These bagged oysters are piled high onto the trailer and carted off to Sanders Point!

Loading the Trailer

Our handy dandy first aid station!

Camp Trinity and Sound to Sea staff ~ what a TEAM!

May 13, 2013

Trinity Center needs your help! Calling all volunteers!

Trinity Center’s Sound to Sea Environmental Education program is partnering up with the NC Coastal Federation to restore the salt marsh.

Saturday, May 18th, anytime between 9am-3pm.

Trinity Center will be planting marsh grasses to restore the salt marsh at Sanders’ Point, a part of the conference center near and dear to the hearts of many who come here. Human and natural activities have eroded away the marsh that acts as a natural barrier in front of Sanders’ Point. We are planning on installing a marsh sill just past the new marsh grasses to help stop further erosion and eventually build the marsh up. We may be doing some preparation work for the sill by bagging oyster shells at this event.

WHEN: May 18th, 2013

Anytime between 9am-3pm

WHERE: Trinity Center, 618 Salter Path Road, Pine Knoll Shores, NC

WHAT TO BRING: Clothes that can get dirty, CLOSED TOE SHOES, a water bottle, sunscreen and bug spray, and work gloves if you have them.

PLEASE LET US KNOW YOU ARE COMING!!! Either by calling 252-247-5600 ext. 16, signing up on Sound to Sea’s Facebook page or by emailing mdinneen@trinityctr.com.

Please let us know if you are a vegetarian.

Parking is limited so please carpool if you can.

February 6, 2013

Trinity Center’s Environmental Education Day Camp open for registration!

Summer Sound to Sea Day Camp:

This summer, youth will explore the habitats on Trinity Center’s 62-acre property. They use dip nets in the sound and pond to find out more about the biology of the various creatures that creep, swim and crawl on the barrier island. The campers then have the opportunity for a closer look, as we keep some of the marine organisms found in the sound in our on-site aquariums.

The campers also have the chance to explore the maritime forest and learn about the animals that live among the cedars, live oaks and pines. In the afternoon, campers use items they have collected on the trails to create all kinds of art and music. And last, no beach camp would be complete without some time on the sand. So each camp day finishes with water time either on the beach or at the pool, to reset and think about the day’s activities.

Trinity Center’s Sound to Sea staff includes qualified teaching personnel with college degrees in related fields such as biology, chemistry, education, marine science and botany.

Sound to Sea Day Camp is traditionally offered to campers in rising 1^st – 6^th grade and runs Monday – Friday from 9am to 4pm. Choose from four different themes and explore all of our barrier island habitats each week in a new exciting ways. Campers may join us for up to three weeks every summer.

What’s new this year? Due to popular demand we have created a half day camp just for rising Kindergarten campers and offering an ALL STARS session for campers who are graduates of the Sound to Sea day camp. ALL STARS Program will run for campers who are in rising 7-9th grade. They will enjoy all of the things they remember about Summer Sound to Sea; however we will take the fun with science up a notch!

For more information please visit our website by clicking HERE or call Trinity Center direct at 1-888-874-6287 for dates and prices.

December 11, 2012

Cookies, candies and bread! Oh my!

Around this time each year you will find our Trinity Center employees in the kitchen baking for Trinity Center’s annual Christmas cookie exchange. On exchange day our buffet table is filled with all sorts of cookies, candies and breads! Take a look below to see a little sneak peak of what we are in for tomorrow!

We caught Mary Beth Bradberry (Camp Trinity Director) and Mindy Furrer (STS Program Director) showing off their cooking skills. Mmmmm.. gooey peppermint chocolate chip cookies! For your pleasure -we have shared our recipe!

Blue-Ribbon Chocolate -Chip Cookies (Recipe taken from the Cake Mix Cookbook)

1 – 18 1/2 ounce package yellow cake mix

1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (we used peppermint chocolate chips)

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts), optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack in middle of oven. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl place half of the cake mix along with the softened butter. brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Blend with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed 1-2 minutes, until blended and smooth. Stir in the remaining cake mix, chocolate chips, and nuts, if desired, with a wooden spoon until all dry ingredients are moistened.

Drop by the teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10-13 minutes or until golden at the edges and just barely set at the center when lightley touched. Cool 1 minute on sheet. Transfer to wire racks with metal spatula and cool completely.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies

Stephanie Rudolph (Camp T and STS registrar) is making her Grandmother’s Pecan Sandies! YUM!

Ashley Ruis (STS instructor) says her cookies are going to be a surprise, but we can tell you that anything with graham crackers in it is definitely a winner for us!

What Christmas treats are YOU making this year? Send us your recipe and we will feature it on our blog! Merry Christmas!