Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp Welcomes a New Director

Hi there! My name is Max Bass (Yup! Just like the fish) and I am the newest part of the MUCC team! I have started this week as the new Camp Director/ Environmental Educator and I am super excited to be joining MUCC and on top of that be in the great state of Michigan! I have come from the Hudson Valley in New York State, but have spent time living in the Catskill and the Adirondack Mountains, and Buffalo as well.

I got my start in the outdoors at a very young age, growing up in the middle of the woods, living on a dirt road and unable to see our neighbors. We had a small pond in our backyard which was filled with frogs, just trying to catch as many as I could, plus growing up with a last name like Bass how could I have not been raised in a fishing family. At the age of 13, I joined our local Fish and Game Club. During my junior membership interview, they asked me if I wanted to go to camp I said, “Sure! Why Not?” and that set me on my current career path. I was sent to a weeklong Environmental Education Camp in the Catskills run by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the NY version of the DNR. It was there that my love for the environment really began to blossom. I spent five summers as a camper and volunteer, and when I turned 18, I was finally old enough to be on staff. I worked my way up through the ranks from Dish Washer to Director over four summers. Starting my fifth summer, I became the Director and spent three summers in that position.

In 2016, I graduated from the University of Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies with a focus on resources management. I also minored in Geography with a focus on Earth Systems Sciences. During my time in cold and snowy Buffalo, I worked for the Outdoor Pursuits Department, where we focused on getting students into Outdoor Recreation. I also was the president of the Professional Co-Educational Environmental Fraternity Alpha Kappa Chi, where we focused on environmental stewardship and awareness in Buffalo.

After graduating and leaving Buffalo, I headed to Cold Spring, NY where I spent two school years as an Environmental Educator for NYS Parks in Clarence Fahnestock State Park. We worked with Kindergarteners all the way to Adults in a large variety of programming, ranging from Forest and Aquatic Ecology, Canoeing, Team Building, High and Low Ropes Courses, Survival Skills, Night Hikes and my personal favorite Maple Sugaring.

I am super excited to be here with MUCC and bring my love and passion for the outdoors and environmental education with me to the Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp and I can’t wait to see what magic this summer brings.