April Holtzman

Camp Director and Co-Founder

April grew up in Chicago, Illinois. With a father who was the Director of the Neighborhood Boys Club and a mother who cared for foster children and was a childcare provider, she learned from them the love for children. Vacations were family camping trips plus Girl Scouts and Explorers (now called Adventure Scouts - part of the Boy Scouts) all made up her love for the out of doors / camping, hiking, canoeing, etc.

Then there was the family vegetable garden where her love for plants grew. She went to Southern Illinois University majoring in Plant and Soil Science. After she moved to Texas she went on to study Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, then ran her own landscape business - "Landmark Landscapes" for five years. To this day she plants and maintains an organic vegetable garden and has a deep interest in edible wild plants.

Then came the child bearing years. She took child raising very seriously, and still is homeschooling her three sons. No, technically her oldest is now in college but she still helps him with school work. Anyway after reading Tom Brown's books, especially his Field Guide to Nature and Survival for Children, decided to start a scout group for homeschoolers, called "TRACKERS". Every Thursday for almost ten years, she guided children to love and respect nature, using fun activities, crafts, and camp trips. April also taught Homeschoolers Enrichment Classes for four years, her classes were always popular "Wilderness Survival" & "Wilderness Living". She believes the two main ingredients of her being a successful youth teacher is her love for children and her subject.

April did go to the Tom Brown Wilderness & Survival School in New Jersey for two week long classes. She became a member of the "Texas Trackers", meeting with other Tom Brown students across Texas to network and camp together.

Currently April is a Wilderness Awareness correspondence student enrolled in her second year of their Naturalist Training Program. Over the years she has attended many native skills gatherings such as the Moccasin Meet in New York, Winter Count in Arizona, and the Earth Knacks Gathering in Colorado, each one increasing her skills and knowledge.

"Sharing my knowledge and teaching the people around my to love and respect our Earth is my joy and purpose in life now. I welcome you all to Camp Tonkawa. Be prepared to see life in a new way after your time at our camp." ~~~~April Holtzman~~~~