Youth For Sale

I spent a large portion of my childhood involved in the Boy Scouts. That involvement afforded me the opportunity to do and try things that I otherwise could never have experienced. It seems that recently, the local scouting organization (The Chicago Area Council), has been selling off most, if not all of the camps they operate in the area. On a personal level its sad to see the opportunities I had not being preserved for today's youth. Places I have vivid memories of like Camp Hoover (sold for $18 Million in 2004), Camp Kiwanis (sold),  and on and on. They have actually sold all their camps. That's right, all of them, except for one.

Owasippe is the oldest continuously run Scout Camp in the country. It's been in operation for 95 years and this summer, saw 4,000 scouts spend a part of their summer there. It encompasses 4,780 acres in Twin Lake, Michigan. One magical week every summer, we packed up our gear and headed off to Owasippe. It was as close to adventure as a kid from Chicago growing up in the 80's could get. Unfortunately, the council is seeking to rezone the 4,780 acre camp to residential property allowing them to sell it for a reported $19.4 million. Luckily, Blue Lake Township is having none of that. To date, the local government has rejected every rezoning request. It would be a shame to simply bulldoze that land and build summer lake homes on it.  There is hope, the Owasippe Outdoor Education Center, a not-for-profit organization is attempting to preserve Owasippe as a world-class outdoor education experience.  There is some concern 2006 may be the last year Owasippe sees scouts pitching tents and simply being kids in the outdoors. I sincerely hope not.