New camp site inferior

Many points have been made regarding Camp Easton, but there’s one nobody can dispute: The new property’s waterfront is dramatically inferior to what the Scouts already own. This new property sits on aptly named Windy Bay, making it very unsafe for novice boys learning how to sail, canoe, kayak and row. Conditions here can change from placid to high winds and waves in minutes. Add to the mix increased boat traffic area from the nearby marinas, and you have a disaster waiting to happen.

Our current site has excellent accessibility, sitting in a protected bay. The new property’s waterfront activities will be crammed into a very small rocky area with no beach that is continually deposited with lake debris. This entire narrow and rocky shoreline cannot be altered under Department of Lands rules.

It is a 175-foot steep climb to the waterfront where boys must wear protective footwear at all times because of all of the jagged basalt rock. The proposed swimming area will be an artificial environment, created by placing a man-made underwater ramp with side walls. It’s essentially a swimming pool in the lake. This expensive piece of equipment will have to be replaced or repaired often.

Mark Whitt

Athol, Idaho