Fishing village makes progress

Campers will have a great new place to stay next summer. The location of the new fishing village unit at Camp Agnes Arnold is in the process of being cleared.

Each cabin will be a little different from the other in terms of look and interior. They will still sleep six girls, some in bunks, but they will look more like a little cottage. Campers will be able to walk down the deck to the lake to fish or canoe. At the top of the unit campers will see a new type of washstand that looks like a gazebo. Across the road will be the new shower building that is actually two shower buildings combined. One side will be for the use of the Fishing Village residents and the other for the Shady Oaks folks who are nearby in a tent platform unit. It's going to be a fun place to stay, and the view will be great. Campers will be able to see across Shadow Lake all the way to the lodge. At night, this is going to be a nice view as girls sit on the porches of their cabins. It will be quite a view in the other direction as well. From the lodge side of the lake the unit will through the trees at night. I can't wait to see it reflected in the lake.

Stay tuned! I will have some pictures in the next issue of The Golden Link and some of the architect's plans that will help readers picture what it will look like when it is finished.

Camp Robinwood Lake disappears?

The lake at Camp Robinwood has been lowered two feet to facilitate scheduled repairs to the dam. It should refill over the next month or two with a few good rains.

Don't leave your mark at camp

Every once in a while I have to address a situation I don't feel I should have to in the Girl Scout Movement and this is one of those occasions. Girl Scouts teaches many fine things, one of which is consideration for your sister Girl Scouts and another is to leave a place better than you found it. It is unfortunate that not everyone in Girl Scouting practices these principles. But then, as my father once told me, "There is some crab grass in every lawn." I suppose this holds true in Girl Scouting as well. There is always someone who just doesn't get it.

Camp has very little graffiti. That is because most Girl Scouts and their leaders are very careful to take care of what they have and to appreciate that it represents a sizeable investment both in time and money to maintain. When campers clean up after an event and put equipment back, the Council does have to spend its resources in doing these things. That money is then available to present Girl Scout Program to girls. I think that is where we prefer most of our resources be directed.

So, how can graffiti be stopped? By being observant, by checking for it before leaving your unit, and to communicate that there is a price to pay for such a thoughtless action. What price? Our practice at camp has been that if we know who puts graffiti on Council property GSSJC will exercise one of three options:

1. If campers are still in camp they will clean it up before leaving. The camps have the materials to lend offenders. This has worked well.

2. If campers have left camp and we can identify the offenders with certainty, we will call them to return at a later date to remove the graffiti. This makes a lasting impression.

3. If campers have left camp and we know with certainty who the offenders are, but they refuse to return and correct the damage they have done, we will bill them for the cost of clean up. If they refuse they will not be permitted back in camp.

This may sound harsh but the results have been very positive and some good lessons have been learned. We are responsible for our actions and there are both rewards and prices to pay for our behavior.

I appreciate those leaders who have been helpful in teaching girls that graffiti is not a smart thing to do. It not only reflects poorly on those who do it, but it cheapens the look of the camps in which we take great pride. Thanks to all those who have been good Girl Scouts and thanks, in advance, for helping to keep our camps some of the best, if not the best, in the nation.