Girl Scouts may face longer trip for camping

CLARIFICATION: The committee has recommended the council vote for divestment of six properties and renovation of four. The final decision is up to the council.

Local Girl Scouts troops may have to travel a bit farther to earn their camping and nature badges.

The Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland board of directors may vote to divest itself of 10 properties, including Camp Latonka and Sacagawea East Program Center.

Camp Latonka, used for weeklong residence camps organized by the Girl Scouts organization, is near Wappapello Lake in Wayne County and would be closed by 2016 if the measure passes. Sacagawea East, used for tent camping organized by individual troops, is eight miles north of Cape Girardeau and its property would go up for sale.

The board arrived at the decision at the recommendation of a committee formed by volunteer council and board members, said Lori Enyart, public relations manager for the Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland. Over the course of two years, the committee surveyed girls and volunteers and analyzed property expenses and usage before bringing that information to the board as part of a Long Range Property Plan.

According to a statement by the committee on the Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland website, "the committee understands that the matter of property in a Girl Scout council is very complex and stirs many emotions," but its research found that less than 5 percent of its total membership attend resident camps.

Enyart agreed the decision was a difficult one, but said it did not mean the organization was going to stop providing outdoor opportunities for girls.

"The Girl Scouts have a long history of partnering with other agencies to provide outdoor leadership experiences, and if the resolution passes, we will continue to make an effort to do that in this area and other areas as well," she said.

Karen Hann is service unit manager for Girl Scouts of Cape Girardeau and leader of Troop 50336. She said she has taken girls in her troop to both camp sites.

"Sacagawea is a little closer to home, so we go there quite a bit more often. But I've taken scouts there [to Camp Latonka] for archery classes and my daughter went once for a residency camp," she said. "My troop hasn't done a lot of camping, but I know other troops that do."

Hann said she understands it is difficult to maintain so many properties, but still would be unhappy to see the closing of the camp most easily accessible for nearby troops.

"Taking a trip to Sacagawea compared to the next nearby camp, Cherokee Ridge, is a difference of 15 minutes versus an hour and a half," she said. "We could go up here just to roast hot dogs and make s'mores, but if we have to drive that far, we can't do that anymore."

Hann said she also worries about the effect the closings will have on troops in Southern Missouri that will have to drive even farther to reach a camp if the board votes to close Latonka and Sacagawea East.

The board is scheduled to vote June 14.

Enyart said those who wish to submit any comments or suggestions regarding the proposal may send them to Anne Soots, CEO at Girl Scouts of Missouri Heartland, at asoots@girlscoutsmoheartland.org.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Wappapello, Mo.

Cape Girardeau, Mo.