Girl Scouts oppose hunting plans in McHenry County

The AssociatedPress

WOODSTOCK, Ill. -- A small but determined group of Girl Scouts is taking on the McHenry County Conservation District for its decision to allow hunting this fall on district property near the Girl Scouts' camp.

"I'm not against hunting because some things need to be hunted," said 11-year-old Katie Maurer. "But I really don't think they should be hunting near our camp."

Scouts from the Sybaquay Girl Scout Council have been restoring farmland northwest of Woodstock to wetlands filled with migratory ducks and geese. The property also contains the council's camp.

The conservation district decided last month to break with tradition and allow hunters armed with shotguns to hunt deer and waterfowl at two remote sites. One of those sites is only a half-mile from the camp.

Conservation district officials said they chose the site because it once was a private hunt club and a nine-year study showed the district's land could benefit from recreational hunting.

Hunting near the camp is not unfamiliar, according to Sybaquay Girl Scout Council officials. The camp is closed during deer-hunting season because of hunters on adjacent private property.