Easton lawsuit not the answer

I'd like to add my voice to the discussion over the proposed swap of Camp Easton for property on Windy Bay. I am an Assistant District Commissioner in the Old Missions District for the Boy Scouts of America. I have served as a volunteer for the Boy Scouts in several different capacities since moving to Coeur d'Alene seven years ago. As a youth, I attended and worked at Boy Scout camps in southern Idaho. Thus, I don't have a long tradition at Camp Easton as many in our community do, but I share a love of this great asset to the program. My concern is for Camp Easton's future. My son is 3. I want him and his sons and the generations after them to have a great camp experience when they are old enough to be Boy Scouts.

While Camp Easton is an outstanding facility with a spectacular location, it currently faces a number of infrastructure problems. These include failing foundations on several buildings, a septic system in need of replacement, and a dangerous highway crossing. All of these problems are expensive to address and represent a major hurdle for a non-profit organization supported by fundraising.

I believe the Scout Executive, Tim McCandless, and the Executive Board are doing the right thing in exploring the offer by Discovery Land Company to build a replacement for Camp Easton and fund an endowment for its upkeep. We hire an executive and seat a board to ensure the long-term viability of the program and assess the cold, hard facts surrounding its financial health. It would be irresponsible for them not to consider an offer that simultaneously solves the infrastructure problems associated with Camp Easton and puts the council camps on a firm financial footing for the future.

In the Boy Scouts, we live by the creed "On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty...". I believe Mr. McCandless and the board are honorably doing their best to fulfill their duty. They have patiently and dispassionately provided answers to questions and sought input in the face of criticism and allegations of mismanagement and misconduct.

The members of the board I am acquainted with are smart, capable people who are dedicated to the ideals of scouting and to the success of the program and our youth. They have donated significant time and money to Scouting. Many have spent time at Camp Easton with their own boys and the children of others. I'm confident that they have the welfare of our youth as their primary consideration. They deserve our thanks and support as they investigate this offer from Discovery Land Company.

My personal opinion is that we would be better off rejecting the offer from Discovery and keeping Camp Easton in its current location. I think the waterfront at Gotham Bay is superior to the Windy Bay location. Also, we are more likely to maintain our ability to operate a rifle range at the current location than obtain new permits for a range at the proposed camp.

Aside from these practical considerations, I agree with those who argue that we do a disservice to the legacy of people and organizations who have donated land, money, and effort for the current camp. Most of all, I worry about the unknown and unforeseen risks associated with the swap. Should problems arise, they are likely to be resolved in court. A cash-rich organization like Discovery is much more capable of waging an expensive court battle than the Boy Scouts. A lawsuit would cost the Scouts much money, time, and effort that would be better spent on its primary mission.

For the same reason, I'm dismayed at the current lawsuit filed by Camp Easton Forever, which is intended to stop consideration of the land swap. I appreciate the research done by members of this group regarding the legality of the swap and the feasibility of the new site as a Boy Scout camp. I have neither the expertise nor the resources available to perform this kind of research, and appreciate what they have added to the debate. However, I think a lawsuit is counterproductive. The money, time, and effort spent by Camp Easton Forever and the Boy Scouts on this lawsuit would be better directed at improvements to Camp Easton. I agree with a member of our committee who recently stated that he hates to see "Scouters fighting Scouters."

Rather than spend our blood and treasure on lawsuits, we should throw our efforts into improving the current camp. If we, as a group of dedicated Scouters and supporters of Camp Easton, were to provide the means for repairs and improvements to Camp Easton, the offer from Discovery would be much less attractive to the Boy Scouts. At the foundation of the current lawsuit is the dishonor we do to the legacy of Mr. and Mrs. Fritze and the many others who have made donations to Camp Easton by considering the sale of the property. We also dishonor that legacy if we allow Camp Easton to languish in disrepair.

If we really want to save Camp Easton, let's put our money toward funding improvements rather than lawsuits. Let's put our equipment and labor to use performing the work needed on foundations and the septic system. Let's use our expertise to work with the Idaho Transportation Department to improve the safety of the highway crossing. "On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty...". Like Mr. McCandless and the Executive Board, those of us who love Scouting are responsible to do our best to fulfill our duty to current and future Scouts.

Chris Tenbrink is an Assistant District Commissioner, Old Missions District, Inland Northwest Council, Boy Scouts of America.