SCOUTS: Don't forget the boys

This is a subject that is currently eliciting much attention in our area, due primarily to the proposal to dispose of Camp Easton, the long-standing scout camp on the east shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, in trade for other property. With all the passion that this subject has generated, we are concerned that there is a potential to forget that scouting is a program whose basic purpose is to help boys.

Our concern is that some people have said that if Camp Easton is lost, they will no longer support the program. They will neither volunteer as workers nor participate in the Friends of Scouting fund drive. While the fervor of these feelings is understandable, we have to ask: Who will this affect, who will it hurt? The answer is simple and straightforward; the boys will be the ones to suffer. If there are no volunteers or donation of funds, we will not have a scout program.

Some have thought that the plan to dispose of Camp Easton is controlled by our local scout district within whose boundaries the camp lies. This is not the case! The Old Missions district has no ownership or maintenance responsibilities for Camp Easton.

While many locals have volunteered much time and funding to the camp, it is entirely controlled by Inland Northwest Council, based in Spokane. We as local volunteers are free to express our opinions, but the decision for or against the proposed exchange will be made by vote of the Committees of the Inland Northwest Council.

The job of the Old Missions District is to support our District Scout Executive in providing programs and activities for boys as they develop character and learn the lessons of leadership, honor, and support of God and country through scouting. As frustrating and challenging as the Camp Easton proposal is, we still need to remember that the main beneficiaries of scouting are the boys and young men of our community.

If we withdraw our support the boys will be the losers. We therefore encourage all to continue to volunteer and to participate in the Friends of Scouting fund drive and by so doing, support our boys.

LADD LIVINGSTON, District Chairman

CHAD BROCKUS, District Commissioner

CARL EATON, District Vice-Chair

MIKE HOLEHAN, District Vice-Chair

Boy Scouts of America