MY TURN: Warning to potential land donors
Bev Twillmann
In response to the Jan. 11, My Turn column by Mike Aagesen, I would suggest the information he is presenting as “fact” is easily provable as inaccurate and untrue. He has obviously been fed talking points by the “Professionals” within the Boy Scouts organization, and is accepting information without question of authenticity. With today’s internet, checking information is easily attainable on most subjects.
When Camp Easton land was donated to the BSA by the Fitze family in the early 1900s, the intention was it be used “as a camp for boys, in perpetuity,” to benefit their growth and development. This statement is right out of the minutes of the meeting with the BSA and the Fitze family, prior to the donation being accepted. That document surfaced during the lawsuit that was filed in 2011 when the Inland Northwest Council of Boy Scouts, located in Spokane, tried to sell/swap Camp Easton for a less desirable location in Sunup Bay and allow Discovery Land Company to take over the present site for a development. “In perpetuity” means “forever,” yet the expensive lawyers for BSA were able to twist the words and convince the Court that by selling/swapping Camp Easton, they were using the proceeds to “benefit the boys,” so it did not go against original wishes for the donation. Public outcry was one of the main reasons the deal never went through. Mr. Fitze would never have wanted this land extensively logged as a “Cash Cow” for the BSA.
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