Girl Scout camping facilities in Minn. Wis., being sold

HUDSON, Wis. – Girl Scouts officials have announced in a letter that the organization will sell off several day and overnight camping facilities in southeaster Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys Council officials stated in a letter that changes in the organization, a poor economy and changes in girls’ interests led to the decision to close the camps.

Scout officials said that for years they’ve seen a declining number girls attending camp.

“While outdoor programs remain a core of the Girl Scout leadership experience, just a quarter of our members participate in outdoor programs at camp,” officials said in the letter.

Officials said the costs of operating and maintaining River Valleys’ 17 properties far exceed the revenues generated from these sources.

River Valleys Council officials said four of its camps will be decommissioned and sold. A fifth would be transferred to a neighboring council. Nine camps would remain open.

The River Valleys Council is the Girl Scouts of the USA’s largest service territory, serving 45,000 girl members in 49 counties in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The council owns 17 properties that comprise 3,500 acres.

Doug Stohlberg is a reporter at the Hudson (Wis.) Star-Observer, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.

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