https://www.change.org/p/tell-sam-houston-boy-scouts-save-camp-el-rancho-cima-on-the-blanco-river

I use to work there, circa 96-98

Its really pretty, especially the field sports area across the river

I loved that place.

Fond memories...pacecar, I'm sure Boy Scout SquareOne07 ran across ya one day

Change.org = no thanks.

This is idiotic. Floods wipe out the place in 2015, and it was already running a $600k deficit. They first offered to the state, and the state had no interest. As it is the Sam Houston Council's property, they offered to the Capitol Council and Alamo Area. Neither had any interest. So what other option is there to put it on the open market?They are asking $24.5 million. But now they should hold on for another year because some group has $25,000 in pledges? (It's already been on the open market for a year.) If they are willing to cover the $600k annual operating deficit, I think that would a deal that could be made. Otherwise, I don't blame the Boy Scouts for being ready to be done with it. This has been an issue for years.

Infastructructure on the water:

Campfire area/minimal amphitheater
Aquatic area
Trading post
Commissary
Foot bridge
Field sports area-shotgun shack, rifle range


Other than that, a few huts for merit badge classes and not much else

You would be hard pressed to spend 300k on those things. You could also build them in a way that they could be towed up the hill pretty quickly. You could also build it with free scout labor.

99 percent of the camp is not on the river

Alamo area council sold their camp in Kerrville if I remember correctly(edit I was wrong, they are still running it, maybe it was tax troubles or something years ago?? Can't remember)

I guess no one wants to be in the business of running a camp

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You would be hard pressed to spend 300k on those things.

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So $300k plus the $600k annual deficit means only $900k to lose another $600k the following year.

I spent a number of summers going to El Rancho Cima. I wish things wouldn't change but talked to a friend that works for the Sam Houston Council. They have done more than enough to try and keep this a natural area. The state wants nothing to do with this. The other, local, Boy Scout Councils want nothing to do with it. In the year that it has been on the market, it appears there is not enough interest to keep it a natural area.

The top priority of the Sam Houston Council is to provide scouting opportunity for their region for the next 75 years. The new Camp Strake is critical to that mission. The funds from the sale are needed to accomplish that mission. I just think it's wrong to expect the BSA (or whatever they are called now) to sacrifice that mission. Since the OP is concerned enough to start a thread on multiple forums, I can only assume that a similar petition was circulated when all the other ranchers sold to developers as well.

Didn't they also sell Camp Strake a few years ago ? Are the Scouts no longer able to maintain these camps ? Don't have a dog in this hunt but it appears that scouting is in big trouble with all of the politics and the wussification of our yutes.
Are the scouts having to sell these types of facilities around the country ?

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Didn't they also sell Camp Strake a few years ago ?

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Yes, though the Sam Houston Council used the proceeds from that sale to purchase a new "Camp Strake". In general, declining membership, declining donations, and increased operating expenses puts a lot of pressure the budget for an organization that isn't "rich". The Boy Scouts are by and large an organization run by volunteers dedicated to serving youth. It is not overly heavy handed but does have certain core principles. Those core principles are not as universally accepted as they used to be. Liberals want them to change to meet their new principles. Conservatives want those principles to now include things that they never addressed in that past. Environmentalists want the Boy Scout mission of conservation to now mean preservation. It seems everyone wants the Boy Scouts to be aligned with their agenda. What appears to be sorely lacking (from outside influences) is an agenda promoting childhood and adolescent development, especially for young boys.

Personal note, I'm an Eagle Scout but do not have children and not currently active in the Boy Scouts. To keep this Business and Investing related, I would love to hear how people can work with the Boy Scouts to both achieve their respective goals.

I too spent a decent amount of time at Cima as a boy scout. It's unfortunate that it's closing, but I think it's unfair for society to try and burden them with the responsibility of conservation without adopting a conservation minded approach to development. It's like the guys that wash their car and water their lawn in the middle of a drought, while thinking someone else will just do the conserving for the both of them.

Anyway, this is unfortunate, and I wish they can find a way to keep the property. But in the face of declining membership, I think they may need to focus on quality over quantity of properties, and hope the future developers don't completely screw things up.