A meeting has been scheduled with Yellowstone’s West District Ranger, Michael Keator. The Hike Day protocol and Loll’s opportunity to serve the Park will be discussed. We are very hopeful that everything will soon be amicably resolved.
I would like to thank all who have been involved. Your letters, e-mails, and phone calls have been a great help. I want to specifically thank Congressman Rob Bishop and his Legislative Director, Cody Stewart for their direct, persistent, and active involvement in this cause. I also understand that Senators Hatch and Bennett have made contact on our behalf. To them, and to all who have helped so far, I give the gratitude of the generations who will benefit from this great national treasure.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
A Brief
I have sent a Brief concerning our case to our congressional delegation. I have received a reply to my e-mail to the Park indicating that there will be a meeting concerning the CUA, and I look forward to sharing these points with the Park at that time.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
What We Do at Loll
As an explanation to those who do not know and a reference for the Park and others who need to consider, I will attempt to set down the steps of training and activity given to backcountry hikers participating in Camp Loll’s hiking program. I will do my best, although I am confident I will omit some aspects. Those of you who know better by service and experience, please feel free to add to my commentary.
A great deal of explanation can be found below in “Finch’s” entry under the post comments for “Letter for Yellowstone”
Camp Loll is operated by the BSA. Ernest Thompson Seton, one of Scouting’s founders, was one of the fathers of the modern environmental movement. He recognized the power of nature in shaping the character of youth. He also understood that for nature to be preserved, young people need to experience and understand it.
The values of Scouting, as presented in the Oath and Law, are the reason for the program at Loll. These values are inseparably linked to nature, conservation, and environmentalism. One learns of God by observing His creations in the wilderness. A boy or girl involved in the BSA’s scouting or venturing programs learns to reverence God by experiencing the wonder of creation and shows that reverence by accepting their stewardship in protecting the wilderness as God has created it.
A scout recognizes the greatness of our country by experiencing the natural treasures they hold in trust with their fellow citizens. Nowhere in time or place have a people so richly benefited from the wisdom of self government as here in America. Preeminent among the rights given American Citizens is the joint ownership or our National Parks. Once such treasures were the purview of Kings, but in this nation they are the pleasure of all. As a young person is given the opportunity to experience the wonder of nature they learn the awesome responsibility that comes with so great a birthright. They come to understand by instruction and experience how to protect their precious wilderness heritage and how to insure it is passed on to generations of Americans yet to be.
As Ernest Seton foresaw, it is in nature that a boy or girl will test their limits and find and develop their bodily strength, their wit, and their character. As they work together on the trail to ensure the success of the troop or crew, as they defend and improve the environment through which they pass without a trace; they learn the joy of service to others that is the foundation of happiness and success in life.
With these high goals and values in mind, Camp Loll, as a Boy Scout Camp and Venture High Adventure Base, is dedicated to providing the wilderness experience which is the core method to reach all of Scouting’s aims.
For years Camp Loll and its staff have worked with the Forest and Park Services to develop a wilderness ethic that will enable them to introduce campers into the wilderness while preserving that wilderness for generations yet to come. Our “Rangers”, backcountry guides, and youth leaders, who are young adults ages 18 to mid twenties, are trained by the Forest Service in No Trace Camping and travel to the Bechler Station for in depth instruction and certification by Park Rangers to receive their Frequent User Cards. They are also required to complete Red Cross Wilderness First Aid and CPR training courses. They are certified in climbing according to BSA standards by a certified instructor who has completed a week long course in climbing technique and safety, and many are certified BSA Life Guards. Forest Rangers visit camp during Camp Loll’s training week. For most of a day they watch training films and listen to instruction. There are hours of hands-on training experiences with the Forest Service representatives. The Parks service also is given the opportunity to meet with the entire staff and train them in the nuances of Park use and the specifics of the rules of the Yellowstone Backcountry. Our camp Nature Directors are also specifically trained by both the Park and Forest Service and given responsibility for training the entire staff on wildness ethics, no trace camping, and rules and procedures. All members of the Camp Loll staff are actually taken on all the hikes so they can learn the trails, or in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness, how to hike without trails. They know the routes and the destinations, how to safely get there and back again. They are fully trained in the use of maps, compass, and GPS. At every step the rules of Park and Wilderness are demonstrated and practiced.
Once the staff is ready, the scouts arrive. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the example of the staff. The young campers who come to Loll will immediately idolize their camp friend and other staff members. These young men and women are who they want to be, and their instruction and example has enormous influence on all the campers.
From the moment they arrive in camp, campers are taught the proper way to live in the wilderness and the need and desire to protect it. Camp Loll is beautiful and clean. There is never any litter, and scouts are taught to always stay on the trails. They are shown the wonders at the trailside and it is explained to them that only by following the trails can such beauty be maintained. They are taught to pitch their tents only on designated impact areas. Not just told to do so, but given reason and example. They are taught not to tie ropes to living tress, not to pick the flowers; not to damage any living thing. They see the wonder of wildlife all around them: deer, birds, small animals, and are taught how to treat them so that they can coexist.
Bear precautions are necessary, and the scouts learn to place all scented items in bear resistant containers, to keep an absolutely clean camp, with no litter – not even a waste basket. They are shown the garbage disposal processes; by which every bit of rubbish must be burned to dry ash, and that which will not burn, taken immediate out of camp after each meal to be placed in the bear resistant cage. At the end of each day the cage is emptied in bear resistant dumpsters a mile out of camp. They are taught how to dispose of dish water and reduce the impact of cooking.
Strict fire precautions are taught and practiced as well. A fire guard chart designates a daily Fire Marshal and delineates everyone’s duty to protect the forest from any type of flame. They are taught that the Camp and the National Forest in which it is located are their national treasure, their possession, and by word and deed shown how to love and protect it as their own.
Their Camp Friend stays with them as they explore the camp for the first time. He explains how not to get lost, how not to cause harm, and how to avoid it. While the youth campers are being instructed and setting up camp their adult leader is being checked in. Each leader is given careful instructions and a check list to cover with their young people. When they return to camp, they also begin to instruct and reinforce the message of environmental awareness already imparted by the staff.
Starting Tuesday morning, the Senior Patrol Leaders and Crew Leaders within each of the three Commissioner Areas meet their respective Commissioner. They then inspect all the campsites in that area. The Commissioner models the process, the camp friends have been with the troops since early morning helping them prepare. The campsite is cleaned, all bear and fire precaution requirement checked, and the compliance with efforts to reduce impact and the spread of impact noted. The inspections are fun and positive, but they teach important life lessons in responsibility and wilderness behavior.
At flag ceremony the need to reduce litter, stay on the trail, and in general follow low impact camping ideals are presented in entertaining but meaningful ways. Then the campers are off on their adventures. Younger scouts attend merit badge classes. Many of these classes relate directly to wilderness ethics: Environmental Science, Mammals, Nature, Bird Study, Forestry, First Aid, Emergency Preparedness, Orienteering, Wilderness Survival, and more, explain, model, and give hands on experience in environmental responsibility. Older campers are taken to beautiful climbing locations, and everywhere are taught to leave no trace, They see the most beautiful of natural wonders, are taught the names and roles in the system of plants and animals, while having more fun than they have ever dreamed of.
While the youth campers are involved in program activities, their leaders are invited to a “Round Table” training meeting. The theme for Tuesday’s Round Table is hiking. Inspirational and relevant stories and information is shared, the visiting Forest Ranger is introduced, and the group divided for a discussion on wilderness safety and etiquette. “How to keep the boys safe in the wilderness and the wilderness safe from the boys” is the theme. The two groups report to each other the list of tips they have developed and then the Camp Director and Forest Ranger present all necessary information to fill in any gaps. All the hikes offered are presented with the pros and cons of each. Leaders are encouraged to review all the information with their scouts.
The next morning, before leaving camp, all hikers, youth and adult, are assembled for a check out briefing by the Nature Director and other adult staff members. Each unit is guided by their camp friend who carefully organizes them to prevent them being lost and insure they follow all Park policies.
Adult staff members have been dispatched and are waiting for the groups as they arrive at the destinations. At Terraced Falls the “Camp Ranger” insures the groups stay on the trail at the top of the fall, and approach the lookout a few at a time so as not to increase the impact on the overlook. Hikers do not climb down to the bottom of the waterfall, and once they have enjoyed the view they hike out of the Park. If they stop for lunch, they stay on the trail; they do not go off into the woods at anytime. Groups often swim at Tillery Lake in the National Forest, along the trail back to camp. However they only enter the water at the hardened entry point. Life guards are posted and all points of safe swim defense are enforced. The rules for hiking are enforced the same in the Forest as in the Park. Scouts stay on the trail and are taught plants and have special views pointed out to them. The staff ranger hikes out with the final group, making sure that a final sweep removes every trace of the hikers and that all hikers return safely to camp.
At Union Falls, two adult Loll Staffers are on duty. As groups arrive they are asked to wait at the hitching post area next to the ranger cabin. This is a high impact point, not because of the Loll hikers, but because of the necessary impact of horse groups. At this hardened site, meals are eaten, packs and garbage hung as bear precautions and the hikers change into their swimming outfits. The camp carries in a privacy structure which is put up and taken down at the end of the day. This is to preclude any need to leave the trail to find a “private” place to dress and undress. Groups are staggered between those hiking up to Union Falls and those headed for Scout Pool. As troops and crews are already staggered in their hiking times, there is a minimum of waiting and overlap. Every group is responsible for policing their on litter and watching out for any left by anyone else, whether from Loll or otherwise. Group sized is limited at the pool. Our average troop size is eight youth, two adult leaders, and the Camp Staff Friend. Very small groups are combined, and large groups are divided, half sent to Union Falls and half to the pool and then switched. Time limits are set for scout groups in the pool, life guards are on station, as are lookouts. The jumping rock is within BSA standards, and is the only place scouts jump, not dive, into the pool. After all the groups have finished their activities, the Camp Staff Rangers make a last “litter” sweep to make sure everything has been removed from the area and no one is left behind. They then “sweep” the trail as they hike back to the trailhead. For much of the hike, groups are in touch with each other and the trailhead by radio, in case there is any problem and to alert the camp management of trouble and as to time of arrival for groups.
Once all groups are safely returned to camp, in-camp program continues as before. Hikers are debriefed and lessons reflected upon to be permanently instilled into the values and ethics of the hikers. Throughout the remainder of the week, backcountry lessons are reinforced and after the final clean up on Saturday morning, Loll returns to its near pristine condition.
The important thing is that over a hundred youth and adults have had their lives infinitely enriched, Yellowstone Park has made life-long friends and supporters, and the values of Scouting, the Oath and Law, have been forever tied to the greatest adventure any youth could have. They have seen the pristine work of their Creator as He crafted it, they have experienced the rights and responsibilities of Americans, they have served each other, and have tested their bodies, minds, and characters.
It is this wonderful synergy of the goals of Yellowstone, Scouting, and of America, that makes the partnership between Loll and the Park so precious and so irreplaceable.
A great deal of explanation can be found below in “Finch’s” entry under the post comments for “Letter for Yellowstone”
Camp Loll is operated by the BSA. Ernest Thompson Seton, one of Scouting’s founders, was one of the fathers of the modern environmental movement. He recognized the power of nature in shaping the character of youth. He also understood that for nature to be preserved, young people need to experience and understand it.
The values of Scouting, as presented in the Oath and Law, are the reason for the program at Loll. These values are inseparably linked to nature, conservation, and environmentalism. One learns of God by observing His creations in the wilderness. A boy or girl involved in the BSA’s scouting or venturing programs learns to reverence God by experiencing the wonder of creation and shows that reverence by accepting their stewardship in protecting the wilderness as God has created it.
A scout recognizes the greatness of our country by experiencing the natural treasures they hold in trust with their fellow citizens. Nowhere in time or place have a people so richly benefited from the wisdom of self government as here in America. Preeminent among the rights given American Citizens is the joint ownership or our National Parks. Once such treasures were the purview of Kings, but in this nation they are the pleasure of all. As a young person is given the opportunity to experience the wonder of nature they learn the awesome responsibility that comes with so great a birthright. They come to understand by instruction and experience how to protect their precious wilderness heritage and how to insure it is passed on to generations of Americans yet to be.
As Ernest Seton foresaw, it is in nature that a boy or girl will test their limits and find and develop their bodily strength, their wit, and their character. As they work together on the trail to ensure the success of the troop or crew, as they defend and improve the environment through which they pass without a trace; they learn the joy of service to others that is the foundation of happiness and success in life.
With these high goals and values in mind, Camp Loll, as a Boy Scout Camp and Venture High Adventure Base, is dedicated to providing the wilderness experience which is the core method to reach all of Scouting’s aims.
For years Camp Loll and its staff have worked with the Forest and Park Services to develop a wilderness ethic that will enable them to introduce campers into the wilderness while preserving that wilderness for generations yet to come. Our “Rangers”, backcountry guides, and youth leaders, who are young adults ages 18 to mid twenties, are trained by the Forest Service in No Trace Camping and travel to the Bechler Station for in depth instruction and certification by Park Rangers to receive their Frequent User Cards. They are also required to complete Red Cross Wilderness First Aid and CPR training courses. They are certified in climbing according to BSA standards by a certified instructor who has completed a week long course in climbing technique and safety, and many are certified BSA Life Guards. Forest Rangers visit camp during Camp Loll’s training week. For most of a day they watch training films and listen to instruction. There are hours of hands-on training experiences with the Forest Service representatives. The Parks service also is given the opportunity to meet with the entire staff and train them in the nuances of Park use and the specifics of the rules of the Yellowstone Backcountry. Our camp Nature Directors are also specifically trained by both the Park and Forest Service and given responsibility for training the entire staff on wildness ethics, no trace camping, and rules and procedures. All members of the Camp Loll staff are actually taken on all the hikes so they can learn the trails, or in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness, how to hike without trails. They know the routes and the destinations, how to safely get there and back again. They are fully trained in the use of maps, compass, and GPS. At every step the rules of Park and Wilderness are demonstrated and practiced.
Once the staff is ready, the scouts arrive. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the example of the staff. The young campers who come to Loll will immediately idolize their camp friend and other staff members. These young men and women are who they want to be, and their instruction and example has enormous influence on all the campers.
From the moment they arrive in camp, campers are taught the proper way to live in the wilderness and the need and desire to protect it. Camp Loll is beautiful and clean. There is never any litter, and scouts are taught to always stay on the trails. They are shown the wonders at the trailside and it is explained to them that only by following the trails can such beauty be maintained. They are taught to pitch their tents only on designated impact areas. Not just told to do so, but given reason and example. They are taught not to tie ropes to living tress, not to pick the flowers; not to damage any living thing. They see the wonder of wildlife all around them: deer, birds, small animals, and are taught how to treat them so that they can coexist.
Bear precautions are necessary, and the scouts learn to place all scented items in bear resistant containers, to keep an absolutely clean camp, with no litter – not even a waste basket. They are shown the garbage disposal processes; by which every bit of rubbish must be burned to dry ash, and that which will not burn, taken immediate out of camp after each meal to be placed in the bear resistant cage. At the end of each day the cage is emptied in bear resistant dumpsters a mile out of camp. They are taught how to dispose of dish water and reduce the impact of cooking.
Strict fire precautions are taught and practiced as well. A fire guard chart designates a daily Fire Marshal and delineates everyone’s duty to protect the forest from any type of flame. They are taught that the Camp and the National Forest in which it is located are their national treasure, their possession, and by word and deed shown how to love and protect it as their own.
Their Camp Friend stays with them as they explore the camp for the first time. He explains how not to get lost, how not to cause harm, and how to avoid it. While the youth campers are being instructed and setting up camp their adult leader is being checked in. Each leader is given careful instructions and a check list to cover with their young people. When they return to camp, they also begin to instruct and reinforce the message of environmental awareness already imparted by the staff.
Starting Tuesday morning, the Senior Patrol Leaders and Crew Leaders within each of the three Commissioner Areas meet their respective Commissioner. They then inspect all the campsites in that area. The Commissioner models the process, the camp friends have been with the troops since early morning helping them prepare. The campsite is cleaned, all bear and fire precaution requirement checked, and the compliance with efforts to reduce impact and the spread of impact noted. The inspections are fun and positive, but they teach important life lessons in responsibility and wilderness behavior.
At flag ceremony the need to reduce litter, stay on the trail, and in general follow low impact camping ideals are presented in entertaining but meaningful ways. Then the campers are off on their adventures. Younger scouts attend merit badge classes. Many of these classes relate directly to wilderness ethics: Environmental Science, Mammals, Nature, Bird Study, Forestry, First Aid, Emergency Preparedness, Orienteering, Wilderness Survival, and more, explain, model, and give hands on experience in environmental responsibility. Older campers are taken to beautiful climbing locations, and everywhere are taught to leave no trace, They see the most beautiful of natural wonders, are taught the names and roles in the system of plants and animals, while having more fun than they have ever dreamed of.
While the youth campers are involved in program activities, their leaders are invited to a “Round Table” training meeting. The theme for Tuesday’s Round Table is hiking. Inspirational and relevant stories and information is shared, the visiting Forest Ranger is introduced, and the group divided for a discussion on wilderness safety and etiquette. “How to keep the boys safe in the wilderness and the wilderness safe from the boys” is the theme. The two groups report to each other the list of tips they have developed and then the Camp Director and Forest Ranger present all necessary information to fill in any gaps. All the hikes offered are presented with the pros and cons of each. Leaders are encouraged to review all the information with their scouts.
The next morning, before leaving camp, all hikers, youth and adult, are assembled for a check out briefing by the Nature Director and other adult staff members. Each unit is guided by their camp friend who carefully organizes them to prevent them being lost and insure they follow all Park policies.
Adult staff members have been dispatched and are waiting for the groups as they arrive at the destinations. At Terraced Falls the “Camp Ranger” insures the groups stay on the trail at the top of the fall, and approach the lookout a few at a time so as not to increase the impact on the overlook. Hikers do not climb down to the bottom of the waterfall, and once they have enjoyed the view they hike out of the Park. If they stop for lunch, they stay on the trail; they do not go off into the woods at anytime. Groups often swim at Tillery Lake in the National Forest, along the trail back to camp. However they only enter the water at the hardened entry point. Life guards are posted and all points of safe swim defense are enforced. The rules for hiking are enforced the same in the Forest as in the Park. Scouts stay on the trail and are taught plants and have special views pointed out to them. The staff ranger hikes out with the final group, making sure that a final sweep removes every trace of the hikers and that all hikers return safely to camp.
At Union Falls, two adult Loll Staffers are on duty. As groups arrive they are asked to wait at the hitching post area next to the ranger cabin. This is a high impact point, not because of the Loll hikers, but because of the necessary impact of horse groups. At this hardened site, meals are eaten, packs and garbage hung as bear precautions and the hikers change into their swimming outfits. The camp carries in a privacy structure which is put up and taken down at the end of the day. This is to preclude any need to leave the trail to find a “private” place to dress and undress. Groups are staggered between those hiking up to Union Falls and those headed for Scout Pool. As troops and crews are already staggered in their hiking times, there is a minimum of waiting and overlap. Every group is responsible for policing their on litter and watching out for any left by anyone else, whether from Loll or otherwise. Group sized is limited at the pool. Our average troop size is eight youth, two adult leaders, and the Camp Staff Friend. Very small groups are combined, and large groups are divided, half sent to Union Falls and half to the pool and then switched. Time limits are set for scout groups in the pool, life guards are on station, as are lookouts. The jumping rock is within BSA standards, and is the only place scouts jump, not dive, into the pool. After all the groups have finished their activities, the Camp Staff Rangers make a last “litter” sweep to make sure everything has been removed from the area and no one is left behind. They then “sweep” the trail as they hike back to the trailhead. For much of the hike, groups are in touch with each other and the trailhead by radio, in case there is any problem and to alert the camp management of trouble and as to time of arrival for groups.
Once all groups are safely returned to camp, in-camp program continues as before. Hikers are debriefed and lessons reflected upon to be permanently instilled into the values and ethics of the hikers. Throughout the remainder of the week, backcountry lessons are reinforced and after the final clean up on Saturday morning, Loll returns to its near pristine condition.
The important thing is that over a hundred youth and adults have had their lives infinitely enriched, Yellowstone Park has made life-long friends and supporters, and the values of Scouting, the Oath and Law, have been forever tied to the greatest adventure any youth could have. They have seen the pristine work of their Creator as He crafted it, they have experienced the rights and responsibilities of Americans, they have served each other, and have tested their bodies, minds, and characters.
It is this wonderful synergy of the goals of Yellowstone, Scouting, and of America, that makes the partnership between Loll and the Park so precious and so irreplaceable.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Letter to Unit Leaders
Here is the letter the Trapper Trails Council is sending out to the leaders who attended Loll last year or are signed up for this season.
Let me put forward a ward of caution. Remember that we are not fighting with Yellowstone Park. We support the Park, and have always received their support. This is not a battle, nor is it a discussion that we necessarily want turned over to the newspaper editorial pages. Media discussion all-to-often develop into fights. We are not belligerents; we do not want to make Yellowstone into some sort of a foe. We support the Park Service, and want to help the Park make the wise and just decision in this case. They should not feel they are under attack nor should we give weapons to their real enemies, nor a provide a platform to those who do not like the BSA.
February 9, 2010
Dear Scout Leader,
This letter is to alert you of a challenge to Camp Loll and ask for your help in meeting it. For many years, Camp Loll has used hikes into Yellowstone National Park as a valuable tool in teaching the young people you have brought to the wilderness. The hikes to Union Falls, Scout Pool, and Terrace Falls have been of special value.
Under a new Commercial Use Authorization policy, Camp Loll has been asked to purchase a permit to authorize the camp’s use of the Park. Camp Loll has no problem in complying with this request. For many years we have worked in partnership with the National Park Service, we have greatly benefited from their support, training, and expertise. However, the permit parameters as are presently set would severely limit our scouts’ access to the Park. A provision in the permit, as it now stands, would limit the number of hikers to Scout Pool and Union Falls to 15 and to Terrace Falls to 30 a day. As three of these hikers would be staff members and six adult leaders, Hike Day opportunities in Yellowstone would thus be reduced to 36 youth per week.
We are confident that this permit is not an assault on Camp Loll or Scouting. It simply shows a lack in understanding of the value gained from the positive use of these resources. There are those who believe that treasures such as these hike destinations are best protected by locking them away; who feel that the desire of a few to find solitude outweighs the need of the many who find life long values and inspiration provided by experiencing these beautiful locations. The truth is that the full value of wilderness can only be realized by its proper use. Only by sharing these wonders with our youth will we teach of their value and insure their preservation.
Camp Loll has a stellar reputation in back country use and ethics. We are sure that you can testify to the level of training and guidance your scouts received at Camp Loll with the help of the Forest Service and the National Park. America’s youth are its future; the wilderness treasures set aside in Yellowstone are their birthright to enjoy and their duty to protect. The true value of these treasures can only be realized if they can be experienced; responsibility for their preservation only inspired by visiting them.
We are confident that the Park will support the continuation of present use practices if they can be educated to the true importance the hikes to Union Falls, Scout Pool, Terrace Falls and other Yellowstone destinations have to America, its youth, and the future of wilderness everywhere.
Please write letters, and ask others to write letters, to those who have the authority and responsibility to protect the proper and reasonable use of these resources. Our elected representatives are our voice in the American system, and those employed in our National Park are public servants who must support what is right. Here are addresses and other contact information for those who need to hear from us.
Respectfully Yours, Bill Wangsgard
Delose Conner
Director of Camping
Camp Director, Camp Loll BSA Trapper Trails Council BSA
Let me put forward a ward of caution. Remember that we are not fighting with Yellowstone Park. We support the Park, and have always received their support. This is not a battle, nor is it a discussion that we necessarily want turned over to the newspaper editorial pages. Media discussion all-to-often develop into fights. We are not belligerents; we do not want to make Yellowstone into some sort of a foe. We support the Park Service, and want to help the Park make the wise and just decision in this case. They should not feel they are under attack nor should we give weapons to their real enemies, nor a provide a platform to those who do not like the BSA.
February 9, 2010
Dear Scout Leader,
This letter is to alert you of a challenge to Camp Loll and ask for your help in meeting it. For many years, Camp Loll has used hikes into Yellowstone National Park as a valuable tool in teaching the young people you have brought to the wilderness. The hikes to Union Falls, Scout Pool, and Terrace Falls have been of special value.
Under a new Commercial Use Authorization policy, Camp Loll has been asked to purchase a permit to authorize the camp’s use of the Park. Camp Loll has no problem in complying with this request. For many years we have worked in partnership with the National Park Service, we have greatly benefited from their support, training, and expertise. However, the permit parameters as are presently set would severely limit our scouts’ access to the Park. A provision in the permit, as it now stands, would limit the number of hikers to Scout Pool and Union Falls to 15 and to Terrace Falls to 30 a day. As three of these hikers would be staff members and six adult leaders, Hike Day opportunities in Yellowstone would thus be reduced to 36 youth per week.
We are confident that this permit is not an assault on Camp Loll or Scouting. It simply shows a lack in understanding of the value gained from the positive use of these resources. There are those who believe that treasures such as these hike destinations are best protected by locking them away; who feel that the desire of a few to find solitude outweighs the need of the many who find life long values and inspiration provided by experiencing these beautiful locations. The truth is that the full value of wilderness can only be realized by its proper use. Only by sharing these wonders with our youth will we teach of their value and insure their preservation.
Camp Loll has a stellar reputation in back country use and ethics. We are sure that you can testify to the level of training and guidance your scouts received at Camp Loll with the help of the Forest Service and the National Park. America’s youth are its future; the wilderness treasures set aside in Yellowstone are their birthright to enjoy and their duty to protect. The true value of these treasures can only be realized if they can be experienced; responsibility for their preservation only inspired by visiting them.
We are confident that the Park will support the continuation of present use practices if they can be educated to the true importance the hikes to Union Falls, Scout Pool, Terrace Falls and other Yellowstone destinations have to America, its youth, and the future of wilderness everywhere.
Please write letters, and ask others to write letters, to those who have the authority and responsibility to protect the proper and reasonable use of these resources. Our elected representatives are our voice in the American system, and those employed in our National Park are public servants who must support what is right. Here are addresses and other contact information for those who need to hear from us.
Respectfully Yours, Bill Wangsgard
Delose Conner
Director of Camping
Camp Director, Camp Loll BSA Trapper Trails Council BSA
Monday, February 08, 2010
Letter for Yellowstone
Here is my letter to the park and our congressmen:
February 8, 2010
Dear ----- ,
I am writing concerning a great threat to Yellowstone National Park. This great national treasure is in danger of losing a resource as precious as any geyser, waterfall, or canyon, as valuable to America as the wilderness to which this resource holds an unalienable bond. A precious link between Yellowstone and the young people that will be its future, and that of the nation Yellowstone was established to serve, is about to be broken.
My name is Delose Conner; I am the director of Camp Loll, a Boy Scout Camp two miles south of the Yellowstone boarder. Since 1977, I have directed Loll, on and off, for 23 years. I have been its director for the last ten consecutive years. During this time, Camp Loll has developed a close relationship with Yellowstone Park and the Bechler District; sending thousands of hikers to visit Union Falls and Scout Pool [Ouzel Pool], Terrace Falls, and other wonders in the south west corner of the park. Over the years, the campers at Loll have been trained and inspired by the staff of Yellowstone National Park, and have been instructed in wilderness etiquette by the Camp Loll staff and the BSA. They have learned to love, defend, and protect the wilderness treasures they have the privilege to utilize. The relationship between Yellowstone and Loll has enabled thousands to participate in wilderness experiences that have united their understanding of America’s greatness and goodness to its people with an appreciation of nature’s beauty and a reverence for the environment. In a world where so many dangers beset our youth, Loll and Yellowstone have shown them pleasures and given them opportunities to grow and achieve, thus strengthening them against life’s challenges. No drug-induced high can compare to the thrill of swimming in Scout Pool or contemplating the beauty of Union Falls, no lawless act or thrill at the expense of another can bring the delight of success made possible by completing a twenty mile hike through Yellowstone. No gang loyalty compares to the joy of service and the sense of patriotism engendered by experiencing and learning to protect their American birthright in Yellowstone. Thus, they, Yellowstone, and America are made stronger by experiencing the opportunity made possible by the partnership between Yellowstone National Park and Camp Loll BSA.
Last week I received material relating to a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) from Yellowstone’s Concessions Management Division. Certain aspects of this proposal will destroy Camp Loll’s ability to utilize Yellowstone. I was not informed of any notice on the Federal Registry in compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act concerning a Notice of Proposed Rule Making. Nor was I, as a Stake Holder, consulted on the formation of this (CUA). To the contrary, in light of our long and successful partnership with the Park, Camp Loll was given assurances that our program would continue unchanged, indeed be strengthened, by the permitting process.
Please help to rescue this valuable partnership. I am eager to develop a plan that will insure that America’s greatest natural resource, its youth, have the opportunity to learn their responsibilities and enjoy their rights in America’s Greatest Natural Treasure, Yellowstone National Park.
Respectfully Yours
Delose Conner,
Director, Camp Loll BSA
Copies to: Utah Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett and to Utah State Representative Rob Bishop.
February 8, 2010
Dear ----- ,
I am writing concerning a great threat to Yellowstone National Park. This great national treasure is in danger of losing a resource as precious as any geyser, waterfall, or canyon, as valuable to America as the wilderness to which this resource holds an unalienable bond. A precious link between Yellowstone and the young people that will be its future, and that of the nation Yellowstone was established to serve, is about to be broken.
My name is Delose Conner; I am the director of Camp Loll, a Boy Scout Camp two miles south of the Yellowstone boarder. Since 1977, I have directed Loll, on and off, for 23 years. I have been its director for the last ten consecutive years. During this time, Camp Loll has developed a close relationship with Yellowstone Park and the Bechler District; sending thousands of hikers to visit Union Falls and Scout Pool [Ouzel Pool], Terrace Falls, and other wonders in the south west corner of the park. Over the years, the campers at Loll have been trained and inspired by the staff of Yellowstone National Park, and have been instructed in wilderness etiquette by the Camp Loll staff and the BSA. They have learned to love, defend, and protect the wilderness treasures they have the privilege to utilize. The relationship between Yellowstone and Loll has enabled thousands to participate in wilderness experiences that have united their understanding of America’s greatness and goodness to its people with an appreciation of nature’s beauty and a reverence for the environment. In a world where so many dangers beset our youth, Loll and Yellowstone have shown them pleasures and given them opportunities to grow and achieve, thus strengthening them against life’s challenges. No drug-induced high can compare to the thrill of swimming in Scout Pool or contemplating the beauty of Union Falls, no lawless act or thrill at the expense of another can bring the delight of success made possible by completing a twenty mile hike through Yellowstone. No gang loyalty compares to the joy of service and the sense of patriotism engendered by experiencing and learning to protect their American birthright in Yellowstone. Thus, they, Yellowstone, and America are made stronger by experiencing the opportunity made possible by the partnership between Yellowstone National Park and Camp Loll BSA.
Last week I received material relating to a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) from Yellowstone’s Concessions Management Division. Certain aspects of this proposal will destroy Camp Loll’s ability to utilize Yellowstone. I was not informed of any notice on the Federal Registry in compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act concerning a Notice of Proposed Rule Making. Nor was I, as a Stake Holder, consulted on the formation of this (CUA). To the contrary, in light of our long and successful partnership with the Park, Camp Loll was given assurances that our program would continue unchanged, indeed be strengthened, by the permitting process.
Please help to rescue this valuable partnership. I am eager to develop a plan that will insure that America’s greatest natural resource, its youth, have the opportunity to learn their responsibilities and enjoy their rights in America’s Greatest Natural Treasure, Yellowstone National Park.
Respectfully Yours
Delose Conner,
Director, Camp Loll BSA
Copies to: Utah Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett and to Utah State Representative Rob Bishop.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Save Camp Loll, Save the Wilderness
Camp Loll faces a great threat to its program and mission. As a result of a recent lawsuit driven by the Sierra Club, non Profit groups, such as the BSA, are now required to obtain Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) permits. This gives the Concession Management Division of the Park power to dictate the parameters of park use, and in the case of Camp Loll, to destroy all we have worked for, and all the benefits that our back country use brings to the thousands of young people that access Yellowstone through Loll’s program. I cannot overstate the danger.
With NO WARNING or discussion the Concessions Division of Yellowstone has chosen to use the permit process to end Camp Loll’s partnership with Yellowstone National Park. Included among the permit conditions are requirements that will make hikes to Union Falls, Scout Pool, and Terrace Falls impossible for all but a tiny fraction of our campers.
With NO WARNING or discussion the Concessions Division of Yellowstone has chosen to use the permit process to end Camp Loll’s partnership with Yellowstone National Park. Included among the permit conditions are requirements that will make hikes to Union Falls, Scout Pool, and Terrace Falls impossible for all but a tiny fraction of our campers.
First, it is important to state that Camp Loll has long led the way in adherence to the majority of the parameters set for in the authorization permit. Ten of the twelve points of compliance are either already Loll program elements or could easily be satisfied.
#1. Loll already trains its guides in backcountry guidelines and promotes all park regulations and programs. We go further to explain and practice these conservation procedures.
#2. We have taken responsibility for our campers during their trips into the park for years.
#3. We have sought to protect the quality of other visitors’ experience through training that becomes part of our scouts’ life-long commitment to wilderness ethics.
#4. We have ensured all our campers have proper safety equipment, and clothing.
#5. Our guides and Rangers have been trained in first aid and CPR for years.
#6. We have reported all accidents immediately.
#7 (see below)
#8. (see below)
#9. WE always use established trails, helped to build them and have helped to maintain them for years.
#10. WAG Bags for packing out human waste – we have always followed the parks policies in dealing with sanitation and will gladly follow this NEW requirement.
#11. Ask that we contact Bechler Station with numbers of trips and visitors one to five days prior to our use., and supply monthly and seasonal reports. For years we have kept careful record of these numbers and supplied them to the park. Our hike plan policy will make it easy for us to supply this information to the ranger.
#12. Simply states that any violation of this agreement will result in its termination.
It should be noted that Camp Loll goes far beyond the letter of these laws. They barely scratch the surface of the opportunities in practical application that Loll provides to facilitating the spirit of Yellowstone Park’s purpose of preserving wilderness and natural national treasures by training a generation of supporters of backcountry ethics and practices that are applied throughout the lives of our campers in every wilderness they will ever visit.
Second, to points # 7 and # 8.
#7 States – All day use groups shall be no larger than 15 visitors (one guide and 14 clients) and shall be spaced at least ½ mile apart at all times. This is an arbitrary number. I have no idea where the Concessions Division came up with it. Such caprice demonstrates a total lack of understanding of the nature of our units or the service Camp Loll provides to young people that are America’s most precious resource, and to the Park itself, by guiding them into it.
#8 States – Permittee is allowed to guide one group of 15 to Union Falls, one group of 15 to Ouzel Pool [Scout Pool] and two groups of 15 each to Terrace Falls on any given day. . . This policy shows not only a complete lack of understanding of the processes and services rendered by Loll’s visits to these locations, but is in reality proof that the permit is simply being used as a mechanism to exclude hundreds of trained, well behaved, and low impact users from the back country, not because they do any harm but in order to meet some uninformed agenda. Realize that the group of 15 that goes to Union Falls will also necessarily also be the group that goes to Scout Pool, and that 3 of the hikers will have to be guides and 6 of them adult leaders and you have a hike day which will allow 36 young people to visit these treasures, natural wonders which are as much their birthright as any other user of the backcountry. Realize also that the hundreds who would thus be deprived of the visit would also not receive the desire to protect and the motivation and knowledge to serve these wonders.
These two points, #7 and #8 are clearly aimed at eviscerating Loll’s program as it relates to Yellowstone National Park. This would not only be a disservice to Loll but to Yellowstone and to America, conservation, and our nation’s and our world’s future.
Consider:
1. Camp Loll has made Yellowstone better by our presence. Not only do Loll hikers strictly follow backcountry rules and policies by greatly reducing their impact on the resource, but they clean up the messes left by others.
2. Camp Loll is training generations to love and protect not only Yellowstone but all national parks and wilderness areas. Through the truths they learn on the trail with their staff guide and unit leaders they learn life lessons that will improve backcountry use in Yellowstone and elsewhere forever.
3. We have followed the wise and just direction of the Park Service for years. With the support of the Bechler Ranger, the Park Service, and the Forest Service, Camp Loll has implemented a host of practices to reduce our impact. We have accepted, implemented; indeed helped develop; actions that have actually improved the backcountry. Our guides have prevented lost hikers for years, we have taught thousands to walk softly on the land, to show respect to others on the trail, to value their American heritage and their National Parks.
4. Remember also that the outdoor experience, the wonder of Union Falls, the joy that comes from swimming in Scout Pool changes the hearts of the young people that experience it. Yellowstone thus is granted a role in shaping lives for the better. The greatest experience of many a young life will forever be bound to the values of Scouting and the magic of Yellowstone. Excluding thousands from this opportunity will damage youth, and inestimably diminish the worth of Yellowstone to America and its future.
5. These resources belong to all Americans. All Americas have the right to enjoy them and the duty to protect them. How can young people learn their responsibilities without experiencing their rights. Camp Loll’s hiking programs give Yellowstone the opportunity to fulfill its mandate to preserve and provide America’s great treasure to its greatest resource, it’s youth. Do the rights of those who despise the presence of these boys and girls, by definition – a few selfish exploiters of their own solitude, outweigh the blessing due the many who would thus be deprived of their opportunity to experience and grow from the opportunities these wonderful locations offer?
Call to action:
Camp Loll was promised that if they complied to impact management guidelines, use of the resource would not be curtailed. Now without warning or discussion, with no effort on the part of those who have made this decision to understand how and what Camp Loll does, they have crafted this attack. WE MUST ACT.
HOW, WHEN, WHERE
How: Write letters.
Everyone who can, must write letters or send e-mails to those who can influence this act. I have it on the best authority that if we mobilize we will be able to turn back this policy.
Here are a few suggestions for letters:
1. Loll’s hikes have had a positive effect – on those who take them who are thus made better people, on the wilderness by teaching love for and understanding of the outdoors, on the lives of youth thus steered into positive actions and values.
2. Camp Loll has followed every reasonable requirement and has thus greatly reduced its impact while actually improving the condition of the places we visit
3. The young people guided to these places have a right to enjoy them and only by exercising that right will they accept the responsibilities of wilderness protection that result from such experiences. There are a few who would restrict the wilderness to their own use – excluding in the name of solitude others who seek the same pleasure they crave. Such short sighted selfishness will do great harm to the wilderness, and to those who are deprived of its use. These people are not with Yellowstone park. For years the park service has worked with us to provide the opportunity for thousands of youth and leaders to experience and learn about wilderness protection. We want to support and work with them. The park service is under pressure and we need to let them know that we support them in their efforts to make Yellowstone available to all people, now and in the future.
4. Please be nice to Yellowstone. We are all on the same side. This is just a terrible mistake. If things do not shift there will be plenty of time for anger and further action.
When – We must act at once. If we can flood those who can force the right choice before the way is closed, we can insure these opportunities to generations.
Who: Write to our representatives in congress, to the Yellowstone Park Superintendent, and to Judy M. Jennings, Chief – Concessions Management Division.
Superintendent Suzanne Lewis:
P. O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming 82190
Camp Loll was promised that if they complied to impact management guidelines, use of the resource would not be curtailed. Now without warning or discussion, with no effort on the part of those who have made this decision to understand how and what Camp Loll does, they have crafted this attack. WE MUST ACT.
HOW, WHEN, WHERE
How: Write letters.
Everyone who can, must write letters or send e-mails to those who can influence this act. I have it on the best authority that if we mobilize we will be able to turn back this policy.
Here are a few suggestions for letters:
1. Loll’s hikes have had a positive effect – on those who take them who are thus made better people, on the wilderness by teaching love for and understanding of the outdoors, on the lives of youth thus steered into positive actions and values.
2. Camp Loll has followed every reasonable requirement and has thus greatly reduced its impact while actually improving the condition of the places we visit
3. The young people guided to these places have a right to enjoy them and only by exercising that right will they accept the responsibilities of wilderness protection that result from such experiences. There are a few who would restrict the wilderness to their own use – excluding in the name of solitude others who seek the same pleasure they crave. Such short sighted selfishness will do great harm to the wilderness, and to those who are deprived of its use. These people are not with Yellowstone park. For years the park service has worked with us to provide the opportunity for thousands of youth and leaders to experience and learn about wilderness protection. We want to support and work with them. The park service is under pressure and we need to let them know that we support them in their efforts to make Yellowstone available to all people, now and in the future.
4. Please be nice to Yellowstone. We are all on the same side. This is just a terrible mistake. If things do not shift there will be plenty of time for anger and further action.
When – We must act at once. If we can flood those who can force the right choice before the way is closed, we can insure these opportunities to generations.
Who: Write to our representatives in congress, to the Yellowstone Park Superintendent, and to Judy M. Jennings, Chief – Concessions Management Division.
Superintendent Suzanne Lewis:
P. O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming 82190
e-mail Suzanne_Lewis@nps.gov
Judy M. Jennings
Chief, Concessions Management Division
P. O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming 82190
Below is the Congressional Delegation from Utah. If you are from another state, please write your own congressmen. By using your computer you can access their addresses and all can access e-mail and other communications links to their senators and representatives.
Senator Orrin Hatch:
Washington DC Office
104 Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5251
Fax: (202) 224-6331
Senator Bob Bennett:
431 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510-4403
Phone: (202) 224-5444
Representatives Rob Bishop:
Washington office:
123 Cannon Building
Washington, DC 20515
ph: 202-225-0453fax: 202-225-5857
Representative Jim Matheson:
2434 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone - (202) 225-3011 Fax - (202) 225-5638
Washington, DC 20515
Phone - (202) 225-3011 Fax - (202) 225-5638
Representative Jason Chaffetz:
Washington, DC Office
1032 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC Office
1032 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-7751Fax: (202) 225-5629
Note: I have a chance to meet with Representative Rob Bishop on February 16th. If he has received hundreds of letters from Loll supporters by then, it will open an opportunity to talk with him from a position of strength.
We Love High Adventure
We Love Yellowstone. . .
So we will defend,
Wednesday High Adventure Day
To the very end!!
We Love High Adventure
We Love Yellowstone. . .
So we will defend,
Wednesday High Adventure Day
To the very end!!