Boy Scout Camp Kootaga, Buckskin Council found in Walker WV is preparing for the Camps 103rd Summer Camp Season. Staff weeks start on June 8 and the first week of summer camp is June 15 and the second week is June 22. If your Scouting unit has not yet registered for summer camp, a few weeks are still open for units for summer camp. Contact Summer Camp Director Billy Bryant for more info. All Units from all councils are welcome! Kootaga means “Good Friends’.”
This year’s Camp Director is Billy Bryant and Camp Program Director is Colleen Sergent. Their contact info is on the Buckskin website. Returning as Climbing Director is Christopher Burk. Matt Lookadoo will be the Shooting Sports Director. Dr. Ernie Miller will serve at Camp Medical Director. Jamie Wilcox is Aquatics Director. Gerry Stover is Ecology Director and Andrew Murphy is the Outdoor Director.
Brand new to Camp Kootaga this year are the new 95-foot climbing tower and the new bouldering grotto. These new additions will provide many opportunities for campers. Rappelling of the 45 shear drop at Wind Caves is a thrill!
Camp Kootaga is one of the longest continuous Scout summer camps in the nation and is in the top twenty-five of the oldest Scout camps. With the camp situated on the Hughes River we offer great waterfront activities and fishing. Earn your Swimming or Lifesaving Merit Badge at the pool or do the mile swim. The Nature Center offers a wide range of activities. Need to work on your Cooking Merit Badge, we can help. First year campers will become acclimated to Camp with the First Year Campers Program.
Innovative programs are available at summer camp this year. Look at the Leaders Guide on the Buckskin website for complete info on all programs and all information about summer camp at Camp Kootaga. www.buckskin.org.
Volunteers have been working all winter and spring to get camp ready. Volunteers have cleaned the pool and have filled the pool. Both the dining hall and lodge have been cleaned and ready for camp by volunteers.
We are thankful to the Friends of Blennerhassett Bicycle Club who spent several days volunteering at Camp getting all the mountain bikes ready for the season.
There is still a lot to do, and volunteers are welcome any day to help. A volunteer mechanic would be welcome to get the camp trucks ready for the season. We are also in need of a volunteer certified electrician. Please contact Camp Ranger John Baker or Jim Bennon with any questions or how to help with our large work list. Our scheduled workdays are posted on the Camp Kootaga Facebook page, but any day is a good to come to Camp to help.
This year we asked Scouting Units to adopt campsites to take care, improve and maintain now and for the future. If your unit, family, alumni group, or civic organization would like to adopt a Campsite the following are still open for adoption—WM Boyce, Beechwood, and Iroquois. Contact Kathy Wise if you might be interested.
We are thankful for the volunteers who have been working for months to get campsites ready and have kept them ready 24/7 for campers.
Why do folks keep coming back to Camp Kootaga, from Scout Mike McGee “Time spent with my sons at camp, sitting around campfire with friends that last a lifetime, seeing Scouts build lifelong memories and friendships.”
Follow Camp Kootaga on Facebook and Instagram and watch how we grow for our next century of camping!
The Scouting program has specific aims, commonly referred to as the “Aims of Scouting.” They include character development, leadership development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Leadership development is also one of Scouting’s eight methods contributing to both good character and good citizenship1. For more than 100 years, scouting programs have instilled in youth the values found in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. These values help youth develop academic skills, self-confidence, ethics, leadership skills, and citizenship skills that are just as relevant today as they were in 1910.
Want to join the Scouting experience 24/7? Go to www.beascout .org to find a Scouting unit in your neighborhood or we can start a brand-new unit in your area! Go to www.buckskin.org for more info.
