Land Conservation Gives NC Camps Something to Write Home About
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. - Kids are getting covered in bug spray and sunscreen across North Carolina, and parents are wiping an eye or two. Summer camp season has arrived, and the tradition that has become a summer rite of passage for many kids is benefiting from the efforts of land conservationists.
Seven years ago, Camp High Rocks in Brevard was able to conserve 147 acres of land adjacent to their property. Director Don Gentle explains what a difference it's made to campers.
"They want to feel like they're in camp, not in some condo neighborhood. It protects the view-shed for the entire county."
Land trusts in the state have been able to place acreage under conservation easements to preserve landscapes, and ease the tax bill for camps where every dollar counts. According to the North Carolina Youth Camp Association, camps in Buncombe, Henderson, Jackson and Transylvania Counties have an economic impact totaling $365 million annually.
Representative Chuck McGrady of the 117th district in Henderson County attended summer camps as a child, and later served as a camp director and president of the North Carolina Youth Camp Association.
"These summer camps are a major part of the tourism industry. They employ a lot of people, they bring in a lot of money from outside, and most of that money is being spent locally," says McGrady.
Gentle adds the summer camp experience is also responsible for raising the next generation of land conservationists.
"The kids that come here value the sense of nature and enjoy the amount of green space. It's a far cry from pavement and city street lights," he says.
North Carolina camps - particularly those in the western part of the state - draw children from across the country and the world.
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