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Photo by Lori Kraus Click for larger view

Photo by Lori Kraus San Isabel Scout Ranch had close to 500 scouts last weekend as they schedule groups from all over the country and accommodate overflow from burn areas in northern Colorado this summer. Click for larger view

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An estimated 1,900 Boy Scouts are expected this summer at the San Isabel Scout Ranch located north of Rye on Highway 165 according to Jeff Berger, Executive Director, Southern Colorado Rocky Mountain Council.

Last week alone nearly 500 young men worked on merit badges, improved skills and built friendships around the traditional opening and closing campfires. Camps generally begin on Sunday and end on Saturday. Scouts from all over the country take advantage of the 409 acre facility.

This year is much busier than most. Fires in Larimer County and near Lake George have temporarily closed the camps there making the local camp the place that those camps are integrated into. Individual scouts or chartered buses carrying 60 at a time drive up the mountain highway to the camp that has been in operation since 1963.

Although summer is the busiest time of the year, the camp is open year round. In the winter groups spend their time sledding and winter camping.

Berger moved to Pueblo 2.5 years ago to take the Executive Director position and has been in scouting for 18 years. In fact it was as a scout that someone mentioned a career in scouting, and Berger shares that from the 10th grade on he wanted to work for the scouts. “It’s been ingrained in my heart and mind,” he said. “It’s what I wanted to do.”

Steve Best, the full time caretaker on the grounds, actually grew up on the scout ranch. His dad was involved in scouts and according to Berger, "Best lives in the same room he did as a youngster, while he followed his dad around the acreage."

The current Camp Director is Tommy Ferrell. Ferrell grew up near Aguilar and his family now has a ranch in Rye. He spent many summers in the camp he now directs. Ferrell, like all of the leadership, takes the mission of scouting seriously: To prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime using the values in the scouting oath and scout law.

Vance Whittington is another former director who lives in the Valley. Whittington was involved in scouting for 51 years before his retirement. Whittington, while living in Kansas, brought his troops to the San Isabel facility.

He then served as a forest ranger for 10 years after ending a career as a judge. He lives in his granddad’s house and moved here in 1959. He not only ran the facility for a period of time but was very active with the Rocky Mountain High Adventure Base. This part of the program is for the older scouts and includes white water rafting down the Big Horn Canyon near the Royal Gorge, a class III whitewater trip.

“For 51 years I have watched scouting change kids. It’s one of the best things they can do,” Whittington said. “I believe in it.”

Currently the camp is working on a conservation easement on 389 of the 409 acres. The San Isabel Land Protection Trust would extinguish all building rights protecting the camp forever from development. This would prevent the building of any permanent structure forever. Temporary structures could still be constructed as needed. The nonprofit parent organization will gain no tax advantage because of the decision, but according to Berger it is being done “because it’s the right thing to do.”

For additional information you can go to the web site sisbsa.org or call 561-1220.

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