2005-02-28 - 2:37 p.m.
The following is the information I gathered from last Thursday's (Feb 24, 2005) town meeting at the Girl Scouts of Utah council office.
Option 1: Continuing operations at Cloud Rim
We have a long history with Camp Cloud Rim. It is loved and cherished by generations of Girl Scouts in Utah. Staying at the current location would mean generations more could experience the Magic of Cloud Rim. No camp is ever exactly the same two summers in a row, but the new generation of camper experiences would be drastically different than those we became accustomed to over the past 68 years.
The housing development will consist of town homes in the lower regions providing initial funding for the larger, gated community closer to camp. The houses surrounding Cloud Rim (on all sides) would be on minimum of 5-acre lots with a minimum house size of 5,000 square feet. There is a buffer zone for building around Lake Brimhall of 100 feet (yes, that�s 100 FEET, not yards). Consider the pros and cons.
Pros:
We have a long history at Cloud Rim
We would have year-round access
We have donors who have given a lot of money to GS Utah because of Cloud Rim
Better water/sewage system
Better access to utilities/emergency response
High speed internet access
Better community visibility=more potential donors
Silver Eylet area will remain as green space.
Talisker will likely not build the golf course as originally planned.
We have a good relationship with Talisker
Talisker has agreed to be �good neighbors� during the construction�. as have we.
Cons:
Long-term construction resulting in heavy machinery, noise, and random visitors
Random use of the lake by non-campers (which they would have full right to access)
More community visibility=more chance of unwanted visitors=security issue for the girls
Program elements would change. Campers would have to walk through neighborhoods and around houses and yards for hikes/other programming.
Household noises and lights from neighborhood interfering with �peacefulness and solitude� as well as night sky.
Option 2: Moving to a new location near Cloud Rim
This option involves Talisker building a brand new camp for GS Utah approximately two miles down the road towards Midway. The new camp would have similar topography and be in the same geographic region as Cloud Rim. There would be access to new parts of the Guardsman�s pass area and new trails to explore. Most, if not all, the surrounding land is still owned by Talisker, increasing the chance of future development and having to deal with the same problem again. Consider the pros and cons:
Pros:
Brand new camp
Designed to our specifications
Much larger (37 acres compared to our current 26.5 acres)
Similar topography/geographic region to Cloud Rim
Lots of great trails
They will build us a lake
Cons:
We would be sharing the nearby trails with the general public
Land still owned by Talisker
Could face new development in the future (no protection against this offered)
Man made lake (currently the plan is for a much smaller �pond� type lake but we will not accept anything which is not of comparable size to Lake Brimhall)
Potential for increased amount of hunters/hikers and other unwanted visitors in camp, resulting in a security issue
Option 3: Expanding trefoil ranch/Building second camp adjacent to Trefoil Ranch
This option would involve a new camp being bulit adjacent to Trefoil Ranch, just over the ridge, but not within sight. The location is at an altitude simmilar to that of the TR stables. The view is reportedly incredible, but the terrain is the same as Trefoil without the trees. This camp would not have the "Alpine feel" loved by Cloud Rim campers. Consider the pros and cons:
Pros:
Brand new camp
Designed to our specifications
Adjacent to Trefoil making it easier to pick-up and deliver supplies
Easier for parents taking kids to the two different camps
They will build us a lake
South Fork road will be widened in the near future, providing better access
Year round access
We already know the neighbors
Centrally located
Will remain secluded
We would own the land
Nice ridge-top view
Cons:
Adjacent to Trefoil
Located near the Great Western Trail, creating potential for hunters/hikers and other unwanted visitors in camp, security issue
South Fork road is the only access into the box canyon (400 campers rather than 200 campers); this could be a problem for traffic on drop off/pick-up days, as well as in case of fire (like we had a few years back)
Not much vegetation, basically a big meadow, little or no trees (granted we can plant trees, but they would be very small for many years)
Increased potential for drinking water shortage (I believe Trefoil hasn�t had a drought since the late 80�s, but there is always the potential)
Man-made/dammed lake. (We don�t know how well the neighbors will respond to this being built, but again, we won�t accept a new camp that doesn�t have a lake)
Big Plus for options 2 and 3: Talisker, being the generous folks they are, will not start the development until the new camp has been built and is ready to move in.
Want to know my opinion?
I don't like any of the options. I think it's rotten that anything has to change. Change is never easy, but I can handle it if I can see the greater good. I don't see how this is a change for the good - at all. However, coming to the realization that there is nothing we can do about it, and change is inevitable, I think option 3 is the best choice for GS Utah and the future generations of campers. The girls deserve to camp in a place which is private, safe, beautiful and fun. They deserve to camp in a place that is not going to be over-run by housing developments now or in the future. They deserve to camp at a place where they can sleep outside and look at the night sky and reflect on their own small part in this great big world without the blue haze of someone's television shining through the window of a nearby house. They deserve to go canoeing on a lake filled with other Girl Scout campers and no one else. Option three is the only one, I feel, can guarantee that all of these important things are available for our girls.
That is all-
~Marzzie
