Scouters’ Mountain
Frequently Asked Questions

Q: We heard that Scouters’ Mountain is up for sale.  Can you tell us any more?
A:  The Cascade Pacific Council has been studying the implications of a sale of Scouters’ Mountain for three and a half years.  Our research is currently at a point where we need information from potential acquirers as to how they would develop the property and what the proceeds might be, prior to making any final decision on selling the property.

Q: But why would you sell such a beautiful piece of property located so close to the people who use it?
A: Sadly, Scouters’ Mountain is now inside the urban growth boundary, and the neighboring houses already overlook the camping areas.  This urban encroachment greatly detracts from the sense of wilderness and adventure.

Q: What will you do with the proceeds?
A: In the event that the Executive Board decides to sell Scouters’ Mountain, all of the proceeds would be invested in endowment funds and in other property acquisitions.  The earnings from the endowment funds can help defray the mounting costs of maintaining and modernizing our camp facilities  We would also like to expand many of our existing programs.

Q: Under what circumstances would you decide not to sell Scouters’ Mountain?
A: In the event that neither the proceeds nor the development plans in the proposals we receive fit our needs, we would decide not to sell at this time.

Q: How many employees would be affected by a sale?
A: There are two fulltime employees who are directly affected.  They would move to new roles in the event of a sale.

Q: What percentage of your property assets does Scouters’ Mountain represent?
A: Cascade Pacific Council has more property than all other councils in Oregon and Washington combined, and one of the highest in the country per Scout served.  We have about 2,900 acres on which we operate programs, so Scouters’ Mountain represents 6.6% of our holdings.

Q: Who will make the decision?
A: The Cascade Pacific Council Executive Board, which consists of 75 people.  Most of them have used and camped at Scouters’ Mountain at some point, and all have fond memories from times spent there.

Q: How many young people are part of the Cascade Pacific Council?
A: More than 50,000 (Venturing and Exploring includes girls, as well as our Learning for Life program)

 Q: How well developed are the plans for moving the programs that leveraged Scouters’ Mountain?
A: We have developed some draft plans, but even in the event of a sale, the programs may not have to move for two or more years.

Q: What has your history of buying and selling property assets been?
A: Over the past 90 years (since 1916), we have bought and sold many acres in ongoing efforts to meet  the changing geographic distribution and needs of young people.  Examples:  We sold Camp Mallard in the late 1980’s and the 125-acre Triangle Lake property in 2002.

Q: How much would it cost to continue to use Scouters’ Mountain?
A: We would have to spend $800,000+ immediately on maintenance and repairs of Chief Obie Lodge only.  This does not include any refurbishment.  With the needed modernization, the total cost could easily be in excess of $1.5 million.

Q: We have heard a sales figure of around $30 million.  Can you confirm this?
A: We cannot speculate on prices at this time.

Q: Are you considering an option to retain part of the property?
A: We are certainly open to many options, including one where we retain some portion of the property.

Q: Are you leaning more towards public use of the land versus private?
A: In the RFP to developers we made it clear that we were interested in proposals the benefited the community as well as the Cascade Pacific Council.

Q: Have you looked at any new properties you would buy?
A: As part of the study on the implications of selling Scouters’ Mountain we also visited several potential properties and facilities that are for sale, are outside the urban growth area, and could meet the future demands of the population growth areas – Clark, Clackamas, and Marion counties.

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