Open Oregon Camps
Send Your Opinion to Oregon Governor Kate BrownAdvocate for the re-opening of ALL Oregon overnight camps this summer.
While the CPC and it’s COVID Task Force have approved new protocols for the safe re-opening of our summer camps, many camps across Oregon are restricted from doing so. An advocacy group called The Alliance of Oregon Camps is an organized group advocating for this letter-writing campaign to motivate the Governor to say “yes” to re-opening overnight camps. The Alliance of Oregon Camps includes the American Camp Association, Christian Camp and Conference Association, and licensed Oregon camps, including those in the Cascade Pacific Council.
Send Your Opinion to the Governor by Postal Mail or Message
Help us ensure that ALL youth have access to overnight camps by sharing your opinion with Governor Kate Brown. How?
- Write your note using the templates below.
- Send it via postal mail (address is on the template) or save and add to the form below.
Parents: share how overnight campouts and summer camp have positively affected your Scouts and family. Send this letter to the Governor’s office. Add some photos from camp for more impact!
Scouts: share your citizenship skills and love of camp by sending a letter like this to the Governor. Add some photos from camp for more impact!
Use the Governor’s feedback form. Be sure to click on “Education” NOT “COVID” for the topic to ensure the proper parties receive your message.
Key Contacts
Cascade Pacific Council
Chris Herold, Resident Camping Director
Alliance of Oregon Camps
Get the Facts
CDC: The Importance of Participation in Outdoor Activities
- “Staying physically active is one of the best ways to keep your mind and body healthy.”
- “If you want to spend time with people who don’t live with you, outdoors is the safer choice. You are less likely to be exposed to COVID-19 during outdoor activities, even without the use of masks, when you stay at least 6 feet apart from people who don’t live with you.”
Studies of Outdoor Transmission Show Low Transmission Rates
- Five peer-reviewed papers identified and systematically reviewed by the Task including:
- <10% of reported global SARS-CoV-2 infections have occurred outdoors
- Odds of indoor transmission was 18.7 times higher than outdoor transmission (95% CI 6.0, 57.9)
- “In general, factors such as duration and frequency of personal contact, lack of personal protective equipment and occasional indoor gathering during a largely outdoor experience were associated with outdoor reports of infection.”
The Alliance of Oregon Camps Steering Committee Includes:
Michelle Koplan, Chair, The Alliance of Oregon Camps; Chief Executive Officer, B’nai B’rith Camp
Michele Branconier, Western Region Director, American Camp Association
Marisa Fink, Executive Director, Oregon Alliance of YMCAs
Chris Herold, Resident Camping Director, Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council
Sarah Keplinger, Business Director, Camp Westwind
Janette Kunkel, President, Oregon Trail Chapter American Camp Association; Director of Programs and Facilities, Camp Fire Camp Namanu
Maura Roche, Volunteer Lobbyist; Volunteer Equine Manager, Camp Fire Camp Namanu
Jane Schmidt, President, Christian Camp and Conference Association NW; Food Service and Program Director, Camp Tapawingo
Kim Silva, Executive Director, Friends of Outdoor School
Geoff Sugarman, Volunteer Lobbyist; Member, Board of Directors, B’nai B’rith Camp