Tahosa Wood-Chipper Fund Raiser

Tahosa High Adventure Base, owned and operated by the Denver Area Council Scouts BSA is what I call a “happy place”. I’ve been involved in scouting for over 25 years, and there is no other camp I truly look forward to visiting since moving to Colorado. The pristine mountain air, beautiful lake, well kept facilities and overall layout for scouts and troops is like no other. It’s a true gem, and due to Covid-19 has been closed for the 2020 season. Camp Director Tonia Lyman and Camp Ranger Marc Lyman are phenomenal scouters, who take tremendous pride in the upkeep and operation of the camp. We are lucky to have such an amazing camp for scouts to enjoy from not just Colorado, but all over. When Philmont Scout ranch closed in 2019 due to wild-fires, the Tahosa Trek and Alpine Trek accommodated scouts from around the world who were already in transit to Philmont prior to closing. Those scouts had an amazing experience, and some scouts who attended Philmont in previous years said that the experience even rivaled Philmont!

The purpose of this funding campaign is to gather help in purchasing a much needed wood-chipper the property can use to handle the extraordinary amount of felled trees from rough winters and recent storms.

Much of the property maintenance involves service-hour opportunities for scouts as well as efforts from the Tahosa Alumni Association organizes, but some of this maintenance is not appropriate for scouts to tackle and requires machinery to keep up with the extensive labor needed to clear downed trees. On a recent visit, I asked Mark and Tonia what would be a significant tool they could use to improve the camp, and although there are many, this wood-chipper would be very valuable with their efforts to maintain the camp.

Due to the camp being closed there is very little the Council can provide Tahosa financially and they are running off a shoestring budget. Without camp being open, they can’t justify the expense as it’s been tough on every camp without an income. I’m asking we help Mark and Tonia with a donation of a wood-chipper, so they can tackle the huge job of clearing these felled trees, and have the tool available to them for several years to come.