Scout councils defend logging of their lands

An aerial view shows loggers harvesting timber at Camp Delezene Boy Scout Camp near Elma, Wash. (Gilbert W. Arias / Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

by Lewis Kamb, Hearst Newspapers

For nearly a century, the Boy Scouts of America have proudly described themselves as campside conservationists, good stewards of the land.

"The Boy Scouts were green before it was cool to be green," said national spokesman Deron Smith.

But in recent decades, local Boy Scout councils around the nation have ordered clear-cutting or other high-impact logging on tens of thousands of acres of forestland they own, often in a quest for a different kind of green: cash.

A Hearst Newspapers investigation has found dozens of cases in which the scouts ordered the logging of prime woodlands or sold them to big timber interests and developers, turning quick money instead of seeking ways to save the trees.

"In public, they say they want to teach kids about saving the environment," said Jane Childers, a longtime scouting volunteer in Washington state who has fought against scouts' logging. "But in reality, it's all about the money."

Scout councils nationwide have hired loggers to carry out clear-cutting and salvage harvests in ecosystems that provided habitat for a host of protected species, including salmon, timber wolves, bald eagles and spotted owls, records show.

At times, the scout councils have logged or sold wild properties that had been bequeathed specifically for use as scout camps.

In some cases, councils have sought revenues from logging or land sales to make up for funding lost because of the organization's controversial bans on gays and atheists.

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