4 South Sound Boy Scout camps have closed, some logged

Four Boy Scout camps in the South Sound have been closed and some are now being logged to raise money.

Closed are Camp Curran, south of Parkland in Pierce County; Camp Delezenne near Elma in Grays Harbor County; Camp Hahobas in Tahuya in Mason County, on Hood Canal; and Camp Kilworth in Federal Way. That leaves Camp Thunderbird, west of Olympia, open.

The Seattle Times reports that the Pacific Harbors Council of Boy Scouts of America has experienced a 40 percent drop in membership over the past decade. At the same time, the council’s expenses to run the camps and other activities have gone up.

Ralph Voelker, Scout executive for the council, said they don’t want to be closing camps, but the council’s financial problems have been building for years. They need to repay a $650,000 loan. He says almost all of that money was borrowed because of losses at the camps.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 1:58 PM with the headline "4 South Sound Boy Scout camps have closed, some logged."