Forest Service Rejects Boy Scouts’ Bid for Camp Along River in Colo.

The U.S. Forest Service has halted its review of a proposed Boy Scout camp along the Fryingpan River, saying the Scouts did not demonstrate a need for the camp on public land.

“At this point, that isn’t the best use of the land there,” said Martha Ketelle, supervisor of the White River National Forest.

The search will continue for a location where a new camp can be built, said Keith Alder, executive for the Western Colorado Council of the Boy Scouts.

The Fryingpan proposal had been criticized by about 500 opponents who wrote letters urging the Forest Service to reject the Scouts’ application. They argued the camp would harm the environment and disrupt an area of the forest that has a scattering of private cabins.

“Like many of the Upper Fryingpan people, we thought it would have been a disaster to the environmental aspects of that area. This is good news for those who want to protect the environment,” said Paul Darrough, a former Boy Scout and retired attorney who owns a cabin near the Fryingpan River Ranch.

The Boy Scouts had wanted to locate the camp for as many as 200 on 40 acres of White River National Forest land that had operated as a private fishing lodge for nearly 100 years.