Pico Blanco Scout Reservation is a summer camp of about 800 acres (320 ha) (originally 1,445 acres (585 ha)) in Central California, currently operated by the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council. In early 2012, Council Executive Albert Gallegos left and the Council's Executive Board announced it would be merging with the Santa Clara County Council. The merged council is studying which of the three camps it owns—Pico Blanco, Camp Hi-Sierra, and Chesebrough Scout Reservation—it will continue to operate.
Because the camp is surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest and the Ventana Wilderness, the camp vicinity is an ecologically diverse and sensitive environment containing a number of unique animal and plant specimens, including the endangered Southern Steelhead Trout, the rare Dudley’s lousewort, the rare Santa Lucia fir, the California Coastal Redwood, and others. It is located at 800 feet (240 m) elevation on the pristine North Fork of the Little Sur River, 11.3 miles (18.2 km) south of Carmel, California on Highway 1, and eastward on Palo Calorado Road 7.6 miles (12.2 km) miles to Bottcher's Gap. The remaining 3.6 miles (5.8 km) miles of road into camp includes 2 miles (3.2 km) miles of narrow dirt road with four hair-pin switchbacks. Historically, the camp area was visited regularly by the Esselen American Indians, whose principal food source were acorns gathered from the Black Oak, Canyon Live Oak and Tanbark Oak in the vicinity of the camp.
In 2002 the camp was impacted by a change in state regulations governing seasonal dams on California rivers. An inspector found fault with how the council filled the dam and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration threatened to fine them. The council responded by installing a USD $1 million fish ladder and other modifications that satisfied the regulators and allowed the council to continue to use the dam in following years.
The camp has been repeatedly threatened by fire, including the massive Basin Complex fire of 2008, which was successfully kept at bay by fire fighters. The fire burned entirely around the camp, destroying the outlying ranger's residence. The council was forced to divert Scouts to another location for that summer.
Read more about Pico Blanco Scout Reservation: Activities, Facilities, Little Sur River Watershed, Dam and Fish Ladder Installation, Camp Debt Contributes To Merger, History, Esselen Lodge Service At Camp, Original Site of White Stag Program, Notable Camp Attendees, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words scout and/or reservation:
“Simone Clouseau: Jacques would make a wonderful father. He has many redeeming qualities, you know.
Sir Charles: Name one.
Simone Clouseau: Oh, he’s kind, loyal, faithful, obedient.
Sir Charles: You’re either married to a boy scout or a dachshund.”
—Blake Edwards (b. 1922)
“Music is so much a part of their daily lives that if an Indian visits another reservation one of the first questions asked on his return is: “What new songs did you learn?””
—Federal Writers’ Project Of The Wor, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)