Like farms, summer camps can exist on very valuable real estate. The Boston Globe reports on pressures being placed on summer camp owners by developers to sell, and the willingness for some camp owners, mostly families, not to succumb to big offers of cash. According to the Globe, there is a market to keep the properties as camps, although the preference with many is to keep camps within families rather than a "camp group" that own a number of properties.
For every privately owned camp for sale, there are about 30 potential buyers available who are interested in keeping them as camps, said Jim Earley, owner of New England Camp Realty in Westwood. Early said most owners would rather sell to other camp owners to continue the camp's mission.
I've written in the past about my camp experiences, which were very important to me, and I think they are a key piece of reconnecting kids with nature. We can't allow camps to go the way of the Drive-in theater, an institution decimated by developers (more on drive-ins in the future). Thanks to those families who hold out and stay committed to their summer camps.
