Girl Scouts Is Closing Its Only MetroWest Camp

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts has closed the only camp for Scouts in MetroWest.

Camp Winnetaska in Ashland will not open this year for Framingham Girl Scouts or other Girl Scouts in MetroWest.

“The decision to rest Camp Winnetaska and 3 other camps (in Massachusetts) has come after 3 years of evaluation and benchmarking the properties in an effort to understand current and future prospects for each camp,” said Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts COO Barbara Fortier. “Each of the camps being rested had declining attendance and very limited future prospects for increasing attendance and as such, we have made the decision to focus on the camps that have good attendance and excellent future prospects for increased attendance.”

Camp Winnetaska has provided a place for girls to experience the excitement of camp including cooking, hiking, songs, games, nature trails for decades.

“Camp Winnetaska ranked very low in our initial evaluation of three years of usage history of the camp properties in comparison to other GSEM camps as it is in very old condition and would require significant investment to bring it up to safety, ADA standards and environmental requirements,” said Fortier. “Another factor that supported the decision to rest the property is that we do not own the waterfront and share a border with the state park and have no way to secure the property to prevent trespassers and young adults who conduct parties on the beach.”

“Attendance has been declining over the last 3 years which makes it financially difficult to continue to run camp” added Fortier.

The closing of Camp Winnetaska, along with Camp Virginia in Bolton, came as a shock to many Framingham Girl Scouts and its leaders.

This means the closest camp to Framingham and other MetroWest Girl Scouts is Waltham, which does not have a lake. For Scouts looking for a summer camp with a lake, they must travel to Andover or Plymouth.

“I am very saddened to hear of Camp Winnetaska’s closing. I had great memories of going to camp there as a child, and I had hoped my daughter could go there as well,” said Maureen McCarthy of Framingham. “I really hope GSEM will reconsider, Camp Winnetaska is a gem that can’t be replaced.”

Many Framingham Scout leaders attended the Ashland camp, when they were Girl Scouts.

Camp Winnetaska was also a popular option for many Framingham and Natick Girl Scouts for their first overnight or camping experience as a Scout.

“My daughter and I are both really disappointed that Winnetaska is closed. I loved going as a kid because I always had fun and they had many different programs there was bound to be one for everyone. I remember the horseback riding one the most from when I went,” said Heather. “Last year was my daughters first time at camp and she loved it and was really looking forward to going back but now they closed and she isn’t happy about it. My daughter loved Winnetaska because she made some good friends and she enjoyed all the games and programs they had.”

Fortier said Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts would ”be reaching out to conservation groups to see if there is an opportunity to conserve the (Ashland) property with the caveat that Girl Scouts could still use the property in a passive way.”

She said the organization has had success with its Rowley, Beverly and Nantucket properties, which were all sold into conservancy , but still allowed Girl Scouts to have access for passive use.