LeFeber Northwoods Camps

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LeFeber Northwoods Camps
Modern logo in use for the camp, drawn by John Van Dreese
Organizational data
Owner	Milwaukee County Council, BSA
Age Range	Boy Scouts & Venture Scouts
Location	near Laona, Wisconsin
Coordinates	45°30′45.94″N 88°46′16.54″W / 45.5127611, -88.7712611
Founded	1930
Affiliation	American Camp Association; National Camp School, BSA
Scouting portal

LeFeber Northwoods Camps is a Boy Scout summer camp located near Laona, WI operated by the Milwaukee County Council. LeFeber is 1,120 acres (5 km²) of sub-boreal Wisconsin wilderness around Hardwood Lake with a deeply ingrained history in the region's timber industry. The camp was established in 1930 on land formerly owned by several timber companies, now nestled in the midst of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, where Scouts have access to hundreds of miles of hiking, biking, and boating opportunities. From Archery to Woodcarving, nature study to cooking, a wide variety of program features and merit badges are offered. Merit badges, however, are only a portion of the overall program, which includes archaeology, bike treks, blacksmithing, climbing & rappelling, fly fishing, golf, horseback riding, rifle & shotgun shooting, tomahawk throwing, whitewater rafting, and windsurfing.

Contents 1 Unit Program 2 Natural Ecology 3 Camp History 4 Merit Badge Program Schedule 5 Game Laws 6 Off-Season 7 See also 8 External links 9 References

[edit] Unit Program

On average, sixty-four troops attend LeFeber each year in any of 17 campsites across six weeks. Troops sleep in tents and are responsible for cooking for themselves--commonly in small groups called patrols, a camping methodology known as patrol cooking. This method is in contrast with the dining hall method where troops are fed in a large dining hall, sometimes in shifts, by staff cooks. Each method has distinct pros and cons, and are primerally a matter of a troop's preference.

Units are encouraged to earn the distinction of "Super Troop" by fulfilling a series of requirements including the completion of camp and campsite improvement projects. These projects may include conservation projects, pioneering projects, etc. and may be carried out with a substantial part of the work done before arriving at camp.

[edit] Natural Ecology

The majority of the camp is covered by a mixed hardwood stand consisting primarily of Sugar Maple and Red Oak. Other parts of the camp have healthy even-aged stands of Aspen, Hemlock, and White and Yellow Birch. At the time the camp was purchased it had been clear cut save for a few areas, so most of the trees in camp are younger than 75 years old. The camp continues to be selectively logged for timber as a source of revenue for the council and as an effective forest management tool.

The camp provides a haven for a wide variety of fauna including: white-tailed deer, black bear, snowshoe hare, red squirrel, beaver, coyote, ruffed grouse, loons, bald eagle, osprey, finches, woodpeckers, ruby-throated hummingbirds, frogs, turtles, snakes, bass, pike, and several species of panfish.

There are four lakes in camp: Hardwood Lake (81 acres), ^[1] Popple Lake (61 acres),^[2] Little Popple Lake [Duck Lake] (32.3 acres),^[3] Mayflower Lake. These lakes are connected by a system of sphagnum peat bogs. Over the past decade and a half these lakes have seen significantly depressed water levels and likely have smaller surface areas than are represented.

[edit] Camp History

John LeFeber, an affluent businessman and philanthropist from Milwaukee purchased the 360 acres (1.5 km²) around Hardwood Lake that is now LeFeber Northwoods Camps for the Milwaukee County Council in 1930. The land was purchased from local lumber companies supposed to be the G.W. Jones Lumber Co. and Connor Lumber and Land Co. Over the course of the camp's history five or six separate camps were planned; only four were actually drawn out; only three were ever started, and only the two were finished. The current LeFeber Northwoods Camps consists of 1,120 acres (5 km²).^[4]

Other dedications on camp recognize prominent philanthropic figures from Milwaukee:
Robert W. Baird, the company named for whom continues to serve the Milwaukee County with fiduciary and other pecuniary accommodations.
James R. Neidhoefer, who owned and operated Mohawk Carpets, a large carpet business, was highly involved with the MCC even though he had only one son and 11 daughters. He served as Council President and Board Member, was a Distinguished Eagle Scout himself, and an avid lepidopterist who authored the Insect Life Merit badge pamphlet. During his lifetime Neidhoefer was recognized with several awards including the OA distinguished Service Award, the Silver Beaver, the Silver Antelope, and the Silver Buffalo. Neifhofer's moth and butterfly collection are on display at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Neidhoefer is one of the few volunteers who also has facilities memorializing him.
Edward U. Demmer, of whom little is currently otherwise known, has a philanthropic organization named after him in honor of his son and wife which supports charitable and non-profit causes around Wisconsin and Milwaukee. The Demmer Recital Hall at Ripon College and the Demmer Memorial Library in Oneida County are also named for him.

[edit] Merit Badge Program Schedule

2008	9:00	10:00	11:00	2:00	3:00	4:00
Adventure	Cycling	Climbing (10-12)		Climbing (2-4)		Backpaking, Hiking
Aquatics	Rowing, Canoeing, Swimming	Rowing, Canoeing, Swimming	Instructional Swim	Small Boat Sailing (to 3:30)	Lifesaving (3:30-5)
Athletics Field	Sports	Athletics		Golf	Personal Fitness	Golf
Eagle Quest				Tenderfoot	1st & 2nd Class	Tenderfoot- 1st Class
Fishing Lodge	Fishing	Fly Fishing	Fishing
Iron Springs	Basketry (MWF), Wood Carving, Indian Lore(TR)	Metal Work, Wood Carving	Metal Work, Leatherwork	Metal Work, Basketry(MWF), Wilderness Survival	Archeology, Indian Lore(TR), Leatherwork	American Heritage, Pulp & Paper
Nature Lodge	Bird Study(MWF), EVS, Forestry	Mammals(TR), Rep & Amph, Soil & Water	Nature, Weather, Insect Study	Astronomy, EVS, Fish & Wildlife(MWF)	Plant Science, Oceanography(TR), Geology(MWF)	OPEN PROGRAM
Scout Craft	Camping, Orienteering	Em. Preparedness, Cooking	Cooking, Camping	Pioneering	Em. Preparedness
Shooting Sports	Archery, Rifle Shooting	Archery, Muzzleloading	Archery, Rifle Shooting	Shotgun Shooting

[edit] Game Laws

Hunting is explicitly forbidden in camp.

Fishing bag limits are as follows:
Bass: 0
Northern Pike: 5
Panfish: 25
Hardwood Lake, due to a declining bass population, cannot bear anything but catch-and-release bass fishing. Panfish, however, are ironically overpopulated and management through the bag limit are meant to control this.

[edit] Off-Season

During the off-season, the camp is availible to troop camping, and has served for several seasons as the headquarters of the annual Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Breeding Bird Survey. The Nicolet bird survey draws up to 100 birders and volunteers from all over Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. "This is probably the longest running volunteer breeding bird survey in any national forest and the information becomes more valuable every year," said forest ecologist Linda Parker of Park Falls. "It draws participants from all walks of life, from young to older, and with different degrees of birding skills."^[5]

[edit] See also

• Scouting in Wisconsin

[edit] External links

• Milwaukee County Council
• Wisconsin Heritage Inventory Recognized Natural Communities
• Birds of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

[edit] References