100 boy scouts were evacuated early Tuesday morning from the Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch in Southern CO when heavy rains caused a nearby creek to rise. KRCC’s Tucker Hampson reports.
As a precautionary measure, the scouts moved to a Red Cross shelter in Walsenburg. Scout Executive for the Santa Fe Trail Council Michael Stewart says this incident and last year’s East Peak Fire have given them an opportunity to teach the scouts hands-on environmental awareness.
"We’re really turning the camp into an outdoor living laboratory," said Stewart. "Kids really get to see what the effects are of fires, the bad things the good things, and so we’re using that as a part of their environmental awareness and their nature studies this summer at camp."
There was little damage to the property, and the camp reopened after the rains ended.
Stewart says scout troops have been participating in erosion control projects, including planting trees and more absorbent grass strains, and placing tree mulch to help prevent runoff.
