To help create a respectful camp living experience, it is essential that all members of our camp community understand our policies and regulations. We ask for your full cooperation in following our policies, especially as they pertain to respect, food, phone calls, visiting, cell phones, technology, packages, and valuable items.
We do have some concerns about gifts. We do not want campers giving gifts to their big or little sisters except for those that are "made with their own hands." Our policy for no gifts extends to counselors and cabin mates from campers and parents.
Help us fight a tough battle against modern gadgets as a rustic, Northwoods camp—no electric blankets, portable game devices, iPods, smart phones, or laptops/tablets. Our counselors will have a radio in the cabin for music and impromptu dance parties. A reminder: NO CELL PHONES or walkie-talkies at camp.
Although BT's directors make every effort to safeguard the belongings of every camper, camp cannot be responsible for campers’ personal property. We do not recommend that valuable items be brought to camp.
Please help us in eliminating food brought to or kept in camp. Food including candy and gum attracts little critters, disrupt healthy appetites and can be a divisive factor if not shared with fellow campers. Check your daughter's baggage before she leaves home—if we find food in her luggage, we'll know that you slacked off!
In keeping with the policies of other camps in our area, we have a NO PACKAGE POLICY at Birch Trail. There are several important reasons for this decision. Packages tend to create unwanted competition in the cabin, and having too many things at camp makes the cabin clean-up and staying organized very difficult. If your daughter needs an item from home that she forgot, please email us and let us know what you are sending (addressed to Gabe, please!) and we will make sure that your daughter receives it. Please let your family members and friends know about our policy.
There are occasions when we will call you and certainly times when you should call us. We will call if your daughter is in the Health Center overnight for any reason other than rest or observation, or if there are any other health concerns about her. We will also call if we feel the need to talk with you about how your daughter is getting along. Finally, we will call you if you request that we call concerning any particular matter. You should call us (715-466-2216) if you have any concerns about your daughter's health or other matters.
We advocate the "Two Letter Rule:" simply stated, one negative letter from your daughter probably isn't serious; two negative letters are worth checking out. Our phones are often covered as early as 8:00 am and as late as midnight, but the best time to reach us is between 9:15 am and 5:45 pm. If you get our voice mail, please be sure to include your phone number, your daughter's name and your name with the message. Please be patient if we can't respond immediately to your call. We are directly involved in the daily activities of our campers and our time in the office is limited. Our goal is to return your call within 24 hours or sooner if the circumstances warrant.
Parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt and uncle non-emergency, non-birthday calls to campers and campers' calls to others are not permitted. We take no pleasure in limiting this sort of contact; rather, we believe that one of the important benefits of the camping experience is gaining independence and self-reliance. Telephone calls frequently defeat that goal. If your daughter has a birthday at camp, get everyone together and call at 7:00 pm. Be sure to gather the whole family because the birthday girl gets just one call! At other times during the day or evening your daughter is busy in activities and often cannot be reached. Please limit your calls to five minutes or less. Eight-week campers will be permitted to call home during the changeover between sessions. Other than calls for family emergencies or camper birthdays, our phone policy is a gentle but firm "no calls." Please work with us to help your daughters gain self-reliance by honoring this request.
A word about cellular phones and walkie-talkies: DON'T! Your daughter does not need a phone in camp and they don't work here anyway! We use two-way radios (walkie-talkies) for communication in camp. If campers also have two-way radios, our communications are compromised. Please work with us in following our guidelines and rules, if you don't follow them, neither will your daughter.
