Ask almost any alumnus of Seven Mountains Scout Camp about the lake, and the stories come quickly: the morning cold of a waterfront check-in, the long light across the water at the end of a summer day, the way the whole camp seems to gather around it. This fall, the Juniata Valley Council is asking those who love that water to help protect it.
The council has launched the Dam Challenge, a campaign to rebuild the spillway for the camp’s lake. At the heart of the effort is a $50,000 challenge match: once the community meets that figure, it unlocks the full $100,000 needed for the rebuild.
What’s at stake
A spillway is the part of a lake’s dam that lets excess water pass safely, and it quietly does a great deal of work. It is the reason the lake can hold steady through heavy rain and spring runoff, and it protects the structure that holds the water in place. When a spillway ages, repair is not a luxury; it is stewardship of the very thing that makes the waterfront possible.
In the council’s words, the goal is to “keep this special place for future generations.” For a camp founded in the 1930s and still hosting Scouts today, that is a long view, and it is one alumni are well placed to share.
How the match works
- The challenge: $50,000 in community giving.
- The reward: Meeting it unlocks the full $100,000 for the spillway rebuild.
- The implication: Every gift counts toward reaching the match, which means gifts of any size help move the project from plan to construction.
How to give
Donations are being collected online through the council’s event page:
Important: When completing the form, please enter “Dam Challenge” in the notes section so your gift is directed to the campaign.
Share your lake story
As part of our ongoing effort to build the camp’s history from alumni memories, we would like to hear from you. What do you remember about the lake? A first swim test, a canoe trip, a sunset from the shoreline? Send your stories and photographs to the Association, and we may feature them in a future post.