In what could mark a turnaround for a troubled section of the American River Parkway, a nonprofit group is poised to take over a former Boy Scout camp across the river from downtown \u2013 with plans to transform it into a major recreation spot.<\/p>\n
The Sacramento Valley Conservancy is expected to get the state’s go-ahead this month to begin what could be a half-million-dollar upgrade of Camp Pollock, a rustic campground established by the Boy Scouts in 1923.<\/p>\n
The State Lands Commission agreed Wednesday to buy the property from the Scouts. It will lease the land to the conservancy, which plans to open it to the public as a nature and recreation center.<\/p>\n
Conservancy Executive Director Aimee Rutledge said her group hopes to have the site open for public visits soon after it takes control in January. “This is the first step in a long-term project we are really looking forward to,” she said.<\/p>\n
The 11-acre property, nestled among cottonwoods and willows just west of Highway 160, is relatively small. But the effect of Wednesday’s state agreement is potentially large.<\/p>\n
Camp Pollock sits near a forbidding section of the 23-mile-long parkway. Known as an illegal camping area for several hundred homeless people, the area has gained a reputation among some parkway users as a place to avoid.<\/p>\n
In what could mark a turnaround for a troubled section of the American River Parkway, a nonprofit group is poised to take over a former Boy Scout camp across the river from downtown \u2013 with plans to transform it into a major recreation spot. The Sacramento Valley Conservancy is expected to get the state’s go-ahead … Continue reading Conservancy deal would add Camp Pollock site to American River Parkway<\/span>