The Foundation’s mission to preserve Maine’s traditional sporting camps is served through various approaches directed at helping individual sporting camps, such as business and technical assistance, training, financial support and land conservation.
On a broader scope, the Foundation seeks to restore the overall health of the industry. This not only means helping existing sporting camps to improve their operations, it also requires that more sporting camps be actively in operation. It is not the Foundation’s goal to build new sporting camps, but to restore traditional camps that are no longer being operated commercially, and thus not open to provide traditional outdoor recreation to the general public.
The following sections illustrate some of the program concepts that the Foundation uses to help existing sporting camps expand, and to restore former camps into public service.
Industry Growth through Product & Service Development
A special component of the Foundation’s business assistance programs is helping sporting camps and other related support businesses to better understand their potential markets, and become financially sustainable and strong contributors to local economies.
A challenge common to these businesses is the need for a greater understanding of marketing, and the recent trends in their potential customer base. The Foundation assists sporting camps in these areas by working individually and more broadly through other education methods such as seminars, conferences and workshops.
Industry Growth through Nature-Based Tourism Coalitions
The Foundation assists businesses, communities and the Foundation’s tourism partners to develop and offer additional forest-based recreation and cultural services, ie., Guides, tour groups, gift shops. This represents a significant component of the Foundation’s coalition building and public outreach activity.
Re-Commercialization of Private Sporting Camps
The Foundation seeks opportunities to acquire properties that were once operated as commercial sporting camps but that have been sold or otherwise converted to private, exclusive-use facilities. These properties will be re-established as commercial sporting camps that would again services to attract the general public.
In situations where an appropriate buyer/owner can not then be identified, the Foundation will consider operating these sporting camps through employees or independent contractors, or leasing the properties to individuals who will agree to operate the property as a sporting camp.
In some cases, the Foundation may re-sell these properties to private individuals once a qualified person is located. However, the sale would be subject to binding restrictions that the property be used as commercial sporting camps in perpetuity and not be closed to public visitors. The agreed upon sale price will reflect an arms’ length business transaction.
Re-Commercialization of Defunct Sporting Camps
The Foundation seeks to identify properties that were once operated as commercial sporting camps but have been allowed to decay beyond commercial viability. These properties will be re-established as commercial sporting camps that would again attract and offer services to the general public.
The Foundation will provide technical assistance to interested buyers in evaluating these properties and developing their business plans. In situations where an appropriate buyer/owner can not be identified, the Foundation will consider operating these sporting camps through employees or independent contractors, or leasing the properties to individuals who would agree to operate the property as a sporting camp.
In some cases, the Foundation may re-sell these properties to private individuals once a qualified person is located. However, the sale would be subject to binding restrictions that the property be used as commercial sporting camps in perpetuity and not be closed to public visitors. The agreed upon sale price will reflect an arms’ length business transaction.
