Rainbow Glacier Camp, a summer church camp operated in Haines for decades, is under new ownership.
The 52-acre facility at Paradise Cove, including cabins, a chapel and a dining facility, has been transferred to Juneau-based Echo Ranch Bible Camp, said Bob Ehmann, chief financial officer for the Juneau camp.
The Haines camp will not be operated this summer due to the ownership transition, but local youths wanting a church camp experience will get free transportation to attend the Juneau camp located at the north end of Glacier Highway, Ehmann said.
Echo Ranch is an interdenominational camp operated by Avant Ministries of Kansas City, Mo. It dates to 1964. “Echo Ranch has a horse camp, a wilderness camp, a main camp and now we have a Haines camp,” Ehmann said.
Rainbow Glacier Camp was operated for many years by the Presbytery of Alaska, but management shifted to an independent board of directors about 15 years ago.
The challenges of attracting campers from beyond Haines, recruiting staff, and maintaining infrastructure were among reasons for the transfer, said Ryan Mandeville, who recently served as president of Rainbow Glacier Camp’s board.
Echo Ranch’s Ehmann said: “We’re just looking forward to expanding and preserving the vision of Rainbow Glacier and building on that vision. People in Haines have contributed money, time and effort to the camp. It’s been a Haines project and we appreciate that. We’re building on a rich heritage.”
Resident Crystal Badgley, a former camp volunteer, said she is hopeful for the facility under Echo Ranch ownership. “I hope they keep it going. It’s important for local kids to have a place to go to camp.”
Ehmann said planned work this summer includes improvements to the camp’s septic system.