Camp Lakotah – A Local Treasure

I sat on the porch of Friendship Lodge at Camp Lakotah on a 91-degree June morning wondering why I felt so cool and peaceful. Cliff said it was the lake and the forest. It was an answer to the cooling but the answer to peace stems from the management and purpose of the place.
Cliff and Sandy Clauer opened Camp Lakotah (formerly Camp Web) in 2009. They believe that camp is for fostering community and a place to break down barriers.
Cliff hasn’t had a summer off from camp since he was 9 years old and camp has been his work for 40+ years. Clearly camp is his passion - not just the physical activities of camping but the building of community from those activities.
Camp Lakotah hosts intensive summer kids camps for user groups (church, community groups...). Some examples of special summer camps are Badger Youth Camp for children of the Wisconsin National Guard and Camp Corral which is for kids whose parents have been killed, injured, or became ill while serving our country. Kids for Camp Corral come from all over the world as well as locally and it is free to campers. Camp Lakotah generally runs from March until deer hunting season in November. Winter activities are minimized. Because the camp is 126 acres all activities are on-site.
There are international campers though most kids come from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Staff come from all over the world as well as local. Currently, there are staff from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and France, plus America. Foreign staff experience Americana as they attend a baseball game, a Packers game, and usually a local/state fair. Wautoma kids who attend this camp enjoy a cultural exchange because of foreign staff.

Kids camping season starts with Day Camp. The school district has Camp Parkside - a morning program for the first four weeks of summer. For parents who need or want a full-day program, the bus stops at the camp on the way to the Redgranite drop-off. The parents pick them up at camp at 5 p.m. There is also an all-day Day Camp (Monday through Friday) where the parents drop off at 8 a.m. and pick up their kids at 5 p.m. Activities vary from day to day, but swimming is an everyday activity at the hottest part of the day. Every camper gets a swim test to determine their ability and where they can safely swim. This year all counselors are certified lifeguards as well as CPR.
Many grandparents live on the local lakes and bring their visiting grandkids to Day Camp. Some of the grandparents coordinate their grandkids visits with their neighbors which has fostered a summer kids’ community both at Day Camp and in their summer neighborhood. Some of these kids have become resident campers, and several have become staff members.
Lakotah is purposefully a smaller camp–quaint, personal, and like family. Cliff and Sandy are active with the kids, allowing them to answer parents’ or grandparents’ inquiries about how little campers are doing. The most campers attending at any time are between 100 to 120. There are 45 staff members. A ratio of 1 counselor to every 4 kids as opposed to the most camp ratios of 1 to 15.
Mini-Camp is two days a week for 4- to 6-year-olds. There are two counselors for every four kids. Day Camp and Resident Camp are for ages 7 to 14. These camps can happen at the same time. After age 14 there is a Leadership Training Camp by selection only. Candidates are chosen from campers who have attended camp for at least two years – preferably Resident Camp. Counselors work to identify candidates from the campers. Candidates apply via essay. Cliff reviews the essays in the fall and only 10 to 12 are selected for the three-year program. Those chosen for the program attend camp three times a year – January, a spring training weekend, followed by summer stints.
Camp activities are numerous and varied and work within the interests of the counselors. A counselor who loves what they are leading will carry that enthusiasm to the campers. There are three morning activities that campers choose and enjoy for two days. Then on to the next choice. Afternoon activities are chosen by cabins and evening activities incorporate all campers. Every child will find an interest, whether it is face painting, tubing, canoeing, or water polo – you name it, they seem to do it.
Lakotah means friend and surely this is a place of friendships. I’d say, “Sign me up!” except I’m way beyond the age limit.
Registration information is available at www.camplakotah.com or 920-787-0123 Church or community groups can rent in June and August. Off-season is open to user groups for day retreats, weddings, workshops, etc. as the camp has one of the largest buildings in the area to host.
They have a 501C3 campership fund to provide scholarships but do not actively pursue donations. Most of the scholarships go to Waushara area kids.