By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Camp Big Sky started small in 2004, operating on a modest, break-even budget with administrative support from the Big Sky Owners Association. It has since evolved and expanded dramatically, and ahead of its 20th year, leaders recognize it’s been much more than a camp.
After a few transitions over the years, Camp Big Sky is now funded and operated by the nonprofit Big Sky Community Organization. From June 10 to Aug. 23 this year, locals and visitors can sign their kids up for the entire summer, selected weeks or even specific days. Programming runs Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with after-camp coverage until 5:30 for an extra fee.
Madeleine Feher, director of operations for BSCO, explained that there is no other child care option to support working parents in Big Sky for the age group Camp Big Sky primary serves—ages 6 to 13. Ophir Elementary School offers a reading group by invitation, Greater Gallatin United Way has a pre-K camp at the Big Sky School District, Moonlight Basin’s camp is only open to the public for one week, and Morningstar Learning Center enrolls younger children.
“So there’s no other resources,” Feher said. “We’re really proud to provide this service.”
The camp mostly serves working families, “but truly anybody can be a part of Camp Big Sky,” she noted.
Registration will remain open from now until August. Most days do not fill, but if they do, it’s usually the Pioneers group, ages 6 to 9. The Explorers group is open for 10- to 13-year-olds—a wider range this year, as the camp was previously capped at 12-year-olds.
A week of camp costs $200 for Pioneers, and $225 for Explorers. Feher said that’s extremely affordable.
BSCO is offering scholarships this summer to supplement aid provided in recent years by Wellness in Action—WIA is providing fewer scholarships for 2024. Aid is supported by grants from organizations including Spanish Peaks Community Foundation and Moonlight Community Foundation.
Early days
In 2023, Camp Big Sky enrolled 151 total kids across 109 families. It plays a key role in supporting local families and enriching kids’ summers.
In 2004, community member Barbara Rowley saw the need for organized summer programming for school-aged children.
Rowley was confident in her past experience as a counselor and director of a large camp in Colorado, and she knew a local camp could help working parents when school let out for summer. Camp Big Sky is not the only effort Rowley led in Big Sky; she helped establish Lone Peak High School, and still runs Big Sky Broadway which spawned from Camp Big Sky, to name a couple.
“At that point in Big Sky’s history, it was all about things we needed… When we needed anything, we just made it happen,” Rowley told EBS in a phone call.
In 2004, Katie Coleman had been in Big Sky for two or three years and was working on her teaching degree, when Rowley recruited her to serve as camp director.
“She had this enthusiasm and really wanted to do it. She was awesome,” Rowley said.
Coleman spent 11 summers with Camp Big Sky.
“I loved being able to provide support for working families, working parents who really struggled in the summertime working and keeping their children active, involved, safe and engaged,” Coleman said. “… I think I’m most proud that it’s still running, and running strong with solid community involvement and a focus on children.”
Coleman now works at the new treatment plant for the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District, located beside Big Sky Community Park and the camp facility, and often drives by. She marvels at the yurts and the playground equipment—when Coleman started in 2004, she was essentially operating Camp Big Sky out of her car.
“It’s pretty neat to see how far it’s come, and to think I had a little part in it,” she said.
Coleman, alongside Rowley and Barb Rooney, another generous supporter, pulled the camp together and kept it afloat. Rowley brought programming ideas and design, and Rooney worked behind the scenes to make it possible, pulling strings as a liaison through her role on the Big Sky Owners Association board.
“I would say my role was number one to support that and understand the vision, and bring the other board members along and say, ‘this is a good thing, the community needs it,’” Rooney recalled. “… It was just a big void.”
“Always grateful to my ‘Barbs,’” Coleman said of Rowley and Rooney. “Anything I asked for, they took care of it.”
When Camp Big Sky started, the community park was managed by the BSOA. Being a homeowners association, they were generally uninterested in running a summer camp, Rowley recalled, but they saw the benefit to local owners and allowed their insurance to cover the camp.
“The Big Sky Owners Association agreed to do it under the condition that it cost absolutely nothing,” Rowley recalled. Tuition would offset costs: Coleman’s paycheck and program supplies. With encouragement from Rooney, BSOA also helped manage payroll and administrative support.
“BSOA was huge in that regard, to help us operate legitimately and safely,” Coleman said, also giving credit to Big Sky Resort, Lone Mountain Ranch and Jake’s Horses for offering activities.
The camp’s shoestring budget grew slowly over the years, as Camp Big Sky was managed by different and evolving organizations. BSOA created a parks and trails committee, and the camp was included in its jurisdiction; the Big Sky Community Corporation took over in 2010 and would later become the Big Sky Community Organization, which continues to grow and expand its funding for programs like Camp Big Sky.
Through all the changes, affordability remained a centerpiece. Rowley brought ideas and created programs—Big Sky Broadway began as a multi-week camp theme—and Rooney helped secure resources.
One of the biggest battles was finding a home base. The camp needed shelter, and Rowley pushed for a yurt for its indoor-outdoor feel. The yurt concept faced pushback from some folks who didn’t like the look, and as a dependent organization, funding wasn’t easy to come by.
Finally, in 2014, Camp Big Sky secured Resort Tax funding through BSCC for the first yurt.
“That really gave us a presence in the park,” Rowley said.
Coleman agreed.
“Getting that first yurt built, so that we actually had a legitimate home base that was ours, was a pretty monumental feat. Because for 10 years, we operated on rainy days wherever we could,” she said.
Even in 2024, space remains a challenge. Feher and Cassie Carlson, BSCO operations and communications manager, explained that Camp Big Sky needs more space for continued growth. BSCO hopes to expand from two yurts to four.
This summer will be the last year that Camp Big Sky operates at its current site. Next year, the camp will move slightly, to a more spacious area within Big Sky Community Park. A new playground, Adventure Park, will be completed in early June in time for this summer, and BSCO expects the new Camp Big Sky site will be built in late summer or early fall after the camp’s 20th summer.
Coleman is impressed to see the growth of Camp Big Sky’s resources and the size of its 10-person staff, some being former campers—Rowley is proud that local high schoolers can develop leadership skills by working as counselors.
Over the years, Camp Big Sky’s summer program has added to its themed weeks, now opening with happy camper days, and including weeks such as magical creatures (bugs), Wild West, nature and superheroes. Carlson said Olympics week is popular, usually around two-thirds through the summer.
“It’s an outdoor camp. So you’re playing in the dirt… We bring in specialty instructors to do martial arts, to teach mountain biking,” Feher said.
Rooney is pleased to see the new energy that BSCO brings to improve the camp every year. Like most organizations in Big Sky, new people cycle in, bringing new ideas, and that tends to support productive evolution.
“The best thing is, it’s in good hands, and it’s got good stewards,” Rooney said. “Obviously it’s a necessary part of our community, or it wouldn’t have lasted 20 years.”
