Donna Spiegler is a member of Trefoil Integrity, a group that tried to block the sales of the four campgrounds at a general assembly meeting in the fall. They fell  short of the votes they needed, and Spiegler says the boycott is a logical extension of that protest.

Spiegler: “When they sell cookies, they sell cookies to fund these troop camping experiences. If they’re not going to be able to camp at the camps they love – they’ve reached these conclusions on their own. That they can be Girl Scouts, but not sell cookies because there’s no point in selling cookies if they can’t camp at their camps.”

But the chief financial officer of the scouting council, John Graves, says the camps are too old and expensive to maintain. The council is converting the three remaining campgrounds into leadership centers, that could include climbing walls and adventure courses.

Graves: “When I talk to girls, they want certain things at their camps and as far as the location – they don’t care where they go. They want to have a good time, they want to be with their friends, they want to make new friends and they want to do some fun things.” 

The protest is not likely to end with the cookie-sale boycott. Spiegler says her group is raising money to sue the Northeast Ohio Girl Scout Council.