Camp Westwind is a summer camp on the Oregon Coast in the United States, that takes place at the historic 'Westwind' property just north of Lincoln City and south of

Cascade Head Cascade Head is a headland and UNESCO biosphere reserve and United States Forest Service Experimental Forest. It is situated southwest of Portland, Oregon on the Oregon Coast between Lincoln City and Neskowin. Cascade Head Preserve is a Natur ...

Extent

The camp comprises , touching the Salmon River and the Pacific Ocean and borders

Route 101 Route 101 or Highway 101 can refer to multiple roads: International * European route E101 Argentina * National Route 101 Australia * Southern Ports Highway * Princes Highway (East) Brazil * BR-101 Canada * British Columbia Highway 101 ...

on the east. However, the sandy beaches are not part of Camp Westwind and are under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

History

The land was once inhabited by the Nechesne, a

Salish Salish () may refer to: * Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans ** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest ** Interior Salish peoples, several First Nat ...

speaking tribe of the Oregon Coast, also known as the Salmon River Indians. Founded in 1936 (first camp sessions in 1937), the camp was run by the

YWCA of Greater Portland YWCA of Greater Portland is a charitable organization with a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The organization serves Multnomah County in four major areas of programming including ...

until September, 2013, when the camp program was acquired by the Westwind Stewardship Group (WSG). In 2006, the Westwind property was purchased by the newly formed Westwind Stewardship Group (founded in 2004), an organization of former campers, counselors and Westwind guests dedicated to permanent protection of the Westwind landscape and its use as an educational retreat and camp. The camp remains accredited by the American Camp Association.

Camp activities

Activities at the camp include

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

, standup paddleboarding,

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

, challenge course,

mud mucking A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...

Gaga ball Gaga ( he, גע גע literally 'touch touch') (also: ga-ga, gaga ball, or ga-ga ball) is a variant of dodgeball that is played in a gaga "pit". The game combines dodging, striking, running, and jumping, with the objective of being the last pers ...

, volleyball,

arts and crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

camping skills Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more natu ...

, and hiking. Camp Westwind previously included horse riding as part of the program activities. Camp Westwind also has a 9-hole

disc golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course, over 10 miles of trails, and four miles of waterfront (including a mile of beach). Camp programs for children (ages 7–17) and families (all ages) run throughout the summer and on weekends during Spring, Fall, and Winter. Westwind hosts Fall and Spring Stewardship weekends where guests volunteer on-site and facility projects. Westwind also hosts a community Earth Day event in April and a Visitor's Day in June. Westwind is a host site for the Multnomah Education Service District's Outdoor School program, a youth camp that recruits high school volunteers to teach 6th-grade students about nature and conservation.

References

External links

*
Official website
Buildings and structures in Lincoln County, Oregon Westwind 1936 establishments in Oregon {{LincolnCountyOR-geo-stub