Sarah Tarjeson, 4-H Youth Development Educator and Linda Robson, 4-H Program Educator

4-H Camp Riversite in Hingham, Wisconsin is a 60-acre property owned by the Sheboygan County 4-H Leaders Association. It is a representative jewel of Wisconsin land including deciduous and pine forests, wetland, prairie, and riverfront. The 4-H Camp Riversite Management Committee has begun to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in promoting this property. The 4-H Camp Riversite Committee reviewed input from the Citizen Input survey regarding property management which included a total of 157 respondents. Analysis of the data by the committee so far includes:

• Strengths
  • Potential for a good multi-use property (recreation, forests)
  • Unique eco-system – Onion River, Deciduous Forest, Pine Forests, Wetland, Prairie
  • Rustic environment – unique opportunities for kids these days, different from what others may provide
  • Hiking Trails, Horse Trails
  • Onion River potential
  • Strong local 4-H and Community program
• Weaknesses
  • Funds are pretty limited in the current budget
  • Currently a lack of clear goals going forward
  • Probably under-utilized, needed tracking systems, need to compile information
  • Access road/driveway to the property is not very nice
  • The camp is pretty remote and hard to find if you don’t know where it is
  • A lot of invasive species (honeysuckle, prickly ash, multi-flora rose)
• Opportunities
  • Need to get a better handle on what participants want.
  • Use of the cabin
  • Usable shelter space
  • Updating the play equipment
  • Get a better understanding of the usage (disc golf vs ball field)
• Threats
  • Use of property by vagrants/nefarious activity
  • Lack of maintenance that meets the needs
  • The driveway needs to be grated
  • Trees along driveway need to be cut back
  • Trees removed from trails