It is the staff that makes the memories
Whether it is a Cub Scout event on a weekend or a full week of summer camp with a Scouts BSA unit, an enthusiastic staff has always been the thing that delivers the program.
Atarah Lee
The Camp Ranger lives on site and keeps the place running — water lines, roads, buildings, tree work, and the hundred jobs that happen in the fifty weeks a year when nobody is watching. Everything else on this site depends on that work being done.
As of April 1, 2026, that job belongs to Atarah Lee. She came in with ideas, energy and a clear view of what GWP could be, and the improvements have already started showing up around camp.
She is not here on her own. Her husband Harrison is GWP's Aquatics Director, and the Lees have two children. Camp is home.
Ranger contact details are coming soon. A direct phone number and email will be posted here once they are set up.
In the meantime, reach camp through the East Texas Area Council office on 903-597-7201 — and for anything about registration or fees, the council is the right call anyway.
What camp staff actually do
Camp Pirtle offers a wide array of learning activities and Scouting fun — swimming and boating, crafts and nature studies, climbing and outdoor skills. Every one of those areas needs someone who knows it well enough to teach it, and who can hold a group of Scouts' attention while doing it.
Staff run program areas, teach merit badges, supervise ranges and the waterfront, cook and serve, maintain the camp, and set the tone for everyone who walks through the gate.
Who we are looking for
- Youth staff — older Scouts and Venturers ready to take real responsibility for a program area.
- Adult staff — leaders with specific skills in aquatics, shooting sports, climbing, nature, or handicraft.
- Area directors — experienced staff who can run a program area and develop the people in it.
- Turkey Camp volunteers — a shorter commitment over the Thanksgiving holiday, and a good way to try camp staff on for size.
We will be straight with you: attracting a knowledgeable staff for a few weeks in the summer, or as volunteers for Turkey Camp, is always a challenge. That is exactly why the council has made staff housing its highest improvement priority — because comfortable quarters with homelike amenities are what make serving on camp staff a genuinely rewarding experience rather than an endurance test.
What is changing for staff
The GWP 60 Campaign puts the staff area first: electricity run to each of the tent pads, cabins completed from donated materials and made ready to house key staff members, and a completely renovated staff shower house. Cosmetic improvements to the Directors' Cabins and the Headquarters Building follow.