Thefts jeopardize
Girl Scout camp

HILO » A Girl Scout camp on the Big Island between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa lost $20,000 worth of equipment around Thanksgiving and Christmas, the organization announced yesterday.

"The Girl Scouts are both stunned and terribly saddened by these break-ins," said Awa. "Camp Kilohana has always provided a safe environment for girls to explore the outdoors, discover the wonders of nature and learn about their own capabilities. This is now in jeopardy because of the reckless acts of some individuals."

The first theft from Camp Kilohana was discovered Nov. 25, said Char Awa, Hawaii County manager of the Girl Scout Council of Hawaii.

Thieves cut through a fence and stole 10 photovoltaic panels and eight deep-cycle batteries, she said.

In a second theft, reported to police on Dec. 18, additional panels and control equipment for the electrical system were stolen, along with a remote telephone system.

The phone system had been installed as a safety measure, Awa said. With both power and phone gone, the camp's use by Girl Scouts and other nonprofit agencies is now "uncertain," she said.

Besides money to replace the systems, the camp will need to be "fortified" to prevent future break-ins, Awa said.

The 6.8-acre site has been owned and operated by the Girl Scouts since 1954. The only other break-in at the camp took place in the 1990s, Awa said.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Big Island Girl Scouts at 966-9376 or police at 935-3311.

The Girl Scout Council of Hawaii serves 4,000 girls statewide, 750 of them on the Big Island.