On a sunny Friday in October, I joined Kathy Czepiel, Save the Sound’s Land Protection manager, as we drove through a wooden archway and past a hand-carved sign onto Deer Lake’s serene property in Killingworth, CT. The scene, with red wood buildings framed by yellow trees and falling leaves, felt like stepping into a postcard of a classic New England fall.
We were there to get an update on a land protection project from a few years ago in which Save the Sound helped local advocates save Deer Lake from being sold to a developer. As we approached the main office, Kathy told me that land conservation efforts so often take decades, sometimes spanning entire careers. But Deer Lake was a happy exception. Over the course of just a few short months, a community who cared about their childhood camp rallied together to save it.
We found the new camp managers, Jenn and Brian Carroll, in the hybrid camp office/front room of their house. We were greeted with a warm hello and a quick glimpse of Fred, their little gray cat who darted through the door and disappeared into the woods. As we gathered around the wooden table, Jenn brought me up to speed on the history of the camp at Deer Lake.
Deer Lake is a beautiful 253-acre wooded property that was, up until a few years ago, a Boy Scout camp owned by the Connecticut Yankee Council. In 2022, the Council made plans to sell the property to a member of their own executive board for development. A local nonprofit called Pathfinders, who had been renting the space from the Boy Scouts for a co-ed summer camp for years, rallied together the community and a group of nonprofits, including Save the Sound the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, the Trust for Public Land and others to save the camp from being lost to developers.
Jenn got involved through her husband Brian, who had been a camp counselor at Deer Lake as a teenager. Later, he met Jenn at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and throughout their relationship the couple often returned to Deer Lake, earning it a special place in their hearts.
But Jenn and Brian weren’t the only ones who treasured the memories made at Deer Lake camp. Once Pathfinders began fundraising to put in a bid for the property, they raised $3 million in just seven weeks through donations from former campers and concerned neighbors who wanted to help. “This place meant so much to so many people,” Jenn told me. “They just wanted it saved.”
Although the property was listed for $4.3 million, the developers’ bid was higher. Ultimately, Pathfinders was able to secure Deer Lake with a final purchase price of $4.7 million, made possible through fundraising efforts and two donors who stepped in to cover the remaining $1.8 million in loans, including $200,000 for improvements and maintenance.
Strolling through the property, we passed a barn on the National Register of Historic Places, a ropes course, 3- and 4-season shower houses, a climbing cliff and challenge course for team building activities, a lake with boat rentals and docks, and rustic camping sites. Kathy noted that everything seemed in better condition than it had been just 18 months ago when Jenn and Brian took over.
Jenn then told the story of how she and Brian got here. They were stationed in Puerto Rico in June 2023 when they got the call that Deer Lake was going to be saved, and that the previous owners wanted them to take on the director roles. Following their dreams of getting involved in youth outdoor education after retirement from the Coast Guard, they agreed, and Jenn flew back to Connecticut to co-direct one last camp season with former director Patty Clifton.
As we paused at an overlook, gazing through the foliage at the shimmering lake below, Jenn became emotional recounting how the final portion of the loan was paid off earlier this year. She described how she and Patty were sitting in the office when a letter arrived. Patty opened it, and froze, asking “Does this say what I think it does?” They read it again together in overwhelmed disbelief as they began to cry. A longtime supporter of Deer Lake, David Knapp, had passed away and in his will, specified that his estate would cover the remaining balance of the loan, no matter the amount.
Thanks to Knapp’s generosity, Pathfinders now owns Deer Lake outright. Now that the property is fully paid off, doors for permanent protection of the land are opening and Pathfinders is looking into creating a conservation easement to protect the property in perpetuity.
Under Pathfinders’ stewardship, Deer Lake has been opened to the public in a way never seen before. We walked along the trails under trees blazing with peak fall color and Jenn pointed out lean-tos, cabins, pavilions, and rustic tent sites that can be rented for events or family camping trips. They’ve built a new website and are figuring out how to repurpose areas that were previously only used by Scout groups to be useful for family and smaller group rentals.
Their mission is to provide opportunities for accessible outdoor education and recreation in a protected, environmentally critical preserve. This summer, they hosted eight camp sessions with a total of 1,200 kids, including a one-week camp for childhood burn victims.
Last month they held the first Killingworth town picnic in nearly two decades, gathering over 1,000 people on the property to connect with nature and their community.
Deer Lake is thriving as a hub of outdoor recreation for the community. Jenn and Brian’s goal is to create a space for everyone, and with their vision and dedication, they are well on their way to making that a reality.
