After evacuating Camp Tawonga last week due to smoke from the Ferguson Forest Fire, Camp Tawonga has announced they will not be able to return to camp this season.

In an email to the camp community, Jamie Simon, Tawonga’s Executive Director, wrote: “Today, I had to share the sad news with Session IV families and our 2018 summer staff that we will not be able to return to Tawonga to resume the session. Since evacuating from Camp this past Tuesday, the air quality in the region has remained unhealthy.

Although this is sad news, I am 100% confident that canceling the session and putting the children’s safety first is the right decision. The U.S. Forest Service, the Tuolumne County Health Department and CAL FIRE all recommend that Camp Tawonga remains closed for at least another week due to unhealthy air quality and volatile fire conditions.

The smoke from back-burn operations initiated to contain the spread of the Ferguson Fire continues to come into Camp at hazardous levels, and none of us wants our kids exposed to that. Furthermore, we have received evacuation advisories from both the Tuolumne County Health Department and the Tuolumne County Sheriff.

Right now, our thoughts are with the thousands of brave men and women still fighting this fire and many others in California.

On a happier note, the Forest Service is confident that Tawonga’s property is not at risk, and we expect to run all of our scheduled Family Camp Weekends this season.”