The winter months at Forestburg Scout Reservation present a unique challenge this year: due to a paperwork issue, the camp did not receive permission to dig a new well before winterizing. As a result, the majority of the site does not have running water. The staff of Dystopia Rising New York has a plan to mitigate this issue; this announcement describes how we will provide a safe and comfortable experience. There are three key things for players to know in this regard: what activities you can’t do, what activities will be impacted, and special actions we need you to take.
What You Can’t Do
There are only two things we can’t mitigate with the water situation (one of which you might not have even known was an option):
Showers will not be available. You can’t shower onsite.
You can’t wash your clothes (normally, we have washers and dryers).
All other activities (including cooking & cleaning) will be available, with some necessary changes and limitations.
Activities Impacted
First and foremost, we need to make sure that you stay well hydrated. We will provide 1,200 bottles of water that will be positioned in sleeping cabins around the camp. In addition, we will have coolers of water in Ops and in the Great Hall for you to fill your personal water bottles. As all cabins are heated, we do not foresee any issues with water freezing.
Cooking onsite has always been limited; players need to bring their own stovetops or other cooking devices (microwaves are available). To clean your cooking utensils, we will be carrying water to the kitchen in the Great Hall, and heating water on the camp stove. This will allow you to sanitize your utensils, however, you will need a Coord Guide present to supervise. As the kitchen and the post office are co-located, you’ll be able to clean your utensils whenever the post office is open. We recommend that if you intend to do a great deal of cooking, you look into alternatives to keep your utensils sanitary.
Personal hygiene is important, and we’ll be providing hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes in all the cabins. We’ll also be sending cleaning crews out throughout the weekend. As we expect an increase in trash (due to plastic bottles and pre-packaged food), we will provide large trash bags to all cabins. Remember: All food waste must be disposed of in the trash compactor by the Great Hall every night!
Special Actions
As this is an unusual circumstance, we do have special actions we’ll require of players:
Please plan on how you’ll accomplish personal hygiene. Think ahead not only in regards to make-up removal, but also brushing your teeth using bottled water, for example.
Please make sure you have a refillable water bottle: it prevents unnecessary waste.
If you have Early Clean-Up, you’ll be provided a specific time. It’ll be your job to go around to the sleeping areas, replace water bottles, and remove trash. You might also need to clean common areas. Early Clean-Up is a vital part of our plan - please be sure to report on time.
Most bathrooms on site are latrines without flushing toilets. The only flushing toilets will be by the parking lot (these are also the only toilets that we can guarantee will be heated).
Throw away your empty water bottles. We have had problems with people leaving empty bottles around the camp in the past, please prioritize throwing away your empties.
While the lack of running water is a significant obstacle, our plan to mitigate it should result in little more than a lack of showers and a long walk if you want a heated bathroom. If you have questions, please contact us at info@dystopiarisingny.com