To the editor:
First let me say, thank you for this wonderful publication. As someone who has loved the Berkshires for almost 40 years, the information you provide is fabulous.
I am writing because I have an issue with Carole Owens’ piece in Connections: “Tough choices in a pandemic.” She makes a point of mentioning that there are numerous camps in the Berkshires that raise the population significantly in the summers. As a former camper and counselor at one of these camps, I understand this. However, Carole goes on to say that “all 6,000-7,000 [children and adults] come from out of state.” This statement is completely false. While many campers and staff do come from out of state to the numerous camps, many also live in the state of Massachusetts. Maybe they are not from Berkshire County, but this statement does not tell the whole truth. Again, as someone who has spent many different seasons in the Berkshires, including summers, I resent blanket statements like this one, that also appear to have no research backing them up.
I understand the impact summer residents have in the Berkshires, both positive and negative, and that this summer the lack of said residents could be devastating to many businesses. I also understand that the increase in population puts a stressor in the medical community, should an outbreak of anything occur. As a parent who had her child taken care of by Berkshire Medical staff after a bad skiing accident, I understood the importance of the medical community. All that said, I do not appreciate people who make broad statements regarding summer residents, camp communities included, without actually having the appropriate statistics. It places a negative outlook on the camps, who try to represent themselves in the area in good light and try to do what they can for the communities they “invade.”
I would appreciate more thought and research going into articles that make mention of the summer camps. I understand that some people who live in these communities all year round are not fans of the camps. At the same time, skewing numbers only continues that animosity, rather than foster a cohabiting community.
I am not one who typically writes letters to the editorial staff, but the lack of breaking down the statistics in this particular piece struck a chord with me that I could not let go.
Thank you again for your continued coverage. It is greatly appreciated.
Beth Adler
Framingham and Lee
