CRIVITZ – Just outside of Crivitz, tucked away amongst the red pines and overlooking Sand Lake, is the Camp Bird Youth Center, a historic youth camp owned by Marinette County and cared for by the Friends of Camp Bird.

Camp Bird has hosted generations of families through Camp Bird for Lutherans, Inc., which invites children to connect with nature and experience a traditional summer camp.

Founding documents trace the history of the camp back to thousands of years ago when glaciers shaped the landscape and created the features of Northeast Wisconsin that are recognizable to this day. More recently, the land that would later host the camp was owned by Isaac Stephenson — a pioneer, businessman and politician that shaped the City of Marinette — from 1875 to 1920.

It was then sold to the Skidmore Land Company and, in 1929, Marinette County claimed 80 acres of land and Sand Lake for $82.75 in unpaid back taxes.

In 1936, the idea to create a youth camp at Sand Lake was brought to the county board by chairman L. E. Ness, county health officer Dr. Maurice Bird and county agriculture agent for the University of Wisconsin Extension Charles Drewry. By 1939, the county signed a resolution authorizing development of the youth center and the property was developed by the Federal Works Projects Administration and Marinette County forestry staff in 1942.

Dr. Bird sadly passed away before his vision was realized, but after opening in 1943 the camp was named in his honor. His memory lives on in the 39 original buildings and recreation center that were completed in 1958, as well as all of the excitement and joy that has come since then — including at the annual Camp Bird for Lutherans.

Camp Bird for Lutherans

Each year, Camp Bird for Lutherans rents out the facility for their own summer camp program. This tradition has been in place since 1952, when a last-minute cancellation allowed pastors Delmar Brick and Ted Hartwig to book the site for youth ministry programming. Pastor Winfred Nommensen, along with a variety of volunteers, helped carry out the tradition going forward.

“I’ve grown up at Camp Bird since I was little. My dad started renting the camp with Camp Bird for Lutherans back in 1953. He started it and he was involved in it all the way up until his passing in 1997,” explained Dan Nommensen.

Over time, the program expanded from one week to two weeks in 1959 and eventually three weeks in 1971, serving hundreds of children each summer.

“Our family — I have a brother and two sisters — and a number of other very faithful volunteers over the years have just continued to come back every summer for a week. Our group rents the camp for three weeks out of the summer, and I volunteer for one of those weeks,” Nommensen.

In addition to volunteering with Camp Bird for Lutherans, Nommensen is also the Friends of Camp Bird event coordinator.

“The Friends of Camp Bird actually started back in the 1990s with a great group of volunteers, but they aged out and most of them have passed away. Now, a small group of new volunteers have sprung up,” he shared.
As a nonprofit organization, the Friends of Camp Bird aims to provide support for Marinette County so the camp property can remain operational for years to come.
“We want to make sure that we’re here to support the county and help handle any unbudgeted items that may come up,” Nommensen said.

In an effort to build public awareness and raise maintenance funds, the Friends of Camp Bird are hosting a nostalgic open house event for alumni and community members alike.

Camp Bird Appreciation Day

On Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Camp Bird will open their doors to the public for Camp Bird Appreciation Day. This exciting event will feature a hot dog and brat cookout, historic log building tours, trail hikes, recreation games, guest speeches from state officials like Representative Jeffrey Mursau and a chance to connect with the people that have kept Camp Bird running, including Phil Thibodeau, the Camp Bird caretaker for over 40 years.

Nommensen shared his excitement for a day of “great fellowship and nostalgia, where [visitors can] see where they stayed as a camper and see the dining hall again or just go down by the lake and remember what it was like when they were kids at camp — we’re going to provide that experience.”

Camp Bird Youth Center is located at N8395 Caldron Falls Rd., Crivitz. Attendees can register for this free event online and may make any donations at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/camp-bird-appreciation-day.

For more information, contact friendsofcampbird@gmail.com or follow Friends of Camp Bird on Facebook.