Member News, Updates from the Office

2022 Activities

SD Campground Owners Assoc

Here’s a glimpse into the office. We’ll keep January on the top, adding each month below it.

JANUARY

Continued activating 2022 membership benefits.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS:

Updated listing on CampInSouthDakota.com, based on the dues payment sheet each member submitted and updates that were recently submitted. Please, read your park’s data, and test the email address tab (if you supplied us with an email address for consumers to use). Feel free to notify our office anytime you have an update.

Launched the 2022 Business-to-Consumer marketing of CampInSouthDakota by updating the the member listings and posting about them on Facebook, Instragram, and Pinterest.

The Legislative Affairs Committee (including this office) dedicated a boatload of hours to their projects. Click to read about their efforts. The 2022 legislative session runs 1/11 – 3/10/2022.

Picked up our 2022 Camp In South Dakota Guide, and began the bulk distribution. Individual orders have been coming in since autumn. I began filling those orders on 1/22. (SDCOA took the we pic we used for our cover on a 2021 road trip to the Black Hills.)

Attended events at the Capitol on 1/18, and visited with legislators regarding our Legislative Affairs Committee issues and bills.

Met with industry professionals from across the state and sat in educational seminars and informative sessions at the Governor’s Tourism Conference (1/29 and 1/20).

SDCOA President Stephen Saint left Custer with a few moment’s notice to spend the next day at the Capitol to find truths instead of the rumors and conflicting stories we were receiving electronically and through phone calls. With Mary (Exec Dir), the two left the Capitol feeling as though they’d had a productive day, eventually speaking with the right significant players, but the next day the “truths” were proven to be false … or at best they were no longer relevant facts.

I can’t recall any January where I’ve parked myself in the Capitol for even 5% of the hours I’ve parked myself there this January! Many duties (such as the Jan. Board Meeting) were sidelined because of legislative affairs (primarily HB 1048, expansion of CSP).

A sampling of our 2022 print ads in tourism publications:

2022 South Dakota Visitors Guide (page 53)
2022 Southeast South Dakota Visitors Guide (page 35)

FEBRUARY

Legislative hearings and days at the Capitol caused the end of January and the start of February to blur into one long day. We are continuing the efforts on behalf of every campground in the state. Follow along by clicking here.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBER:

Finished the effort of the bulk distribution of our camping guide and caught up on filling the individual orders we receive through CampInSouthDakota.com.

Hosted an online networking and information exchange session between ARVC and members.

MARCH

Wrapped up the legislative session with the following outcomes (in numerical order, starting with House):

  • HB 1053 CERTAIN EXPENDITURE FUNDED BY GROSS RECEIPTS TAX: We opposed this bill but the hearing testimonies ran long so we didn’t speak. The bill ultimately died on the Senate floor.
  • HB 1048 FUNDING FOR CUSTER STATE PARK CAMPING EXPANSION: We opposed this bill. It died. Mind you, all that failed was the permission for funding. GF&P can still find ways to achieve its goal if its goal is to expand camping.
  • HB 1176 IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY FOR INHERENT RISKS OF CAMPING: Our bill passed is waiting to be signed by the Governor.
  • HB 1177 EJECTION OF A GUEST: Enacted by the Governor on 3/10/2022; effective 7/1/2022.
  • B 100 – REVISION OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR APPROVAL FROM CERTAIN PRIVATE CAMPGROUNDS: We opposed this bill. It was pulled by the sponsor (effectively, it died).
  • SB 135 PROVISIONS REGARDING AGRITOURISM LIABILITY: We supported this bill. It passed and has been signed by the Governor.
  • SB 179 MODIFICATION TO CODE REGARDING MUNICIPAL CAMPGROUNDS: We opposed this bill. It died.
  • SB 193 REQUIRE LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL FOR THE ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION, OR EXPANSION OF CERTAIN CAMPGROUNDS: Our bill, submitted in response to HB 1048. It was a long-shot, given the short-notice, but it was worthy of a try and it garnered attention and respect.
  • SD-MADE DISTILLED SPIRITS TO THE MALT BEVERAGE & SD-MADE WINE LICENSE: Our bill was never picked up by a sponsor but we will try again next year. Quite honestly, HB 1048 & SB 193 consumed our time at the launching of the session and this one fell through the cracks of the excessive hours required to orchestrate those two.
  • There were other bills we evaluated yet circumstanced shifted and our attention was no longer needed.

Renewed our association’s insurance policy.

Created a way to perform the 2022 Tour of South Dakota, thanks to some very generous suppliers within our industry. We are now clearing the path for Mary to spend the better part of five (5!) weeks on road trips to visit at least 150 campgrounds, RV parks, resorts, and glamping facilities.

Marketing to campers has been going well:

  • Overall, traffic is down, but stats show we’re simply moving back toward our pre-pandemic norms (recall that 2021 was off-the-charts high)
  • Increased traffic on our analytics from European countries
  • Google, Facebook, www.blackhillsbadlands.com, and Pinterest continue to be our top referrers to our website
  • The top pages on our site tend to be the Home page, search, resources, and blogs, but two parks made it into the top 10 in recent times: Heritage Village Campground and River of the Double Bend Campground (congrats to them!)
  • Feb. 20th (Sunday) and March 7th (Monday) have been the busiest two days on our website
  • We are posting on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram
  • Our printed guide has made its way into some outdoors expos this season, through our partnering tourism associations
  • Bulk distributions have been shipped (RV dealerships, some attractions, tourism associations, Certified Folder Display, etc.)
  • The printed guide is also available through our website,. It was wildly popular last year, so it doesn’t surprise us that orders are down about 40% so far this year. We are actually in line with demand from 2020 and before. We haven’t yet made up for the international orders we used to see, but they’re trickling in.

Hosted our annual meeting and elected our Board of Directors (and they elected their officers, as shown on the home page). We heard industry insight and statistics from Wanda Goodman, SD Dept. of Tourism Deputy Secretary. We also had with us Rep. Nancy York (District 5, Watertown / Chair of the 2022 House Local Government Committee).

APRIL

Informed the high bidders of our fund raising auction; invoiced them and will distribute their goods while I’m on the May/June Tour of South Dakota.

Continued distributing our printed camping guide and spreading online promotions for our CampInSouthDakota.com.

Dove further into prep work for our upcoming 2022 Tour of South Dakota. Sponsor and supporter programs are developing nicely, and the new business cards are now on their way to our office (remember, we have a new logo since last we printed cards).

Participated in a joint meeting with several of our members and several staff of GF&P. The purpose was to begin the process of creating open conversations to better understand one another when it comes to the outdoor hospitality industry.

Monitored the wildfire west of Custer and was thankful that our member properties remained untouched.

Released a new story to Woodalls Campground Magazine, and they published it. Click here to read it.

Uploaded the recordings of this year’s online sessions, and emailed the links to our members. Click here to see our benefits presentation.

MAY

The Tour of South Dakota consumed virtually every minute of May (exaggeration, but not by much!). Perhaps when the Tour has officially ended, I’ll take time to backtrack and fill in more insight into the incredible Tour.

While returning from one leg of the Tour, still about 30 minutes from home on a Friday afternoon, I received a call that changed my trajectory. I had been chosen to participate in the industry’s Advocacy event in Washington DC. After unloading the car and dropping everything in the middle of my home, I then spent the remainder of Friday registering and booking flights and lodging and shuffling my calendar and other obligations. It wasn’t an easy (nor fast) feat, but I was happy to do this for our industry!

Then I spent the weekend revamping and preparing to relaunch the Tour of South Dakota on Monday. I toured right up into Friday afternoon of Memorial Day Weekend before pausing for that busy time at the campgrounds.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBER:

JUNE

The Tour continued (and still continues).

Let’s return to the topic of Advocacy Day in DC. In mid-May I was chosen to represent the state associations during RVs Move America (scheduled meetings with legislators in Washington DC).

The entire group of RV-industry people was divided into many sub-groups. My group started as a large one of mostly ARVC staff, but quickly dissolved down to just me and an RVIA lobbyist. By spreading out we could cover more ground.

RVIA had several topics we were to discuss, and ARVC had two topics.

Here’s part of my report to ARVC and the other state executives, followed by some pics I snapped along the way (not all made it to our member’s only Facebook group during the trip, or to our public Facebook page … click on those to catch up on other content!):

It was a pleasure and an honor to be chosen to be a part of the Advocacy trip to Washington DC. Thank you, ARVC, for allowing a state exec to participate, and thank you, CAMP, for choosing me.

My last experience representing the industry in Washington DC happened under Linda Profaizer. Being under the RVIA umbrella made it very different. Still, my meetings seemed to go very well.

The first meeting was with a legislative assistant to Rep. Jason Crow (CO), in which Paul (Bambei, ARVC CEO) handled the content.

With Rep. Dusty Johnson’s (SD) legislative director, I presented my views of the issues. Susan (Motley, ARVC) and the RVIA guide contributed as well. I feel the meeting went well. 

On to the Senate side, the group was down to the RVIA lobbyist/guide and myself. We met with staff of Senator Rounds (Pierre SD) and then staff of Senator Thune (SD). 

Each time, I addressed the RVIA issues, with the RVIA lobbyist (guide) filling in some of the details, and I spoke on both ARVC issues:

  • ADA compliant website guidelines being needed and the 90-day window being needed,
  • plus the need for assistance for EV charging stations.

I had also called a special meeting with … Senator Moran (KS). Since RVIA had earlier visited with his staff … I focused on our former days and told him I had two campground concerns. … I later bumped into Sen. Moran at the very end of the day, as the ARVC group was heading out to dinner.

For each meeting, I would say the ADA compliant website issue drew the most “ah ha!”. While the EV issue perhaps provided a perspective they hadn’t yet considered, the ADA website issue was mostly completely new news to them. 

My sixth and last meeting included many more people from our RVIA / ARVC group. It was with Sen. Bennet (CO), and RVIA and ARVC did the talking for the group.

My report would be incomplete without mentioning the RVIA connections. I wanted to make sure I mingled with some of them, even though that meant I wasn’t always at the ARVC table. Paths had previously crossed with a few of them, and now more paths have intersected. 

As for the DC trip, that ends my report (oh, did I omit the “interesting” hotel room and the 18-hour delayed luggage?). Well, I’ve learned that every trip has its interesting situations!

Again, I’m grateful for having been chosen for the trip. Thank you!

Respectfully, Mary

This was the closest I was to the White House. I enjoyed a 3-mile walk after my long day of flights … and lost luggage (but that’s a whole other story!).
Markers are for the million deaths attributed to COVID-19
Sunday dinner. Washington DC is quite alive and bustling on every night but Sunday. I barely slipped into a diner at closing time … but they’d serve me only if I’d take it to go. I then walked a block and decided this step looked like a good dining room table. Glamorous? NOT! But it was tasty, nutritious, and filling.
Mary Arlington, Executive Director, ready to absorb the data about the industry’s issues.
Screen shot of data provided by RVIA
Screen shot of COLORADO-specific data provided by RVIA
Screen shot of SOUTH DAKOTA-specific data provided by RVIA
Enjoyed seeing Jennifer Mercer, the Director of Development for Care Camps, at this event. Yes, it was an industry-wide DAY ON THE HILL!
Prior to meetings on the Hill, the industry shared insight in many meetings.
The US Capitol, taken before our meetings in the legislative office buildings
Ready for my meetings! None of our meetings were in the Capitol. They were in various surrounding buildings that house the offices of the legislators and their staff. But we met at the Capitol in the morning, and later we returned to a social function in a room in the Capitol.
ARVC CEO Paul Bambei is speaking for the group with a legislative assistant to Rep. Jason Crow (CO). Please know that the main reason I posted this pic is because it truly reflects that meetings in Washington DC are very different than Capitol Hill Hearings! This is basement cafeteria, and we had to find a table at which to sit for our visit. Granted, it was the only visit that wasn’t in an office, but even those weren’t the offices you might conjure in your mind.
Ready to meet with staff of Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD). Please understand that meeting with the actual legislators isn’t the “best way” to convey your message. The elected rely on staff to chew through the data and opinions, and then feed the relevant “how to react” recommendation to the elected official. So, it is never a disappointment to meet with staff!
Actually, Rep. Johnson had just had his primary election the day before, back in SD. I expected to be in his home state for that event.
As I was preparing to enter into the office of Senator Jerry Moran (KS).
It was a hot and muggy day (at least for what I’m used to), so I laughed with jealousy when I saw this squirrel.
Ready for the last meeting of the day. We visited with staff from Sen. Michael Bennet’s office (CO).
Making our way to the after-meetings social in the Capitol.
Making our way to the after-meetings social in the Capitol.
Making our way to the after-meetings social in the Capitol.
Making our way to the after-meetings social in the Capitol.
Senator Moran and I enjoyed a brief visit at the end of the day. We first met when he was a US Representative from KS. Now he’s a US Senator from KS.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBER:

The Argus Leader interviewed me and some South Dakota campground owners. Click to read their article. If that link requires a subscription, you can read most of it in our industry’s WCM by clicking here.

As I gather them, I’ll add our Tour of South Dakota stats to this tally:

  • 151 parks received those packages.
  • SDCOA’s database of campground expanded from 163 parks to 214 parks based partly on the thorough research we did in preparation of this Tour and partly on the additions we stumbled upon as we drove those thousands of miles.
  • There was a membership drive taking place on the Tour, and that offer expires 7/24 (yes, we’ve already had some positive results)
  • I have yet to tally how many thousands of miles were driven because I haven’t had time to create my expense report. There are many loose ends in this office, but they’re being tied up a bit more each day. (7/27: still not tallied but rising on my To Do List.)

JULY

This month was like playing the old game of pick up sticks as I tied up loose ends that were created from an insane 6-month marathon of non-stop SDCOA activity! As of 7/27, I can attest that I still have loose ends to tie up, albeit a few trillion less than on 7/1. It focused mostly on administrative things: bookkeeping, documenting for upcoming meetings, and strategizing.

July is always when we finalize what the next year is going to look like, benefit-wise. In mid-July, we launch our industry supplier membership drive, so that’s now underway. In early August, we’ll launch our 2023 outdoor hospitality (the parks) membership drive, so July is always filled with strategic planning.

In mid-July, I spent a day with many in the SD tourism industry while we attended the Governor’s Tourism Advisory Board Meeting. I gave insight where I could, and I had personal visits on breaks with some key people who can help our camping industry.

We also picked up the pace on social media again, encouraging travel in the later part of summer and on into autumn.

Woodall’s Campground Magazine published our news: https://woodallscm.com/sdcoa-highlights-2-new-laws-to-assist-park-owners/.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBER:

AUGUST

Launched our 2023 membership drive for providers of outdoor hospitality.

Arranged to meet with the Mitchell campground owners and city officials. This meeting was brought about by two legislative bills this past January that threatened your rights that are in place because of codified law 9.38.1. The discussion will resume in November.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS:

Prepared for and led our Autumn Gatherings in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Attendees enjoyed learning about the trends our members are seeing, issues they’re interested in resolving, and so forth. Some notes I took:

  • “Was looking like a banner year until fuel prices rose!”
  • Some reported occupancy was down from 2021 and 2020, while being up from 2019. Others stated it was another record-breaking year. A few were down even from 2019.
  • In response to the rising fuel prices this spring and early summer, some parks allowed for more long-stays.
  • Many expressed pleasure in seeing international travelers again.
  • Many, but not all, expressed that ancillary revenue (store, restaurant, etc.) is down; people who chose to put fuel in their tanks curbed their other spending habits.
  • We spoke on electric vehicles, ADA guidelines, water rights, the 2023 legislative bills, younger RVers, families who home-school are helping to expand our camping season, and lots more.
This shows many of the attendees at the Autumn Gathering in Rapid City

Added the Public Affairs Resources page to this site, with plans of adding more content in the coming days and months. Stay tuned!

The Mitchell Republic made a rather thorough reach to create this article (this is the WCM reprint from the Mitchell Republic newspaper). You’ll see quotes from SDCOA’s executive director, Leavitt Recreation & Hospitality Insurance, RVIA, Fort Welikit Campground (Custer), and Governor Noem (to name at least most of those quoted).

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER

2023 membership dues are being collected. Those whose payments arrived by 9/15 gained additional perks for 2023.

We hosted a booth at The Glamping Show USA! It will take a few months to ascertain the overall return on our investment, but we are certainly gaining some brand familiarity while we inspire people in the glamping side of the outdoor hospitality industry to join us. It was wonderful to see a few members (including one I hadn’t actually met in person prior to this event!).

After settling back into our home office, having spent 7 weeks on special assignment, I asked members to be patient while I dig through the backlog. It will take until Thanksgiving for things to get back on even keel.

Attended the Southeast South Dakota Tourism Association’s annual meeting in Yankton, where we heard their exciting news and plans.

SD Secretary of Tourism James Hagen, speaking at the SESDT Association’s annual meeting

Attended the Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association’s annual meeting in Rapid City. Senator John Thune spoke. He took questions from the floor, including mine relating to electric vehicles (EVs) and the infrastructure at campgrounds and other private sector businesses.

US Senator John Thune (SD-R), speaking at the BH&BT Association meeting

The Chair of BH&B Tourism Association has been SDCOA member Ed Miller, of Rush-No-More RV Resort, Cabins & Campgrounds Black Hills Sturgis SD. Today he became the Past Chair, shown here with the new Chair Toni Woodruff (Sturgis Buffalo Chip).

Ed Miller (left) is now the Past Chair of the BH&BT Association

Began launching our 2023 marketing plans, gearing up to encouraging campers to come camp in South Dakota.

I’m hearing from some of you so I thought I’d put this here. Those who saw this statistic (minus my “WHAT???”) in an email from ARVC, please know that it’s merely evidence that statistics aren’t always worth the paper they’re written on (or the space on your computer screen).

For examples, if you drive around most campgrounds in the Black Hills of South Dakota, you’ll see license plates from virtually every state, ~~ considerably farther than 179 miles!

When I had my overnight RV park, I surveyed my guests. At that time, my “average” response showed that my guests had traveled closer to 400 miles that day (!!), and many had traveled over 1,000 on their entire trip. Granted, that was many years ago, yet it was based on the business model under which I chose to operate.

In 2021, ARVC shared a stat that the average campground had 185 campsites. In reviewing my member database, SDCOA’s average was 112.

IF YOU WANT MARY’S OPINION, please don’t compare your campground to national stats, and don’t compare them to industry specs (size, revenue, etc.). Compare them to your goals and to your previous years. If you want to compare them to others, choose like-minded ones (ones who are of a similar industry business model).

NOVEMBER

Reached an agreement on a way to reduce registration fees for those who attend IAAPA Expo (geared for the amusement world) in November. Since this is public page, you’ll need to ask us for the link that gives you the savings (or you could go to our private Facebook page to see the link, if you’ve actually requested access to that page).

Scrambling to catch up so the Board Packets for the upcoming Meeting of the Board of Directors will have all that’s needed to set the 2023 budget.

Began posting about industry suppliers on our association’s Facebook page. It’s my hope our supplier members will see LIKES and some comments so they feel the appreciation for their support. One day (when the dust settles in my office), I plan to calculate how much more park dues would have to be to cover all that we’d lose if we didn’t have the support of our suppliers!

Began launching pieces of our 2023 consumer-driven marketing.

In South Dakota there is a law which protects the rights of SD’s campground owners from unfair competition by municipalities, and it was challenged twice by bills this past legislative session. Neither bill survived! 💪🏻

This type of effort is what can be achieved when we have effective associations. Effective associations are achieved when we have participating members.

This is what makes the legislative affairs membership benefit our most powerful of the 8 areas of benefits offered by each: CCLOA, KPOA, and SDCOA.

I know of no other organization in my three states that work harder at protecting the state rights of campground owners.

THIS is why every member should be asking all campgrounds in their area to join! It’s also why every member should always renew each year.

Met with owners and managers of independent / private sector campgrounds in a community that is wanting to expand its city-owned campground. Then, reached out to coordinate another meeting for that group with city officials.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBER:

Distributed the industry supplier information to each outdoor hospitality member.

Voted! OK, well, that’s not exactly an association duty but, based on our involvement in legislative affairs, it counts as something worth mentioning. It takes a village!

Volunteered for several Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association committees. It takes a village!

Encouraged members to do two industry surveys, one by WCM and one by ARVC.

The SDCOA Board of Directors held their meeting. The focus: preparation for our 2023 budget and preparation for the 2023 legislative session, which will be finalized at their next meeting (it’s normally done now but Mary hasn’t had time to check in with each non-renewing member to see if their inactivity was oversight or intentional).

An additional item was added to our focus: the project we’ve seen labeled as “national ARVC Standards.” The Board created its official position statement about the standards project and emailed it, along with additional insight, to all members on 11/21. If you didn’t receive it, please notify us via info@CampInSouthDakota.com.

Prepared to attend and to host a booth at the Campground Owners Expo in Branson. We’ll have a booth, so there were supplies and new-member forms that were needed for this trip! We were also hosting a cracker barrel session.

Mary’s office accumulated piles and stacks like never before, given that she moved twice in 6 months and spent 4+ months of 2022 primarily in a mobile office. Sorting through those piles led her to realize we should be posting the summarized updates that Woodall’s Campground Magazine publishes in their print edition. Click on each to see a small sampling from this year (I’ll try to post these each month from here on out):

Changed the menu name of our “newsletter” page from Keeping You Informed to SDCOA Campfire. The URL remains unchanged so that old links will still work.

DECEMBER

Attended the Campground Owners Expo (COE) in Branson MO. It was a pleasure to visit with some of perspective members and with many owners from other states. The education and exhibits were fabulous. The only complaint I heard about the 1-hour cracker barrel session we hosted was that it was way too short! They wished it had gone on for at least another hour. The event organizers agreed, and I offered to host it again next year if they keep it on the program.

Coordinated some ongoing communications between the park owners in Mitchell and their city officials. We became aware that at least one park formally rejected the city’s proposed expansion of the city-owned campground.

We’re now collecting more data on each member. If you haven’t yet submitted it, here’s another chance.

  • Every member needs to re-submit their park’s contact information (page 1 of this PDF).
  • Also, review the park listing by comparing it to pages 2 – 4 of the worksheet (click here). For pages 2 – 4, please pass back only that which needs to be updated.

Added a new online networking event for 1/5/2023. It’ called “Connecting Influencers & Outdoor Hospitality Providers.”

The upcoming legislative session is quickly approaching. We have our first meeting of our Legislative Affairs Committee (set for 1/5 at 2 p.m. CT) via Zoom.

The following is part of an email that was sent to the members on 12/19/2022.

Our longest standing member, Al Johnson, has been a staple, a resource, a powerhouse, and a reliable and loyal member to SDCOA for practically his entire life, and he’s now retiring.

SDCOA Member Al Johnson and Executive Director Mary Arlington, taken in 2017

It deeply pains me that these are the final days of his time with SDCOA, although I certainly understand the desire we each have for retirement.

I’ve known Al for many years and I simply cannot say enough. That’s why he’s received every award and recognition that’s probably possible in our industry, and likely several of them several times over his lifetime. Click here for a recent glimpse into more about Al.

This change in his status caused me to ponder who now will be our next Al Johnson. The history within Al’s memory is unfathomable!

Who, among us:

  • Is going to be our steady rower of the SDCOA boat?
  • Will serve on our board of directors in nearly every capacity?
  • Will attend most of our public affairs events, such as legislative hearings in Pierre?
  • Will sit on committees at the national level to monitor and react to affairs in in Washington DC?
  • Will speak on behalf of park owners when counties and the state impose unrealistic demands on the camping industry?
  • Will write wise, factual, and convincing letters to countless public committees? 
  • Will speak with conviction for all members of SDCOA?
  • …….. my list is exhausting me!

Much of what gets accomplished by SDCOA requires active participation.

While Al Johnson deserves retirement, I’m pleased to say that among us are some who had Al as a mentor for many years. I’m equally excited to say that we have many newcomers stepping up!

Perhaps it’s assuring to Al that, while no one can fill his shoes, many have been rowing alongside him and are doing amazing things to carry us forward.

So, let’s each applaud Al Johnson and assure him that he can enjoy retirement knowing his years of dedication will always be appreciated!

From my office, I’m giving him a standing ovation!

By the week before Christmas (when I’m typing this), it’s all about wrapping up 2022 benefits and preparing to launch benefits for our 2023 members!

Published by SD Campground Owners Assoc

The SD Campground Owners Association was formed in 1972. It was created by campground for campground owners.