Longtime Roslyn residents Will and Kristie Pierce are taking the reins ofPierce Camp Birchmontas the family-run sleepaway camp prepares to celebrate its 75th summer season, marking a new generation of leadership for one of the region’s longstanding camp traditions.

The couple now represents the fourth generation of the Pierce family to lead the overnight camp on Lake Wentworth in Wolfeboro, N.H. The camp has been operated by the family since its founding in 1951 and maintains close ties to Long Island through its sister institution, Pierce Country Day Camp, which opened in 1918 and is widely credited as the nation’s first day camp.

For Will Pierce, the transition is both professional and deeply personal.

“There is an article that hangs on the wall in my office,” Pierce said. “When I was 5 years old, I was featured in a New York Times article asking, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ My answer in 1989 was, ‘I want to be a camp director like my dad.’ Now I’m getting to take over for him as he retires, so it’s a pretty full-circle moment for me.”

Pierce, who has spent the past 12 years serving as director at the family’s Roslyn day camp, said Birchmont has long been central to his life.

“I really grew up there every summer,” he said. “It’s a really nice moment for my family.”

Kristie Pierce, who did not grow up in camp culture, said joining the family business has given her a fresh perspective on the role camps can play in children’s development.

“There is something special about the bridge Birchmont creates between here and New Hampshire,” she said. “Families entrust us with their children each summer, and we take that responsibility to heart as both camp directors and parents.”

The leadership transition comes during a milestone year for Birchmont, which welcomes campers ages 7 to 15 from across the United States and abroad. Last summer, the camp hosted children from 21 states and eight countries.

Pierce said the camp intentionally limits enrollment to about 300 campers to maintain a close-knit environment.

Source: LI Press