Cabins at North Dakota’s only 4-H camp facility will be renovated with help from three large, private donations.

Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, North Dakota Corn Growers Association and Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of North Dakota each provided $50,000 toward the estimated $150,000 cost to upgrade three cabins at the camp near Washburn. The cabins will be named in honor of the donors.

“These three cabins are a part of the overall camping experience at the North Dakota 4-H Camp, and we are pleased to be able to make some major upgrades,” said Brad Cogdill, chair of the NDSU Center for 4-H Youth Development, which operates the camp.

The renovations will focus on the interior of the cabins and include new bathroom and shower facilities, heat and ventilation. The cabins also will become handicap accessible.

The upgrades are part of a major renovation and expansion project launching later this year through a combination of state funding and private donations.

Half of the project’s $1.9 million price tag has been placed into the NDSU Extension Service budget after approval by the legislature and governor. The other half has been gathered from individuals, organizations and businesses through the North Dakota 4-H Foundation’s Shape a New Destiny campaign.

In addition to cabin renovations, the project includes expanding outdoor camp opportunities and constructing a multipurpose 4-H center named for Myron Johnsrud, a Watford City, N.D., resident who was NDSU Extension director from 1974-86.

This will be the first renovation for two of the cabins in more than 45 years of existence.

The North Dakota 4-H Camp was established in 1967 as the Western North Dakota 4-H Camp, one of two regional 4-H camps.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.