Licensing Update & Safety Information
Greetings Vista Families,
It’s hard to believe we’re just one month away from the start of 1st Term! This past year has been one of the most challenging in Vista’s history, but it has also been a powerful reminder of the strength of our community and the care that fills the Vista Bubble. We are deeply grateful for our campers and families. Your support over the past 10 months has meant more to us than we can say. Thank you…
With the latest news cycle regarding licensing, one of the most common questions we’ve heard recently is, “Are you going to open?” There was never a doubt in our minds. Since last July, our goal has been to be exactly where we are today. We’re happy to share that our Emergency Action Plan has been approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services, we passed our pre-camp site inspection, and we’ve officially received our 2026 license.
For families who are registered for the 2026 season, our approved Emergency Action Plan (Camp EAP) and a Floodplain Disclosure form are available through CampMinder under “Forms and Documents”. These documents can be reviewed and must be signed off on under the “Acknowledgements” form directly within your CampMinder account, along with your other camp forms.
Below are a few important camp updates:
Riverside Cabins: Rio Vista will no longer be able to use the riverside cabins. While Crockett, Bunyon, and Bull sustained no damage during the July 4th flooding, they are located within the floodplain. Recent legislation does not allow us to house campers in those cabins. As a result, our maximum capacity has changed from 157 campers to 130. To accommodate this, we’ve added bunks to the four “Mountain Side” cabins—Brouns, Prices, Staceys, and Boone—bringing each from 8 campers to 9 or 10. We’ve also updated Crate’s 3 with 8 camper beds and 2 counselor beds.
Division Leader Radios: Division Leaders will now have radios in their cabins at all times. Division Leaders oversee groups of cabins located near one another, and these radios allow them to immediately contact the Directors and office 24 hours a day in case of an emergency. This is in addition to the eight emergency phones that have always been stationed throughout camp. Counselors can use these phones to reach the office immediately, and all full-time camp directors have phones next to their beds overnight.
Staff Training & Camper Preparedness: Our staff training manual has been refined for clearer communication, and camper cabin orientation has been expanded to include emergency response training each session.
River Sentry Flood Warning System: We were the first local camp to partner with River Sentry. They’ve installed six flood warning towers throughout camp that will alert everyone if floodwaters begin to rise. In addition, there are nearly 100 towers installed along both forks of the Guadalupe River, providing advanced warning if floodwaters are heading downstream.
Upper Guadalupe River Authority System: This week, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority will be installing an additional flood warning system on our property. This system will alert not only those of us at camp, but others throughout the surrounding area as well.
We are incredibly excited to welcome campers back to Vista and begin the 2026 season together. As always, we’re happy to answer any questions you may have, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your continued trust and support. We can’t wait to see you at camp soon.
With gratitude,
The Hawkins Family, Beth Rumbo, Sancho Morriss
