RAYMOND, N.H. (AP) -The Mormon Church wants to buy a Boy Scout camp for $2.8 million.

The Yankee Clipper Council, which owns the 110-acre property, will vote on the pending sale next month. Opponents have started a petition drive to stop it but say the effort is a longshot because the council has been studying a sale for two years.

“In my opinion, we have not put a sincere effort in promoting our camps,” said Matt Augeri, a Scout veteran from Londonderry. “By selling our camps, we are eliminating the possibility of a valuable Scouting camping program years from now should our numbers increase.”

The council’s president, John Skelton, said the sale presents an emotional and difficult decision, but declining attendance and a growing deficit leave little choice.

A spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Hampshire said the church would use the property as a camp for girls from 90 congregations.

The Scouting council would be able to use it for one week during the summer and some weekends during the rest of the year.

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Information from: New Hampshire Union Leader, http://www.unionleader.com

AP-ES-02-24-07 1533EST