ALBANY - When boys pack for a two-week stay at Deerfoot Lodge in the Adirondacks, they bring more than extra socks, hiking boots and a fishing rod these days.

They also come to the boys summer camp with a doctor’s note saying it’s OK for them to use sunscreen, take an occasional aspirin or apply insect repellent to keep the mosquitos away.

It’s one way camp operators are adapting to the ever-expanding list of rules and regulations that New York state imposes on the summer camp industry.

While the camping season isn’t on most people’s minds in November, camp operators are already preparing for next summer.

When they met recently with state Health Department officials, one of the topics was how to avoid the near-fiasco they had last summer over the use of insect repellent.

The confusion started in the spring when the Health Department learned that the state Board of Nursing, which is part of the state Education Department, had classified insect repellent with certain levels of DEET as a medication.

They interpreted that to mean that a doctor’s note would be needed for youngsters to use time-honored products such as Off, Cutter and Ben’s bug sprays.

The trouble was, without insect repellent, kids could get bitten by ticks, which is a growing problem given the spread of Lyme disease.

The Health Department's guidance notice came as camp operators were scrambling to open for the season.

Ultimately the state Legislature stepped in and passed a bill sponsored by two North Country lawmakers, GOP Sen. Betty Little and Democratic Assemblyman Billy Jones that let kids carry and use bug spray with parental permission, but without needing a doctor’s note.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill in late July – which was about halfway through the traditional July-August camping season.

Some wondered how the issue developed in the first place.

“I’ve never actually written an order for a kid to have bug repellent,” said Dr. Thomas Welch, a Syracuse-area pediatrician, outdoor enthusiast and member of the Camp Safety Advisory Council.

“What problem were we trying to solve here?” he asked.

Welch also questioned earlier concerns about sunscreen, which required a doctor’s note as well until the state passed a law in 2013.

“The idea that there is any significant risk for either of those is flawed,” he said.

Camp operators also were concerned about an annual Health Department data base listing the various incidents and causes of injuries and deaths at summer camps.

For one thing, the department is just now completing the 2014 data base. Participants, including Welch, questioned the quality of the information.

“I wouldn’t dream of using a state Health Department data base,” said Welch. He noted that there are other data bases with more extensive and timely information on outdoor injuries.

Health Department officials said they have been short-staffed and are working to get the data base up to speed.

Welch stressed that serious injuries at summer camps, along with most outdoor activities, are rare.

Other camp operators said New York’s facilities are safe in part because of the heavy regulations.

"New York is the most regulated state in the country with respect to camping," said Jordan Dale, who operated Surprise Lake Camp before retiring. But he added that the state also has the best safety record in the nation.

There are always new horizons for camp operators to explore.

Mackey, who wasn’t at the November meeting, said Deerfoot Lodge near Speculator is expanding beyond the state's borders by opening a new camp in the mountains of North Carolina.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU