Northern New Jersey Council
| Northern New Jersey Council | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Owner | Boy Scouts of America | ||
| Country | United States | ||
| Founded | 1999 | ||
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| Website http://nnjbsa.org | |||
The Northern New Jersey Council was formed in January 1999 as a joint venture between the independent councils of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties as an effort to better serve the scouting communities encompassed in these areas. By drawing on the strengths of each of these individual councils and merging them together, the Northern New Jersey Council has committed itself to offering the finest Scouting programs, increasing membership and providing strong, supportive leadership.
Organization
The Council is currently divided into nine Districts:
Camps
Northern New Jersey Council currently operates six camps: Alpine Scout Camp–low-impact camping, Dow Drucker Scout Reservation (Camp Kluge and Camp Turrell–Boy Scout Resident Camp), Camp Lewis- Cub Scout Resident Camp, Floodwood Mountain Reservation- High Adventure Base, Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco- Boy Scout Resident Camp, and Camp Yaw-Paw- Cub Scout Day Camp.
Camp Alpine
Camp Alpine (New Jersey), located in Alpine, New Jersey, is a great place for weekend camping and hiking the Palisades Historic Trail. Primarily a low-impact camping experience, the camp has minimal facilities to allow units to use their camping skills to the fullest.
Activities:
It is currently a minor subject of interest in a lawsuit brought by a small Indian tribe in south Jersey for a new casino. They claim to have had their tribal lands sold illegally by the state and have offered to take the property, as well as the Greater New York's Camp Alpine that is adjacent, as part of their restitution.
Dow Drucker Scout Reservation The Dow Drucker Scout Reservation is home to two different camps, Camp Turrell and Camp Kluge, and three different camping experiences.
Camp Turrell is used for fall and spring weekend camping as well as a Boy Scout Resident camp during the summer. Special programs are also run for each season (fall, winter, spring and summer).
Camp Kluge is used for weekend camping year-round and recently had two new cabins built to serve an increasing usage of the camp.
Family camping is also available at the 3 "A Frame" cabins. They have lights, cook top, 3 bed rooms, bathroom, but at this time they also only have only seasonal use from May to the end of October.
Floodwood Mountain Reservation
| Floodwood Mountain Reservation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Saranac Lake, NY | ||
| Coordinates | 44°20′51″N 74°26′32″W / 44.3476°N 74.4423°W | ||
| Founded | 1965 | ||
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| Website http://www.floodwood.org/ | |||
Floodwood Mountain Reservation Floodwood Mountain Reservation has been the ultimate site for High Adventure for over forty years. The Rollins Pond Canoe Base and the West Pine Pond Backpacking Center form the Reservation, both located in Altamont, NY between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake, in the heart of the Adirondacks. With its many lakes and the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, Floodwood is perfectly located to offer a high adventure challenge second to none. With Rock Climbing, waterskiing, archery, and many day hikes and paddles available, Floodwood offers a great program in camp as well as on trek.
History
Floodwood Mountain Reservation was acquired by Bergen Council, BSA on November 22, 1963. Over the next year plans were drawn up for a rather ambitious camping reservation with multiple camps on different parts of the property. As a first step, an outpost camp was established at Rollins Pond for the summer of 1965. Since the concept of wilderness camping offered by a local council camp was a new idea, attendance was by invitation and only units with the required depth of adult leadership were considered.
The initial experience was successful and for the next four summers the program was continued and expanded. Problems with water supply led the Council to explore other areas of the reservation for a permanent camp site.
The initial expansive plan for multiple camps was already being reconsidered, and in the end West Pine Pond was chosen for development. It is at this site that units have camped since the summer of 1970, while they have continued to use Rollins Pond as the launching point for canoe treks and for the water skiing program.
What makes Floodwood unique is its location on Rollins pond which, in turn, connects directly into the vast Saranac, St.Regis, Tupper, Raquette, Fulton Chain canoe waters. As a result, out-of-camp canoe trips flow directly from our own waterfront. No other camp in the Adirondacks has this advantage and, as a result, out-of-camp canoe trips are the exception rather than the rule even at Sabattis Adventure camp, whose program comes closest to matching Floodwood's. This location advantage transforms the Floodwood experience from "just another summer camp" into a seamless two week adventure that continuously engages and tests each Scout's capacity to prevail over constantly varying and ever increasing challenges both in camp and on out-of-camp treks.
The council continues to promote the Floodwood Mountain Reservation internally, and has begun to develop out of council attendance. Given the uniqueness of the Floodwood experience, it is not difficult to convince strong troops from other areas that Floodwood is for them.
Local Activities
The Adirondack Region offers a number of attractions worth exploring either as part of your stay at Floodwood or to be visited on your way to or from your High Adventure trek. Here are just a few of what’s available.
Adirondack Museum - 28-N & 30, Blue Mountain Lake, NY (518) 352-7311. Explore the history, environment and culture of the Adirondack region from the early 19th century. Indoor and outdoor exhibits include logging, mining, boating and recreation as well as film presentations about the history of the region and the on-going environmental debate between the residents and preservationists.
The Wild Center - 45 Museum Drive, Tupper Lake, NY (518) 359-7800. The museum is on the left a short distance down the road about 40 minutes from Floodwood. Billed as the natural history museum of the Adirondacks, the Wild Center concentrates on the natural world with many hands-on exhibits illustrating and explaining the unique nature of the Adirondack region. Exhibits include, aquatic life, birds, and the many animals that inhabit the region.
Lake Placid, NY - The major tourist and commercial center of the Adirondack region, Lake Placid has many restaurants appealing to every taste as well as stores, theatres and a band shell. Lake Placid boasts of its history as host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic games. There is a museum as well as the Olympic center and the MacKenzie-Intervale Ski Jumping Complex, which comprises a 90- and 120-meter ski jumps towers. The sky deck on the 120-meter jump offers views of nearby John Brown’s Farm and the surrounding High Peaks of the Adirondacks. The Freestyle Aerial Training Center is located near the base of the jump towers, as is the Lake Placid bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track.
Camp Lewis
Camp Lewis Camp Lewis is located in the Hibernia Section of Rockaway Township, Morris County. It is open for weekend camping throughout the year and is also a Cub Scout Resident Camp during the summer.
The Cub Scout resident camp is a great experience for all boys entering first through fifth grades in the fall. The program is action-packed from the time you get there until the time you pack up and say good-bye to all your new Scouting friends. Scouts arrive after lunch on Saturday and depart Wednesday night after the closing dinner and campfire that the entire family can attend!
Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco
| Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Blairstown, New Jersey | ||
| Coordinates | 41°03′41″N 74°56′34″W / 41.06149°N 74.94267°W | ||
| Founded | 1927 | ||
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| Website http://nobebosco.org/ | |||
Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, also known as NoBe, is a Boy Scouts of America camp located in Hardwick Township, New Jersey, owned by the Northern New Jersey Council. It opened in 1927.
No-Be-Bo-Sco is in session from July–August each year to Scouters and includes dozens of merit badge classes and activities throughout its 6 weeks. The camp is currently run by Bob Johnson, Camp Director since 1988. Each year at camp has always included a new theme for each summer.
The camp has the highest attendance of Northern New Jersey Council camps.
NoBe also operates a year round program. Heated cabins are available for troops of all sizes to be rented for weekend use. The camp serves as a launching point for a hike along the Appalachian Trail, or exploring the Delaware Watergap Recreation Area. In addition NoBe claims the largest open air dining hall east of the Mississippi River.
History
Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco lies on the shores of Sand Pond at the base of the Kittatinny Ridge, approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast of the Walpack Bend in Hardwick and Stillwater Townships. Originally, the surrounding Paulins Kill watershed region was inhabited by the Tohockonetcong Band of the Minisink Tribe. It is unlikely they had a permanent settlement in this valley at the headwaters of Jacksonburg Creek due to its inhospitable terrain and shortage of potable water.
Over 500 Boy Scouts attended the first Summer Season in 1927. The first Camp Ranger, Elmer Baker of Maine, was hired in 1928. Lance M. Parsons of Englewood supervised Baker and a crew of men. They built the Camp's log cabins between 1928 and 1931, beginning with a building to house themselves where Price Lodge stands today.
In 1930, the Cable Line was built through the camp and over Sand Pond. In 1964, they were connected to a Cable Line in Yards Creek.
Summer 1934, witnessed the greatest disaster in Camp history. With 100 boys and staff members in camp, the original, lakeside dining hall fell victim to a great fire. Fortunately, the staff acted quickly, saving vital camp equipment and supplies. While they formed a bucket brigade, the camp truck driver made a desperate early morning drive to summon the Blairstown Fire Department. The Blairstown United Methodist Church loaned the Scouts a big tent used for clam bakes. The staff set the tent up in time for dinner that evening.
Bill Yonkers of Midland Park, other volunteers, and several hired men from the Hardwick/Stillwater area built the current dining hall before summer, 1935. Additions were made to the dining hall, kitchen, dishroom, and commissary over the years, most notably in 1967 and 1995.
Unlike some camps, No-Be-Bo-Sco stayed open during World War II. The war effort made supplies scarce, so Scouts brought their rations to summer camp. The war arrived at camp in a much more tragic way on February 22, 1944. That Tuesday morning, a B-17F Flying Fortress (right) on a mission out of Bangor, Maine and destined for Fort Dix NJ, experienced mechanical trouble and became lost in heavy fog, sleet, and rain. The plane was heard circling Millbrook, NJ and Bushkill, PA at a low altitude. At 2:30pm, the aircraft crashed into the west face of the Kittatinny Ridge. All twelve men on board gave their lives in service to their country.
In 1967, North Bergen County Council hired Fred Smith, a Midland Park bicycle shop owner, as Assistant Ranger for Newt’s final year at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco. Fred would serve as Ranger for the next 18 years. In the 1970s, the BSA, based on ecological studies, mandated that camps transition to tent camping, and the OA lodge removed all the lean-to sites excepting Iroquois. Fred asked that it remain for historical reasons. Today, Iroquois serves as the summer camp staff area. In 1983, Scouters reconstructed East Lodge in the north corner of the A-Field, and after he died in 1985, the cabin was renamed in Fred Smith’s honor.
The Army Corps of Engineers and the National Parks Service collaborated during the 1960s on a project extending from Tocks Island into New York State along the Delaware River. The Tocks Island dam was proposed to provide water to the region and improve recreation. Many camps along the river were purchased or condemned by the federal government, and in 1970 they bought the mountain from Bergen Council, reducing Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco to approximately 369 acres (1.49 km). The sale agreement provided Camp access to the proposed lake, but the government abandoned the project due to a large change in public opinion. The resulting Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area provides Camp direct access to over 69,000 acres (280 km) of federal parkland.
In 1979, the first Friday the 13th movie was filmed here.
A 1987 study commissioned by the BSA recommended selling Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, and 1988 proved the most critical year in Camp history. Building code inspectors shut down all electricity in Camp, but Scouts filled the cabins that winter, relying on flashlights and propane lanterns. That spring, a persistent campaign by Scouts and Scouters attained a three-year postponement of the sale. Led by Wayne “Flash” Gordon, a group of volunteers from the Hackensack IBEW Local 164 rewired all the critical buildings before summer camp.
In 1988, Bergen Council hired Bob Johnson to direct Summer Camp. Though Bob had never been to No-Be-Bo-Sco, he had sixteen years of camp staff experience, and quickly revitalized the program. Among other things, Bob has since united the staff in the Camp’s first centralized staff area, supervised outfitting the Dining Hall with a world class kitchen, and crafted a signature summer camp program unique to No-Be-Bo-Sco. His non-stop, high energy program is renowned for its enthusiastic staff, excellent food, and original campfires. Bob Johnson still serves as Camp Director and 2007 is his twentieth summer at the post. He is the longest tenured Camp Director in No-Be-Bo-Sco history.
A Fall 1988 fire inspection forced the OA to remove the wood stoves from all but one cabin. Kimball Herrick of Paramus began the cabin heating campaign, pledging his troop to donate the first stove. The winter season began with four heated cabins. Every cabin was heated by Christmas and almost every troop in the Council gave to the effort.
While Bob Johnson attracted new units, in 1990 a group of Overpeck District volunteers led by Jim Africano started the Weboree. The increased summer and winter attendance bolstered Camp’s finances, and the Weboree helped restore Scouter enthusiasm. Soon No-Be-Bo-Sco was bursting at the seams year-round, yet again.
Current ranger Tom Rich was permanently assigned to No-Be-Bo-Sco in 1995. The same year, volunteers led by a Scout, Steve Kallesser, undertook a major dining hall renovation. They united the complex under a single roof with a consolidated electrical service. Two years later the same group converted the Protestant Chapel to an all-faiths facility and built an outdoor chapel; the first new camp structure in almost 30 years.
Shortly after, the Northern New Jersey Council began a camp improvement campaign between 2008-2010 that involved the renovation of a majority of camp cabins and facilities, with total costs for the project around $250,000 worth of renovations.
Themes
Each year, the camp has a theme for their summer camp program, involving a cast of theme-related characters and a story-arc that progresses week-to-week throughout the summer. Typically, NoBe also has the scouts try to find an item that is hidden somewhere around camp, based on the theme using clues given at the meals. Recent themes have been:
Sand Pond
Sand Pond is a watershed that flows directly out of a Cedar Swamp. The No-Be-Bo-Sco waterfront offers small-boat sailing, rowboats, canoes, and 3 swimming areas as according to ability:
The waterfront has had some updates, most recently a new dock and a new lifeguard tower. Also a renovation to the Waterfront Cabin was completed by June 2011.
Sand Pond offers an excellent teaching base for the Aquatics program and is useful in other areas of camp as well, such as studying pondlife for Nature and for camp-wide water games. It is staffed with a team of BSA-Lifeguard certified guards summer-round who also teach waterfront merit badges.
Program Areas
Special Programs
First Class Adventure
- All first year scouts, up to the rank of First Class, can join in the "FCA" program based on scouting skills. The program reflect the current Tenderfoot through First Class requirements, and allows different programs for
each rank. First Class Adventure also shows first-year scouts around the camp and gives them the opportunity to participate in activities such as rifle shooting and swimming. Additionally, the FCA program encourages scouts to take at least one merit badge to start their trail to Eagle Scout.
Trail to Eagle
- The Trail-To-Eagle Program is designed for Star and higher-rank scouts to
move closer to the Eagle Rank while at camp. Trail to Eagle holds half-hour sessions each day focusing on the non-merit badge requirements of Eagle Scouts. The program also offers four badges required for the rank.
The OcSoBeBon The Ocsobebon program was started to give older, veteran scouts an opportunity for high adventure. It is a week-long challenge that requires participants to complete a variety of tasks and challenges. Successful completion awards participants with a neckerchief given only to those who complete the challenge.
Campwide Activities
A wide variety of campwide activities are available for a troop at camp. While the specifics of many of the activities are designed through the creative energies of the Camp Staff and the Senior Patrol Leaders Council. Each summer they have a “Theme” which will influence our daily activities
CAMPFIRES Campfires are an exciting part of the summer camp experience, and often the most memorable. Scouts can look forward to very high quality campfires from both the staff and the themselves.
CAMPWIDE EVENTS
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES Camp provides many activities beyond merit badges that a scout or a scout and his buddy can work on. Here are a few of them:
Camp Yaw-Paw
Camp Yaw Paw Camp Yaw-Paw is a 400-acre (1.6 km) tract of land in the Ramapo Mountain Range. The camp offers a winter camping program from September till May. Camp Yaw-Paw is NNJ Council's Cub Day Camp during the summer months.
Activities:
Lenapehoking Lodge
Order of the Arrow Lodge: Lenapehoking Lodge IX
References
| Advancement and recognition | |
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| Boy Scouting and Varsity Scouting awards Venturing and Sea Scouting awards Distinguished service awards Other awards | |
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