Northeastern Pennsylvania Council

Northeastern Pennsylvania Council, with headquarters in Moosic, Pennsylvania, formed in 1990 from the merger of Forest Lakes Council and Penn Mountains Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It covers the metropolitan area of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Organization

• Dan Beard District
• Two Mountains District

Camps

The council manages two camps: Goose Pond Scout Reservation, located in Paupack Township, Pennsylvania, near Lake Wallenpaupack, and Camp Acahela, located in Tobyhanna Township, Pennsylvania, near the confluence of the Lehigh River and Tobyhanna Creek.

Goose Pond Scout Reservation

Goose Pond Scout Reservation is a short drive from the village of Hamlin, which is located in Lake Township. Goose Pond, the lake around which the whole camp is based, is a 65-plus acre glacial lake surrounded by hillsides of forests rich in evergreens, hardwoods, and other fauna. The total area of the camp is 542 acres (2.19 km²) which includes the lake. While camping at the Pond, Scouts are close to many of the sites on the northern end of the Pocono Plateau, Scranton, and the tri-state region.^[1]

Goose Pond Scout Reservation has been in continuous operation as a boy scout summer camp since 1920.^[2] Goose Pond's summer camp season runs seven weeks from late June through mid August during which more than a thousand scouts and leaders visit the camp.Goose Pond is the location of various events throughout the year. During summer camp, a staff of scouts provide merit badge courses that scouts can attend during the week. Registration for the summer program typically starts at the end of the previous season.^[3] Available badges range from Rifle, Shotgun, Fishing, Nature, Climbing, etc. The summer program also sponsors other programs such as the voyager program that is designed for older scouts who have obtained the majority of the merit badges offered through the normal program. The camp also supports other events such as Order of the Arrow Ordeal weekends, Cub Scout programs, council leadership courses, and the annual winter Klondike Derby. The camp also supports a high and low Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience (COPE) Course throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons.

The camp features several facilities:

• 11 campsites: Beaver, Capouse, Delaware, Iroquois, Lenape, Niagara, Pawnee, Pioneer, Seneca, Shawnee, and Slocum. All are available in the non-summer season for unit camping. During the summer camp season, the Pawnee site is reserved for camp staff. All except Pioneer offer platform tents during the summer season. Pioneer is a primitive site for units seeking an outpost-style experience, complete with pit latrines. Most of these sites were established in the early 1950s, though the Delaware and Lenape sites were established in the 2000s.
• The Joseph J. Jermyn Assembly Hall (colloquially known as the Dining Hall or Mess Mall) was built in 1923 with an expansion added in 1993. It serves as the camp's main dining facility, serving thousands of meals a summer. During the off-season it is used for OA Ordeals, Klondike Derbies, Council-sponsored training events, Camporees, and more. Hundreds of plaques donated by troops, patrols, and camp staff cover the upper walls and rafters. The earliest plaques date back to 1951. The building also has a structural beam that was signed by William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt at a Wood Badge course in September 1992.^[2]
• The Dickson Lodge serves as the summer camp program's headquarters for its nature merit badges and is available as a camping lodge in the non-summer seasons.
• The Handicraft Lodge houses the summer camping program's craft-oriented merit badge courses (e.g. Basketry, Leatherwork, Sculpture, Woodcarving) and serves as a camping lodge in the non-summer seasons. The building was constructed in 1930. It was most recently renovated in 2009 to include a covered porch and rooms for lodge camping.
• The Joseph J. Jermyn Administration Building, better known as the Administration Building or just "the ad-building," was constructed in 1926. It houses the camp office and trading post on the first floor along with some storage rooms. The second floor contains an office for the program director and program staff, a staff lounge, and a conference room for staff and troop leader meetings.
• The Shapiro-Everly Reception and First Aid Building, better known as the Health Lodge, is located right beyond the main entrance gateway to the camp. The building is divided in half with one half serving as the medical officer's station and quarters and the other half serving as the camp director's quarters. It was constructed in 1957.

In addition to the primary buildings, there are various other smaller structures such as the pavilion across from the dining hall, the Cook's Cabin for the kitchen staff, the shower house, the pump house, and the maintenance shed (originally a pasteurization plant for the early camp). The shower house, renovated in 2014, features individual shower/restroom rooms.

Camp Acahela

Camp Acahela was founded in 1919.^[1] The camp is located in the village of Blakeslee, PA on a peninsula formed by the joining of the Lehigh River and the Tobyhanna Creek. The camp has a total area of 242 acres covered by a variety of landforms and vegetation, ranging from heavily wooded ridges and cliffs, to wide open parade fields, to shady groves of ancient fir trees that provide a wide variety of camping opportunities year-round for every type of Scouting unit. Since 1992 the camp has been offering an annual Cub Scout Resident camping program during the summer months, starting in late June. The resident program provides cub scout packs with five-day and three-day options, as well as day camping experiences.

See also

• Scouting in Pennsylvania

External links

• Northeastern Pennsylvania Council Official Website
• Camp Acahela Official Website
• Goose Pond Scout Reservation Official Website

References