New Birth of Freedom Council, BSA Website for the New Birth of Freedom Council, BSA
Curious about the progress of Project Hercules? Check back here for weekly updates on the project’s progress and interesting facts about R & J Logging and the timbering process.
Week Seventeen and Eighteen
While hitting some technical difficulties for a few days, EB Clearing, Inc. completed chipping all of the woodpiles in the camp needed to clean up for summer camp.
Week Sixteen
Woodpiles continue to be chipped and brush cleared, returning Camp Tuckahoe to a much more familiar sight. R & J Logging, as a part of their clean-up efforts, has knocked over and spread out all of the chipped piles currently created. By knocking over the piles, many of the trails and walkways have been restored in camp, getting everything one step closer to summer camp.
Week Fifteen
EB Clearning, Inc. continued chipping woodpiles, making forward progress in Munsee Campsite, Shawnee Campsite, Iroquois Campsite, Mahican Campsite, Delaware Campsite, and Wyandotte Campsite. This week, we also had Custom Ag, LLC. back in camp for a day to remove the remaining tree stumps around camp.
Week Fourteen
EB Clearing, Inc. started chipping woodpiles this week. They made progress in Cub World, the entrance into Cub World, around Nanticoke Campsite, behind Unami Campsite, beside the Dining Hall, along Memorial Mall, through Tuscarora Campsite, and around Conoy Campsite.
Week Thirteen
Friday was the last day R & J Logging, Inc. was in camp and all of their equipment has been removed. EB Clearing, Inc. will be moving their equipment in over the weekend and will spend the week chipping all of the woodpiles we have created through the course of the project.
Week Twelve
About all of the trees marked to be removed from Camp Tuckahoe have been removed. There are a few larger trees R & J Logging will work to remove next week as they process everything that has been taken down. During our Project Hercules Service Day and Order of the Arrow Induction, Scouts and leaders were able to get two more campsites put together, staff city pretty much put together, and a few campsites staged to be put back together for our upcoming service days.
Week Eleven
R & J Logging moved their staging site to its next location to begin processing trees on the other half of camp. Crews were flying this week as they removed trees in Mahican, Delaware, Wyandotte, Iroquois, and Cayuga campsites. They also began removing trees around Memorial Mall, the Chapel, Cedar Lodge, Holly Lodge, and Hemlock Lodge. Our service day was able to make great progress in getting Susquehannock and Onondaga campsites put back together!
Week Ten
Crews worked on a few small areas in anticipation of moving to the next staging site next week, including cutting down a few larger trees by hand. This means crews will soon be removing trees in Shawnee, Iroquois, Wyandotte, Mahican, Delaware, and Cayuga campsites, as well as the three cabins and few program areas on that side of camp.
Week Nine
On Monday and Tuesday, we had a stump grinder come in for Custom Ag, LLC. Between the two days, he was able to grind over 400 stumps in six of our campsites, staff city, and along the main areas coming into camp. R & J Logging continued to make great progress finishing Tuscarora and Munsee campsites. They then moved into a transition phase to remove the last remaining trees on that half of camp.
Week Eight
Crews only worked a few days this week, making more progress in Tuscarora and the area around the campsite, as well as continuing progress in Cub World. The stump grinder was dropped off at camp at the end of the week allowing us to begin removing stumps Monday morning.
Week Seven
Crews continued to work on clearing trees from Cub World at the beginning of this week. Toward the end of the week, they ventured into Unami and the area around Scoutcraft, making quick work of the trees that were there. To wrap up the week, they started to remove trees in Tuscarora campsite and will continue working here at the beginning of next week.
Week Six
With the snow melting and all the rain we got over the weekend, R & J Logging was not working the first half of the week to allow the ground to dry out. When they returned to camp the second half of the week, they got right to work and made up some of the lost time from earlier in the week. They continued to process trees from around Nanticoke. Conoy, and Cub World.
Week Five
Crews moved a little slower this week due to the weather. Those who came out for the Service Day made great progress cleaning up around our lower parking lot, Health Lodge, and Lenni Lenape campsite. R & J logging has made it to the entrance into Cub World and was able to start removing trees around Nanticoke and Conoy campsites. Due to the rising temperatures and the ground getting too soft from snowmelt, crews were not able to operate on Thursday and Friday.
Week Four
The few snow storms we got this past week did little to slow the progress of Project Hercules. R & J Logging has finally made it through the gate and into our first set of campsites. Our Service Day crews are making amazing work of the downed brush along our entrance road, parking lots, camp offices, and Lenni Lenape campsite. We are certainly getting much closer to being safe and ready for summer camp this year.
Week Three
While the snow prevented the logging crews from making it out to camp on Monday, it did not slow them down the rest of the week. Crews worked to remove trees in our lower parking lot, around the lake, and down by the maintenance area.
Week Two
Crews continued to remove trees from the hillside across from the lake and back into the Upper Parking Lot. Crews also began to remove trees from around our Camping Services office and Staff City. Interesting fact: the Feller Buncher can remove a single tree 20-24″ in diameter without any additional equipment or cuts.
Week One
The first tree was removed from Camp Tuckahoe. Crews began to clear trees around our Ranger’s house and the hillside across from the lake. Crews were averaging 4-6 truckloads of trees a day.
December 3, 2020
We hired Robert Bingman as our consulting forester to oversee removing the potentially dangerous trees at Tuckahoe. Bob has done work for our Council previously, and we’re glad that Bob was available and willing to take on this critical project. Bob began marking trees right away. Read more about this update here.
October 20, 2020
The New Birth of Freedom Council Executive Board decided to close Camp Tuckahoe to address potentially hazardous tree concerns. Read the full announcement here.