Conservation and care for the natural world have always been central to Scouting. For generations, we have helped young people develop a lifelong connection to the outdoors and an equally enduring responsibility to protect it. Over the past seven years, our Council has pursued two important goals: preserving treasured natural lands for future generations while unlocking their financial value to strengthen Scouting today and for the future.
On August 29, I had the privilege of accepting the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Conservation Legacy Award on behalf of our Council. The award recognized the preservation of 906 acres of buffer land surrounding the core-use area of Camp Tuckahoe. It also gave me an opportunity to reflect on why our Council pursued this work.
We had serious financial responsibilities to meet, but the land also had value that could not be measured only in dollars. It shaped the experience at our camps, provided important forest and wildlife habitat, and offered opportunities for public recreation. We believed we could protect those benefits while using the land’s financial value responsibly. Careful planning and strong partnerships allowed us to achieve both goals.
This seven-year effort has included three significant conservation transactions.
In 2019, the Council transferred the entire 247.704-acre Wizard Ranch property to the Lancaster Conservancy, creating the Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve. The transaction generated approximately $1.71 million in net proceeds while preserving our ability to hold council-wide Wizard Safari events there in perpetuity. The Conservancy has already improved the preserve and is planning additional restoration work that will benefit the land, the public, and future Wizard Safari events.
In 2024, we completed the conservation of 906 acres of buffer land surrounding Camp Tuckahoe through the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy. The Council retained the camp’s core-use area and its high-use program facilities. The transaction generated $2.265 million in net proceeds. The conserved land remains unchanged and will soon be managed as part of Michaux State Forest by the Bureau of Forestry, which is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Our third transaction involves 538.87 acres of buffer land surrounding the core-use area of Hidden Valley Scout Reservation. Working with The Nature Conservancy, we anticipate closing that transaction in December 2026, with approximately $2.69 million in anticipated gross proceeds. The Council will retain Hidden Valley’s core-use area and high-use facilities. The conserved acreage will remain unchanged and become part of Tuscarora State Forest, managed by DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry.
Together, the three transactions protect nearly 1,700 acres and have a combined financial value of approximately $6.7 million for our Council. The Wizard Ranch and Tuckahoe figures are completed net proceeds; the Hidden Valley figure is anticipated gross proceeds and remains subject to closing. These are one-time proceeds, not an ongoing source of operating revenue or excess cash.
Conservation transactions of this scale take years to complete and can be extraordinarily complex, especially when DCNR will ultimately hold and manage the land as part of the state forest system. The public also benefits. These properties are permanently protected from development and can be enjoyed under state forest policies.
The financial value mattered. In 2020, the Boy Scouts of America, not our Council, entered bankruptcy. Local councils across the country were required to help fund the settlement, and our Council’s share was $2.7 million. Meeting that obligation placed a substantial burden on our Council during an already difficult period for Scouting.
The conservation transactions and sales of the Mechanicsburg and York service centers were important parts of a broader financial recovery and reinvestment plan. They helped us rebuild after meeting the bankruptcy obligation and strengthened our capacity to address important facility needs. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded grants for two projects at Tuckahoe: renovating the historic dining hall as our new council service center and constructing new restroom facilities, including showers.
During this same period, we invested in both camps. At Tuckahoe, we renovated the historic dining hall as our new council service center, built new restroom facilities, including showers, repaired and replastered the swimming pool shell, completed painting projects, and replaced the dining hall’s HVAC system after it failed. In 2025, we improved the HVAC systems in Hidden Valley’s West Camp cabins and dining hall. Those improvements support Scout use during most of the year and summer rentals by non-Scout groups. That rental revenue helps support Hidden Valley’s operations and maintenance.
This work also reinforced a financial reality: maintaining aging camp infrastructure often costs more than preliminary estimates suggest and far more than those of us outside construction or the trades might reasonably expect. The one-time proceeds helped us recover and complete important projects, but they did not eliminate our continuing capital needs.
What matters most is what our Scouts will continue to see and experience. We retained the core facilities at Tuckahoe and Hidden Valley, and the forests surrounding them will remain forests. Campers will continue to look out on the same wooded landscapes and experience the beauty, seclusion, and adventure that have made these places special for generations.
We are grateful to our conservation and government partners, as well as the volunteers and council leaders whose patience, judgment, and persistence made this work possible. Their efforts produced an outcome that benefits our Council, our campers, and the public.
These decisions gave our Council a stronger foundation, but they did not finish the work of caring for our camps and programs. Continued investment will be necessary to maintain our facilities, address the needs of aging infrastructure, and ensure that our camps continue to serve Scouts well into the future.
That is why we pursued these transactions: to meet significant financial responsibilities, protect the land and camp experiences entrusted to us, and keep Scouting strong for the young people we serve. That is responsible stewardship.
Yours in Scouting,
Ron Gardner
Scout Executive & CEO
