Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation, more commonly called just Broad Creek, is the sum of eight separate areas in the

Chesapeake Bay Watershed The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / E ...

. The reservation is from the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

border within

Harford County Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...

, from the Maryland and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

border, and from

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. During the summer Camp Saffran focuses on older youth while Camp Spencer focuses on younger youth. Camp Oest was focused on younger youth, but that operation moved to Camp Spencer in 2016. Camp Oest is now used for large events, such as

Woodbadge Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skil ...

and NYLT. During the off-season Camp Oest, Camp Saffran, and Camp Spencer are open for weekend tent and cabin camping. Five other less developed areas of the reservation used for outpost camping and hiking are called Camp Cone, Camp Finney, The Pines, The Hemlocks, and OA Hill. The facilities at the reservation are used by 36,000 youth each year, 17% of whom are not affiliated with the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

History

The Lake Straus was formed in the 1940s when

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

tributary Broad Creek was dammed. Later Saffran, Oest, and Spencer each built piers to access Lake Straus. Spencer also has an additional pier upstream from Lake Straus. In 1948 an administration building was added in Camp Saffran. In July 1953 Post 716 of the Saint Elizabeth Catholic War Veterans contributed to the Broad Creek Memorial Camp Fund. Canoe trips for older Boy Scouts began May 1954. In 1967 the

Seabees United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

built a bridge across the dam at the reservation. In June 1972

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

overflowed the dam by and flooded not only the reservation, but flooded areas in many states. Camp Spencer was closed after the summer of 2012. Spencer reopened in 2015 as a specialty resident

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

camp. That program moved to Camp Saffran just before the summer of 2017. In 2016 and 2017 Camp Spencer hosted a resident camp for the youngest youth called ''Cub Camp at Broad Creek.''

Hemlocks

The easternmost substantial hemlock forest in Maryland, home to the smokey shrew, is a

old-growth An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

hemlock forest that is located on both ''The Hemlocks'' area of the reservation and

Conowingo Dam The Conowingo Dam (also Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, Conowingo Hydroelectric Station) is a large hydroelectric dam in the lower Susquehanna River near the town of Conowingo, Maryland. The medium-height, masonry gravity dam is one of the larges ...

property. The

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

hemlock woolly adelgid The hemlock woolly adelgid (; ''Adelges tsugae''), or HWA, is an insect of the order Hemiptera (true bugs) native to East Asia. It feeds by sucking sap from hemlock and spruce trees (''Tsuga'' spp.; ''Picea'' spp.). In its native range, HWA ...

threatened the forest. In 2006 area volunteers worked with state officials to study and reduce the destruction caused by the hemlock woolly adelgid. Since 2007 area youth volunteers continue to record data, and mark trees. Trained adult volunteers inject

imidacloprid Imidacloprid is a systemic insecticide belonging to a class of chemicals called the neonicotinoids which act on the central nervous system of insects. The chemical works by interfering with the transmission of stimuli in the insect nervous system. ...

into soil. Trees too close to streams and wetlands to receive soil injections instead receive trunk imidacloprid injections from Maryland department of agriculture staff. As a biocontrol remedy the Forest Service released over 2,300 Laricobius beetles into the forest. This process is repeated annually on of forest to ensure that the entire forest is treated every three years. In 2013 the Forest Service reported that the "Laricobius beetles are spreading, the hemlock woolly adelgid is less prevalent, and the condition of the hemlock forest has noticeably improved."

Camp Cone

An area of the camp is named after the

Baltimore Area Council Scouting in Maryland has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving millions of youth with activities that have adapted to the changing cultural environment but have always been rooted in an active outdoor program. Early history (1 ...

's former Camp Cone. The camp was purchased in the 1940s. The property is located near Glen Arm, Maryland and is part of the

Gunpowder Falls State Park Gunpowder Falls State Park is a public recreation area comprising six non-contiguous areas covering in northeastern Baltimore County and western Harford County, Maryland. The state park is primarily made up of the stream valleys of the Big and ...

Land patent

In 1632

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of ...

granted

Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (8 August 1605 – 30 November 1675), also often known as Cecilius Calvert, was an English nobleman, who was the first Proprietor of the Province of Maryland, ninth Proprietary Governor of the Colony of Newf ...

the land that is now Maryland in a charter. That charter land was divided by land patents. By 2012 almost all land in Maryland had been so divided. Land surveyor Frank S. Richardson found that used by the reservation to provide

universal access Apple Universal Access is a component of the macOS operating system that provides computing abilities to people with visual impairment, hearing impairment, or physical disability. Components Universal Access is a preference pane of the Sys ...

was not a part of any existing patent. The Baltimore Area Council applied for a land patent to resolve the issue. On June 20, 2012

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...

signed a land patent granting the to the Baltimore Area Council.

Camp Saffran

Programs

Camp Saffran currently focuses on older youth that are a part of either or both the Boy Scout or Venturing programs. Available programs include: aqua trek (kayaking, canoeing, and sailing on the Susquehanna River),

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

program, Broad Creek Exploration Trek (canoeing, backpacking, Outdoor Code training, and Leave No Trace training), BSA aquatics supervision, basketball, conservation, cooking,

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done fo ...

, eagle summit program (

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

required merit badges), ecology, explorer's trek, family night, first year camper, fishing, fourth year or more,

handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

, merit badge counseling, mile swim, motor tubing, night swim, opening campfire, patrol award, polar bear swim, quarter-mile swim, recognition campfire,

Scoutcraft Scoutcraft is a term used to cover a variety of woodcraft knowledge and skills required by people seeking to venture into wild country and sustain themselves independently. The term has been adopted by Scouting organizations to reflect skills and k ...

, second year camper,

Nova program, shooting sports, stand-up paddleboarding, themed camp-wide games, third year camper, tubing, trailblazers, volleyball, and wilderness survival.

Facilities

Campsites have canvas wall tents, each with two cots. Each campsite has picnic tables, a bulletin board, a flagpole, and a group shelter. Some campsites have cabins equipped with a full kitchen that includes a stove, hot water, fridge, and electricity. Some campsites have a pavilion and an Adirondack shelter with a cooking space and electricity. Site Conowingo can support 24 people and includes a lodge and trailer pad. Site Dan Beard can support 40 people and includes a lodge and trailer pad. Site Flint Ridge can support 60 people and includes a lodge and trailer pad. Site Friar Tuck can support 16 people and includes an Adirondack shelter and trailer pad. Site Frontier can support 24 people and includes a lodge. Site Hawkeye can support 28 people and includes an Adirondack shelter and trailer pad. Site Jamestown can support 24 people and includes an Adirondack shelter and trailer pad. Site Lookout can support 30 people and includes a lodge and trailer pad. Site Prospect can support 40 people and includes a lodge and trailer pad. Site Susquehanna can support 40 people and includes a lodge and trailer pad. Site Timberline can support 24 people and includes an Adirondack shelter and trailer pad. The camp also offers a 30-foot outdoor screen, often used for movies.Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation. (2015). Scouting Magazine. Retrieved from http://scoutingmagazine.org/2015/12/guide-to-cool-camps-2/10-05-cool-camp/ While the Nentico Pavilion

dining hall A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school ...

serves cafeteria style meals, Saffran also offers groups the option to prepare food from their own supplies at a reduced fee. Other facilities include: archery range, bridge, camp staff areas, dam, family cabin area, filtration houses, Jacobs Health Lodge, parade ground, pump stations, ranger's house, rifle range, Rosenberg Welcome Center, shop,

skeet Skeet may refer to: * Skeet shooting, a discipline of competitive clay pigeon shooting ** ISSF Olympic skeet, a variant used at the Olympic Games People * Skeet Childress (born 1979), American guitar player in the band Look What I Did * Skeet Q ...

range, stock control area, trading post,

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

range, and water towers.

Camp Spencer

Programs

Camp Spencer currently runs the ''Cub Camp at Broad Creek'' that focuses on younger youth. Programs include:

aquanaut An aquanaut is any person who remains underwater, breathing at the ambient pressure for long enough for the concentration of the inert components of the breathing gas dissolved in the body tissues to reach equilibrium, in a state known as satura ...

, archery,

BB gun A BB gun is a type of air gun designed to shoot metallic spherical projectiles called BBs (not to be confused with similar-looking bearing balls), which are approximately the same size as BB-size lead birdshot used on shotguns ( in diameter ...

climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used i ...

, closing party with songfest, gaga ball, geology, nature,

obstacle course An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual, team or animal must navigate, usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with th ...

, opening campfire, paddling, pool luau, rowing, Scoutcraft,

slingshot A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket that holds the pro ...

s, s’mores fire, staff hunt, STEAM discovery, swimming,

team building Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed by a combine of business ...

, water games, and wildlife. Project Moving Onward & Outward Scouting Experience or M.O.O.S.E. is a hike or canoe trip to an outpost where participants spend the night after a campfire with singing, s’mores, and ceremony. Adult training programs available include: Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO), Cubmaster Leader Specifics, Religious Awards Awareness, Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, This is Scouting, and Youth Protection.

Facilities

Shower houses has individual shower stalls, flush toilets and hot water. Each campsite includes a latrine with running water. Other facilities include: archery range, chapel, rifle range,

Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cour ...

. The administration building offers both administrative and first aid staff. The trading post offers: branded apparel, camping supplies, candy, craft supplies,

embroidered patch An embroidered patch, also known as a cloth badge, is a piece of embroidery which is created by using a fabric backing and thread. The art of making embroidered patches is an old tradition and was originally done by hand. During the first half of ...

es, Scouting literature, Scouting supplies including a quite diverse selection of pocket knives, snacks, and sodas.

Events

In addition to summer camps and weekend camping, the reservation hosts other Scouting events. In 1980 record executive

Kevin Liles Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive and co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism and the c ...

spent a weekend in the wilderness area of the reservation with "a compass, a Swiss Army Knife, some matches and the clothes on our backs" to complete part of wilderness survival merit badge. In July 1986 the reservation hosted the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

Science and Energy Specialty Camp. The camp hosted the Quantico Orienteering Club's 2003 Maryland Scout Orienteering Day. On April 30, 2010 the reservation hosted the Harford County Astronomical Society Broad Creek Boy Scout Program. The reservation also hosts "non-boy Scout groups including schools, governments, community, church groups and other non-profit organizations including Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, Cal Ripkin Foundation,

Royal Rangers Assemblies of God youth organizations include two youth organizations operating under the auspices of the Assemblies of God, the Royal Rangers and the Mpact Girls Clubs (formerly known as the Missionettes). Royal Rangers Royal Rangers is an adve ...

, NAACP youth program, Maryland DNR and Harford County High Schools." In July 1997 the camp hosted the

United States Army Research Laboratory The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) is the U.S. Army's foundational research laboratory. ARL is headquartered at the Adelphi Laboratory Center (ALC) in Adelphi, Maryland. Its largest singl ...

Extended Use of Night Vision Goggles: An Evaluation of Comfort for Monocular and Biocular Configurations. The reservation routinely hosts Harford County Sheriff's Office training exercises. Camp Finney features the Harford County Sheriff's Office Rifle Range and K-9 training course.

References

{{Scoutorg BSA, locations Northeast Region (Boy Scouts of America) Summer camps in Maryland Buildings and structures in Harford County, Maryland 1948 establishments in Maryland Youth organizations based in Maryland Youth organizations established in 1948

History

Hemlocks

Camp Cone

Land patent

Camp Saffran

Programs

Facilities

Camp Spencer

Programs

Facilities

Events

See also

References