--Montclair, N.J.-- Area campers in northern New Jersey face one of their most ambitious conservation projects in recent memory. One of the biggest campsites in the suburban outskirts of the greater metropolitan New York City area suddenly is on the real estate market.

Camp Glen Gray, an 820 acre site in Mahwah, N.J., is being sold by a local Boy Scout organization, the Northern New Jersey Council, of Oakland, N.J., for a minimum of four million dollars. In response, a grass-roots volunteer organization has sprung up from the ranks of the approximately 5,000 parents and scouts that use the camp each year. The group, the Friends of Glen Gray (F.O.G.G.), is a non-profit organization based in Montclair, N.J.  F.O.G.G.’s aim is to preserve the camp for traditional camping and scouting activities. Plans also include expanding the reach of the camp's nature and outdoor programs to a wider range of non-discriminatory school-based programs in the region.

“We have a unique opportunity to save forever an amazing remnant. This property is one of the largest tracts of undeveloped forest land left in a major suburban area, Bergen County, “ said John Hartinger of FOGG’s Executive Steering Committee. “One in twelve Americans lives within two hours of Glen Gray,” he added. 

Camp Glen Gray, founded in 1917 is one of the oldest continuing operating Boy Scout camp in the nation.  Tens of thousands of boys have learned to camp, tie knots, and cook on open fires on its varied terrain. Bergen County, one of the most densely settled suburban counties in New Jersey,  currently operates 17 parks, including two other parks in Mahwah. County rules prohibit overnight camping, leaving Glen Gray as the only facility with camping within a 45-minute drive of major urban centers, including Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Passaic.

Friends of Glen Gray estimates that it needs to raise $2 million to purchase the camp area, and another $1 million to set up an endowment to help run the camp. Early donors have pledged $500,000. FOGG is coordinating its efforts along with another volunteer association, The Old Guard of Camp Glen Gray. The Old Guard has long provided support and building maintenance at the camp.

The highest point on Camp Glen Gray is 1093 feet. On a clear day, it allows a view of the Ramapo Mountains, and looking northward, into the Hudson Valley, and westward, to the Kitatinny mountains. The camp is home to countless species of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, coyotes, and red fox, which center around the camp's lake. The camp is located in the corridor of the Eastern bird migration, allowing campers to witness the annual travels of the ducks, geese and other species en route from Canada to Florida. The camp, with acres of maple, oak, and hemlock, has over 25 miles of hiking trails. Part of the experience of advancing in rank in scouting is honing camping skills and learning forest conservation. The Northern New Jersey Council, covering Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex Counties, serves approximately 40,000 Boy Scouts and about 8,000 adult leaders. From an historical point of view, such camping experiences help to provide an appreciation of the day-to-day routine of the early pioneers and colonial settlers. From a literary point-of-view, such camping helps provide a first-hand experience of the type of land described in the classic American works of Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper, Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman. From a scientific point-of-view, the campers experience how water flows in the region, from clear mountain streams down to sea level, reinforcing the lessons of the science texts in school, and other state resources such as the Liberty Science Center, the State Aquarium at Camden, and the oceanographic center at Sandy Hook.

“We’re trying to strike a balance between overnight Scout programs and public access to a beautiful piece of real estate,” said Hartinger.  “The traditional crafts and skills learned in and around the cabins and campfires of Glen Gray can continue to provide a valuable lesson to Scouts, school children, and the general public.” 

FOGG is hoping to tap into the network of current and former Boy Scouts and conservationists concerned with preserving pristine forest land. Donations can be sent to The Old Guard of Camp Glen Gray, Box 43654, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043-4654 or visit www.glengray.org.

To Print Press Release in Microsoft Word