mabloodhound Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I've been in touch with the CSE about this and not really encouraging news. I think more pressure/support needs to come to bear before the council takes positive action, otherwise a sale is imminent. Chesterfield is different and I have been in touch with GOAL who use the camp every summer for Junior Conservation camp. They are working hard to preserve camping at Chesterfield for their group, but this still doesn't open it to scouts. Hope many others in W.Mass. can get on board to save these camps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMAScoutMom Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 This thread is a few years old, but I felt it was important to flag that Camp Moses was only closed for a short period of time, and has been up and running for years - with strong support from the Western MA community, including Scouters, businesses and Order of the Arrow members, they have built up many areas, including the waterfront, meeting sites, and now also have one of the tallest climbing walls in New England! My three sons have camped there for multiple years as part of their summer scout experience. Moses is a tremendous resource for scouts in the area, and provides great camping opportunities! Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HA-Moses-Scout-Reservation-257667844253847/ or on Western MA Scouting website: https://www.wmascouting.org/hamsr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 @WMAScoutMom welcome to scouter.com The Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp, not affiliated with Scouting, is also held at Camp Moses in August . "The Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp provides a unique experience of conservation, shooting sports, and outdoor recreation education. The camp’s program introduces young people to the ethical responsibilities of hunting and fishing in order to foster careful stewardship of our natural resources." Local sportsmen clubs offer scholarships. http://juniorconservationcamp.org https://www.facebook.com/Mass-Junior-Conservation-Camp-537591036286089/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 Update July 24, 2018 The Western Massachusetts Council of the Boy Scouts of America has sold its 186-acre Chesterfield Scout Reservation. The council has owned the property for 10 years. The buyer intends to maintain the property and continue to offer outdoors programs. The funds from the sale will be put toward another council property, the 1,300-acre H.A. Moses Scout Reservation in Russell, to improve maintenance, update buildings, new camper activities and programs, and eliminate the council’s debt. https://www.bankerandtradesman.com/boy-scouts-america-sells-chesterfield-scout-reservation/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 CHESTERFIELD, Mass. More details of sale of Moses Reservation The 186-acre Chesterfield Scout Reservation (MA) was sold to Tolgy Wood , a group that runs live action Renaissance role playing. Selling price was $1 million. Tolgy Wood LLC then executed a 26-year lease agreement with Massachusetts Renaissance Faire LLC. The two companies have the same seven partners, but Tolgy Wood is the owning company and Massachusetts Renaissance Faire is the operating company of the site. Paul Dabkowski, one of the partners in Tolgy Wood and Massachusetts Renaissance Faire, said the plan is for the facility to host live action role-playing games, as well as other events such as weddings. The property includes an outdoor amphitheater, a large dining hall, eight cabins with electricity, adirondack shelters, and a large, modern kitchen, along with a pond and waterfall. The new name of the camp will be Tolgy Wood: Chesterfield Camp. Dabkowski said he and others involved in Tolgy Wood have been renting Chesterfield Scout Reservation since 2003 for the live action role-playing Magestry, which is held one weekend a month almost every month. Dabkowski said each Magestry draws 60 to 130 people. Live action role-playing games, LARPs for short, typically involve people dressing up as fictional characters and engaging in an immersive fantasy world they help to create. Many LARPS, including Magestry, have fantasy settings. The council made the decision to sell the property in 2014, following an 18-month property study that concluded that the council should focus its efforts on the 1,300-acre Horace A. Moses Scout Reservation instead. The council had owned both the Chesterfield Scout Reservation and the Moses Scout Reservation in Russell since the merger of two area councils in 2008. Kruse said that the vote to sell the property by the all-volunteer board of the council was unanimous ...the money would be used to invest in the Moses Scout Reservation, as well as deal with the council’s debt. The Moses Reservation has already seen some improvements such as added metal roofs and the replacements of window and rotting wood in some buildings. Other camper activity investments include an ATV riding program, a water trampoline installation, and a 68 foot climbing tower. Later this year a new bathroom and shower facility will be completed. Dabkowski said that the group has been trying to purchase the property for four years, in a process that included having a lease-to-own agreement with the Boy Scouts rejected and having another purchaser’s offer being taken over one of their offers before that rival offer fell through. “It’s been a roller coaster,” he said. Dabkowski said that the decision to purchase the camp was made because of the effort of breaking down and taking away all the different items associated with Magestry. “The game kept acquiring more and more stuff,” he said. He said the camp will now primarily cater to LARP groups, renting to not only Magestry but to other games as well. He noted that LARP groups have become major customers for summer camps of all kinds in New England. “They’ve become their biggest renter,” he said. Dabkowski and his wife, Angela, another partner in Tolgy Wood and Massachusetts Renaissance Faire, were married at the camp site, and he said that the site will be available for rental for weddings as well. He also said that it will continue to be available for rental by scouting groups. “The rates are going to go up,” he said, noting that the camp will now be paying property taxes and a mortgage. The Boy Scouts of America is a tax-exempt organization. Nevertheless, Dabkowski did express a desire to keep it affordable for scouting. Source and videos https://www.gazettenet.com/Boy-Scouts-sell-Chesterfield-Scout-Reservation-19031643 https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/former_chesterfield_scout_camp.html https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampshire-county/boy-scouts-of-america-sell-chesterfield-scout-reservation/1322956231 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 One of our scout family are avid Ren-Fair participants. Husband is a smith, wife teaches belly dance, and scoutson is taking up fiddle. W. Mass. BSA might want to encourage fielding a group of scouts and advisors who LARP in homage to ancient tribes of the area. They might get in at a discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMAScoutMom Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 My middle son told us last night that when he and his Philmont crew were camping at Chesterfield to prep for their trip, they shared the space with the LARP crew and it was fun. Clearly the LARPers respect the space, and I love that Chesterfield Camp will be part of the name. Our youngest just returned from a great week at Moses with his Scout troop. It gets better and better. Youngest and his dad volunteered time earlier in the summer to help with building a new disc golf course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treflienne Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Reviving this thread about recommended Massachusetts summer camps. For a new Scouts BSA troop of girls new to Scouting (but not all new to camping) have you any recommendations of great camps readily accessible from the Boston suburbs or the middle of Massachusetts? In particular any comments on recent year's experiences at Resolute, Treasure Valley, or Wanocksett? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Depends on what programs and conveniences interest your unit. We have camped at all three but have only attended a week of summer camp at Wanocksett (NH). Wanocksett has more elbow room, suffers less from suburban sprawl, as it is adjacent to Mt. Monadnock State Park. Tues night, there is a hike up Mt. Monadnock. I believe the lake is the largest of the three camp lakes. A new boat house and new boats. Some new bathrooms have been built. Rifle program does not suffer from MA laws. My understanding, Wanocksett still does not run a parallel Cub Scout camp as the other two do., but it does have a dance with neighboring girl camp. On Sat, after camp go to Kimball's Ice Cream in Jaffery and reward yourself. Resolute had more sports facilities - basketball court, GaGA pit,... Treasure Valley has solar panels throughout camp. I think that was a WPI grad project and again my impression it may have more STEM programming. The Mid-State trail is accessible from Treasure Valley, hike north to (Barre Falls Dam ) Army Corp of Engineers. Cell phone, internet? I have used my cell (Verizon) at all three. Not sure about bikes at these three camps. My $0.02, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treflienne Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 16 hours ago, RememberSchiff said: but it does have a dance with neighboring girl camp. A dance? Yikes! I'd rather supervise scouts playing with fire than at a dance. As the wording goes in the 1st edition scout handbook: "A scout is friendly. He is a friend to all and a brother to every other scout." In line with that I'd rather have the (male) scouts viewing the (female) scouts as siblings than as potential dance partners. Stupid question here, but are dances common or uncommon features of Boy Scout camps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 (edited) In this case, just an optional activity for older scouts with a neighboring girls camp. I do not know of another scout camp which does this. As to your point, with female scouts coming to camp, maybe these dances will be banned. Calling Kevin Bacon... Edited January 26, 2019 by RememberSchiff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortridge Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 I’ve heard dances are common activities at large Venturing events, fwiw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltface Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 20 hours ago, Treflienne said: Stupid question here, but are dances common or uncommon features of Boy Scout camps? One of our council camps had one last year at summer camp. It was poorly attended and someone managed to break their leg. No word on there being one this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HashTagScouts Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Wah-tut-ca Scout Reservation and Hidden Valley are two options not too far away in NH to look at as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laxplr21 Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 Reviving this thread about recommended Massachusetts summer camps. For a new Scouts BSA troop of girls new to Scouting (but not all new to camping) have you any recommendations of great camps readily accessible from the Boston suburbs or the middle of Massachusetts? In particular any comments on recent year's experiences at Resolute, Treasure Valley, or Wanocksett? The closest one to Boston in the suburbs is the Camp Sayre or also known as New England Base Camp. This location was the camp at the old Boston Minuteman Council in Milton. There are places for camping and cabins. The camp is updated with an indoor swimming pool (used by a local swim club), high adventure course, and other programs that units and groups can pick and choose. Last but not least the camp is also available to the public. Groups throughout the area can use the facilities. business retreats, YMCA weekend camp outs, church groups, everybody has access to it. When I had my woodbadge weekend there, a YMCA group was using a couple of the cabins. The new Spirit of Adventer council has really made it a goal to spread scouting opportunities to the public and invite them in. Here is a link of the council camps with any information you may need. http://www.scoutspirit.org/camping-properties/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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