NPS acquires former Girl Scout Camp in Dingman

DINGMANS FERRY — "I sit here swigging on green tea and Gatorade, recovering after a weekend making sure the little ones in my Girl Scout troops were drinking enough water, yet forgetting to drink enough myself," writes a blogger about her experience at Hidden Falls Camp in Dingmans Ferry in May 2012, the last year the camp would operate. "Despite neglecting to properly hydrate, I had a fantastic weekend at Camp Hidden Falls with 5 Daisies, 5 Brownies, 8 Juniors, and 8 Seniors. It was bright, sunny, and warm, with minimal tears or injuries."
She recorded the plants and animals the campers encountered during their hikes — yellow irises and pink Columbine, a box turtle, and a millipede entwined around a branch. They explored Hidden Falls, a "quaint bridal veil waterfall not far from the camp entrance."
And then there were the earthy accommodations: "The latrines were unlike what I was used to — behind each large door was two seats with a partial divider wall....Awkward."
The beautiful 1,054-acre property that has meant so much to generations of Girl Scouts has been preserved, thanks to a recent purchase by the National Park Service.
"Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area just got a little bigger with the acquisition of the former Camp Hidden Falls property in Dingman Township," said NPS Deputy Superintendent Keith Farrar. “This acquisition is a wonderful example of how collaborative conservation efforts can benefit both the environment and the public.”
The camp was formally dedicated in 1960. There was worry among former Scouts that the property would be sold.
"I spent 10 of the best summers of my life at Hidden Falls," wrote JoAnna Pahides on an online petition titled "Keep Camp Hidden Falls Open!!"
"It is such a wonderful property and a gem for the GS to own," she wrote in the seven-year-old blog post. "My heart is grieving the thought of this possible sale."
Colleen McGinnis wrote, "I spent many summers at CHF as a girl and had some of my favorite childhood experiences there. What's more, didn't GSSP just spend tons of money renovating the camp? What a waste."
Although the property will not continue as a Girl Scout Camp, it will nonetheless be "preserved for future generations to enjoy," said Farrar. He thanked "all of the partners who worked so diligently together to find funding and purchase this important property."
Conservation organizations team upCamp Hidden Falls was previously owned and operated as a camp by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania until 2012. Seeking a way to preserve the land for the future, the Scouts reached out to several conservation organizations, including The Delaware Highlands Conservancy and the Natural Lands Trust. After years of planning and fundraising by several organizations, the property was purchased in May 2017 by The Conservation Fund for $4.5 million and was transferred to the National Park Service on April 23.
All of the camp buildings and the dam on Sunset Lake were removed before the purchase. What remains is a large swath of upland forest with 15 acres of wetlands, 8 waterfalls, and 2 miles of pristine streams.
Most of the funding for this recent addition to the national recreation area came from the Middle Delaware Mitigation Fund, which is administered by TCF on behalf of the NPS. The $66 million fund was established as compensatory mitigation for the impacts of the construction upgrades to the Susquehanna to Roseland Transmission Line project. Of that amount, $20 million has been earmarked specifically for land acquisition and stewardship projects. The Conservation Fund also secured several grants that provided additional funding for the purchase of the property. Those grants include $300 thousand from the Doris Duke Foundation; $400 thousand from the William Penn Foundation; and $800,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The National Park Service is now developing a comprehensive visitor use management plan. It will assess current and future visitor needs and develop strategies to meet those needs while also protecting the park’s natural, cultural, and scenic resources.
“This property has great potential for resource-based recreational activities such as hiking, camping, and hunting," said Kristy Boscheinen, Environmental Compliance Officer for the park. "We will know more about what the future may hold once we have completed environmental and feasibility studies to determine which uses would be appropriate.” The park will seek public input on those studies and plans as they are being developed."