Last spring the Times News reported the impending closure of the century old Trexler Scout Reservation on Jonas Mountain in Polk Township, after nearly a hundred years of service to the community. Efforts to resolve the organization’s financial woes have failed, and Boy Scouts of America recently announced plans to sell the property in 2024 to settle bankruptcy costs.

The 900-acre Trexler property was originally farmland until it was sold a century ago to Gen. Harry C. Trexler, a conservation-minded businessman who donated the land to BSA to encourage scouting in eastern Pennsylvania. Because the land has been used mainly for camping over many decades, much of the property remains in a natural state with mature healthy forest, pristine headwater streams that feed some of the region’s most exceptional trout waters, and a terrain that supports a variety of habitats native to the Poconos. These conditions make this site an ideal candidate for conservation and preservation of wildlife habitat in an area of the Poconos that is being urbanized at a rapid rate.

Not surprisingly, developers have gotten wind of this opportunity and are already submitting bids and proposals for the future of the Trexler property, which lies within Monroe County about a half mile from the Carbon County line.

Hopefully, any planning decisions regarding the future of the Trexler property will be mindful of the property’s unique history, natural features, and the vision of its original landowner who donated the land for a scout camp a hundred years ago.

Juliet Perrin

Albrightsville