History:
The first summer camp session at Forestburg was held in 1956, following the initial land purchase of the 635-acre (2.57 km2) estate of Dr. Thomas Darlington, former Health Commissioner for New York City. The camp nearly doubled in size in 1965 with an additional purchase of the 600-acre (2.4 km2) Metauk Rod & Gun Club. Geography:
The three most notable features of the reservation are Burn
t Hope Lake, Tecumseh Rock and Darlington Falls. Burnt Hope Lake is a manmade lake originally named Hope Lake, after the Hope Lumber Company, but renamed after fires in 1805 and 1864 put the company out of business. Programs:
Forestburg features programs in different areas- Waterfront, which includes swimming and boating on Burnt Hope Lake, Scoutcraft, which features pioneering and outdoor skills, Handicraft, which is where skills in creating things are taught, Field Sports, which has shooting-related merit badges, Environmental Conservation, where classes dealing with nature are taught, Technology Center, which teaches science related badges and houses the W2FSR amateur radio station, and Frontier Camp, where the newest scouts work towards Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class Ranks. Unlike its brother camp, FSR does not feature a theme.
