Roxborough has always been known as a place with deep roots. And as our community grows, the heart here beats stronger. 

Over the past few months, our community has come together with both the Shawmont Valley and Upper Roxborough Civic Associations to oppose a sale by the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE) of prime forest land known as the Boy Scout Tract to a developer. These 24 wooded acres bordering Port Royal Avenue are home to a vast and dynamic ecosystem that has been deemed in two separate assessments as “highly valuable natural habitat.”

The first resource assessment was completed in July 2021 by Natural Lands Trust; the second completed by LandHealth Institute in August 2022.  The land supports mature native woodlands important for the groundwater quality and habitat.  It shelters the headwaters of Green Tree Run, one of the last first order streams remaining in Philadelphia.  It is home to diverse inhabitants; among others the toads that mate in the adjacent reservoir each spring, traversing roads closed annually by SCEE for the event.

This land was entrusted to SCEE for safekeeping.  And yet, SCEE publicly announced in June of this year that it was seeking proposals for its development. On September 6, 2022, after a summer of community tension, the proposal process was suspended but the sale has not been canceled. 

There has been a general misconception that the land is safe. On the contrary, it will only be safe when a full and permanent easement is applied to the land, restricting all development in perpetuity.  This is our community’s primary goal.   

In 2004, SCEE attempted to sell this very same tract of woodland for development, then backed down after community protest. Eighteen years later, they are attempting once again to sell to a developer.

We, the Roxborough community, wish to work closely alongside SCEE Executive Director Mike Weilbacher and the SCEE board to achieve enduring preservation of the Boy Scout Tract. This is an attainable initiative. We have spoken to politicians and donors with the necessary funds to make this happen.  We have overwhelming community support. Currently, 985 people have signed a petition to stop the sale and preserve the trees. More than 80 people attended a community meeting on September 7 and more than 50- attendees came to a peaceful rally on September 8.  The more people who learn about the peril to these woods, the more people come out to help. 

Once the entire tract is preserved in perpetuity, our community will gladly assist SCEE in stewarding the land for generations to come. This is a transformational initiative we are eager to work on together. We will help with raising funds.  And we will develop an ongoing community stewardship program. 

The preservation of this land and its rich habitat has far greater value to SCEE than destroying it through development, even the “conservation-minded” kind. Preserving it is what our community expects from SCEE, a longime advocate of the environmental movement within our city and region.  SCEE members, staff, donors and neighbors have all expressed their deep disappointment in SCEE leadership for entertaining the idea of selling this good land.  

Our collective community will continue to stand in opposition to any development on the Boy Scout Tract and will press on for its permanent preservation.

Rich Giordano

President

Upper Roxborough Civic Association

Jamie Wyper

President

 Residents of Shawmont Valley Association