Power Lines Threaten

Beneath the Yellow Line

Jon Bisset of River Valley Ranch

Landowner Impact Story written by Susan Gordon

Photographs by Brandon Moffitt

River Valley Ranch, owned and directed by Jon Bisset, is located on 500 acres in the far northeast portion of Carroll County close to the Gunpowder and Falls Rivers. This section of Maryland is known for the some of the largest contiguous tree canopy in the state. The forest shelters a declining songbird population, along with hawks, owls, foxes, black bears, white-tailed deer, opossums, and raccoons, to name just a few.

Jon said that his grandfather and his uncle had started River Valley Ranch in 1952 and that it has a 501-C status. Both his grandfather and uncle had emigrated here from Scotland in the early 1900’s. They were pastors in Scotland and were pastors here in Baltimore. They saw the challenges in the city, and decided, “Why don’t we start a camp and get the kids out of Baltimore.” Jon added, smiling, “They traded kilts for camp,” and because his Scots grandfather and uncle equated America with cowboys, the camp they created was called a ranch, River Valley Ranch.

And then we settled in to discuss the proposed PSEG lines and the damage they will bring to this third generation, 74-year-old, River Valley Ranch. Jon said the lines will interrupt the current and future use of the camp. They will cross through “the top third of the property, disrupting the hiking paths and all the trails where the campers ride horses.”

It is the disruption of those wild spaces that brought our discussion to the deepest mission of River Valley Ranch. Jon, like his grandfather and great uncle, is a man of faith. He sees the “God-given potential” in every camper and he described the purpose of River Valley Ranch in this way, “the heart of the experience is to help every camper to grow emotionally, spiritually, and physically.” Those woods and trails nurture all three.

Like his grandfather, Jon, is trying to draw the kids, who come to his camp from across Maryland and Pennsylvania, “out of the city,” out of suburbia, to unplug from phones and screens. “To get outside, to interact with undisturbed nature, to look up at the stars, to ask how they got there, to see the eagle, the beaver, the fox. A lot of these kids have never seen a horse, never been on a horse, never taken a hike up in the woods, never really seen stars.”

And Jon and I lingered a moment on the word stars, because I suddenly realized, up in the north east kingdom of Carroll County that the night skies would be dark, free from light pollution and there would be thousand upon thousands of stars to see. “Yes, there are,” Jon said.

And we thought together on what that sight could awaken in a kid who had never encountered such dark immensity, black skies filled with tiny bits of light. Wonder, awe, an awareness of something far larger than themselves, and questions about how all of this was created were some of our words.

The clearcutting of that canopy of trees, the destruction of the paths and the trails will put an inked thumb onto that clear seeing, a smeared blot on that dawning faith, so carefully tended in this untended and wild place.

And those woods and upland trails also offer other challenges, physical and mental ones, the chance to learn new skills, to take healthy risks, to be part of team, to solve problems, to not give up.

Jon went back to the importance of being unplugged. The kids do not have access to screens or phones for their entire time at camp. Jon spoke of the nature of bullying, saying “bullying always has occurred at school, but you could escape it and now you can’t, that bullying follows you” in your back pocket, “it never lets up.” He wants these kids to realize that they have a choice, that life can be lived off screens. That there are healthier options and he has dedicated his ranch to providing them what he calls “a kinesthetic, holistic experience” where experiential learning strengthens mind, body, and spirit.

I asked Jon about his own history with River Valley Ranch. He thought for a minute and then answered: “I grew up coming to this camp. My grandpa created it. My Dad ran the radio station. He was never a director (of the camp.) But I grew up here. I did every kind of job at the camp. I washed dishes; I landscaped; I was a life guard; I did the farm work, but then I became a counselor and I oversaw the work program. I saw camp from all aspects: facilities to programs. But I wasn’t ever a registered camper.”

Because Jon Bisset was a step back from being a camper, he “could see what camp does for community.” He saw that “lifelong friendships were developed” at River Valley Ranch; he saw “the bonding” that occurred. He said, “It pulled people out of their environment.” Those experiences run deep, touching the most essential part of every camper. “And.” Jon added, with a grin, “Camp is a really fun place.”

Jon grew up, went off to college and worked for five years in Chicago, but he never lost his deep connection to River Valley Ranch. In college he took a course on the “philosophy of camping” that reminded him of the essential reasons to offer a camp experience. And his own faith grew and developed, a faith that had its initial foundation in the faith of his grandfather and great uncle, both pastors. He said, “I grew up in a family with a deep faith and as a child I had their faith.” But in his late teens, “I had to make a decision for myself whether or not to commit my life to Jesus.” He added that now “my faith looks different than theirs.” And that faith walk also brought him back to River Valley Ranch. Jon thought, “maybe this is where I am supposed to be.”

“I grew up at camp with a close friend whose parents worked here,” said Jon. “We became best friends and stayed connected over the years. Eventually an opportunity came for both of us to return to camp, bringing with us some fresh ideas from what we had learned during our time away.”

“What was one new idea,” I asked.

“Well,” Jon said, “The kids who worked at camp saw it as ‘a job.’ But my friend and I remembered it had been fun, and we decided, ‘Let’s make it a program; let’s make it exciting.’ We created an intentional program to help the kids who worked the camp jobs to become leaders. We called it: ‘Teens in Training.’”

“They’re working,” Jon said, “but they are also learning about themselves. This place depends on them. Jobs others might avoid, they love to do. It is an engaging experience central to what we are trying to provide at River Valley Ranch. We have helped them develop a vision, to see that there is something bigger than yourself. They are seen as valuable people. We have changed the jobs here from work to experience. It is for kids 14-16 years old and there are different levels. You start being part of a crew; then you become a leader, and eventually, you might become a person leading another camper’s spiritual development.”

“The kids love this program. The parents love this program. They pay for their kids to have this experience.”

At the core of River Valley Ranch’s mission is the belief that every person is created by God for a purpose. Jon’s goal is to help kids begin to explore that purpose. The camp provides a spiritual component but never forces anything. “We help kids understand that they have a choice in their faith journey,” he explained. “It’s not about pressure, it’s about teaching them that they can believe in something bigger than themselves.”

The spiritual growth at River Valley Ranch is woven into a broader focus on holistic development, where campers are challenged to grow in their entirety. This growth is nurtured through a variety of experiences - unplugging from technology, exploring the quiet wildness of the trails, engaging in physical activities, and working together in community. Daily discussions with mature counselors, who are college students with vision and purpose, provide valuable spiritual guidance.

As Jon explained, “We challenge the kids to grow, and parents often tell us, ‘My kid came home different—more willing to help, more respectful.’” Through these experiences, campers develop a deeper sense of respect, responsibility, and self-awareness, helping them realize their full potential.

I asked, “Do you help the campers find a way to continue that growth?”

And Jon said, “We help the kids and their parents identify churches in their communities; we encourage them to get involved in youth groups. We also provide other resources. And a lot of counselors stay in touch with the campers for years.”

“We hear back, over time, that the kids have become productive persons, that they have built friendships that last into their adult lives; they have an ability to realize the goals they set for themselves, that they have become a role model for others.”

Jon spoke of some of the physical challenges offered by the Ranch, “high ropes, ziplines, horseback riding. They are designed to be challenging and we encourage the kids to accept those challenges. They do and return home knowing they have developed the ability to overcome their fears. They have a courage” which they can carry with them into adulthood when faced with other new situations and challenges.

And Jon stopped for a moment and then spoke with recognition and a quiet certainty, “That is what concerns me the most. Those challenges are the heart of what we do. The transmission lines will bring destruction and intrusion. We should not disrupt those activities. There are not many places where people can have those experiences. They bring the emotional, physical, and spiritual components together, all three, helping those kids to realize the gifts God has given each one of them We need every part of this Ranch, where the kids are away from suburbia, in nature, able to hike up into the woods, learn the ropes, do the zipline.”

“The transmission lines will negatively effect and restrict what we can do. That is where the kids look up at the stars and ask, ‘How did they get there?’ or come upon a fox or a deer. And the powerlines; do we know their long-term health effects? Why take that risk?”

And then Jon paused and said, “My personal take on this? I’m not resisting progress. The data centers are coming. These short-term solutions? We need to pause and learn how to truly do it correctly. I am not fighting progress. We cannot stop AI or data centers but we need to do it safely and properly. We don’t have the knowledge yet. We should put them near where the power is. We need to slow down until we come up with better solutions. Ones that are safe and responsible, comprehensive. There are quick fixes, like these transmission lines, but with significant consequences.”

“That gets to another one of the core values we teach at the Ranch. It is called: ‘Find a way.’ We teach these kids not to give up. We ask, ‘How do we approach a challenge? How do we find a way?’ We teach the kids to look for every possible solution.”

“Despite the clear environmental and community impacts, there seems to be a troubling lack of imagination in how these projects are approached. That is not happening with data centers. They are not looking for every solution.”

“For example, at the camp, how do we handle a week of rain? We don’t stop. We embrace the weather. What can we do inside? What can we do outside even in the rain? We make it fun. We are helping the kids develop the capacity to adjust and that is another core value. Don’t give up. Find a way. Look again. Have fun. Learn to adjust.”

Jon, remembering again his faith walk, his relationship with Jesus, said, “I am open to learning. God shows up differently when you are 50. I am still learning.”

He spoke about how a child learns, their innocence, their energy, their enthusiasm, reminding me of Jesus’s words, “Let the little children come unto me.”

And that openness to learn, as a child, or with that child-like wonder, or “however God shows up at 50” is another core value of the camp. A value he is always hoping “to grow, to improve.”

And then he spoke more directly of what will be lost if these transmission lines are approved. Seventeen acres, but much more, the clear-cutting of an undisturbed forest, the forest that nourishes that child-like wonder, that provides challenges, that offers the opportunity to conquer fear, to learn, and to adjust. Acres of forest will be lost. Those lines also cross near a staff house and places where the kids sleep.

As he thought about the presence of those proposed lines, the land lost and the experiences that will be curtailed, and of his future plans for the Ranch, Jon said, “These transmission lines will interfere with the Ranch’s capacity to grow and expand. It will eliminate opportunities.”

That discussion took us to the health concerns of the parents if the power lines cross the Ranch. The information on the health effects of the lines is not conclusive, not yet. But it is a risk that Jon does not want to take. Equally concerning, are the parents’ perceptions of the lines. Jon said, “I can’t control their perceptions and perception is reality.” If the parents have doubts about the lines, “they won’t come.”

And if they “don’t come,” where will those children, ages 6-18, learn about all they can strive for and attain? Where will they nourish wonder and perhaps find the beginnings of a faith? Where will they unplug, step away from peer pressure and sometimes peer cruelty? Where will they overcome fear, accept challenges, keep at it, find solutions, and learn the capacity to adjust, all the while having adventures and fun? Where else will they make healthy and, sometimes life-long friendships with other campers and with their older mentors?

If not at River Valley Ranch? Then where?

Is that a risk the Public Service Commission wants to take?