Lodge 489

Just got back from Philmont. Only heard of one bear siting during our trek. A young male (around 250 pounds) was caught in Base Camp and transported up to the Baldy Town area and released. The next afternoon if showed up at Copper Park where we were camping. It was wandering around the meadow area east of the campsite where the trails from French Henry and Baldy Town come into camp. Our sister crew was coming into the meadow from Baldy Town and saw the bear. They got together and "looked big" - started yelling and screaming at the bear. The bear was about 25 yards away and just stared a

Just finished a trek at Philmont and wore Buck Naked - worked great!

At the District Round-table this month I heard two Scoutmasters and a Unit Commissioner get into a lively discussion about a young Life Scout. From what I understand he is twelve years old and just passed his Board of Review for Life last month. His Scoutmaster was telling the other Scoutmaster and UC that there is no way that he is going to let this boy earn his Eagle until he is 15 years old. He said that the boy will probably have all of his merit badges and Eagle Project completed by the end of next Summer when he is 13 years old. However, he said that he will never check him off on hi

While I was attending a training event at the Philmont Training Center four years ago one afternoon I got to sit in on a discussion with the folks who were going through Venture Crew Leader training for the week. The couple teaching the class said that the number one problem that they had when camping with their Crew, was at night keeping the boys and girls out of each other's tents. There were probably another five or six crew leaders who spoke up and said the same thing. You put boys and girls that age together and the hormones are going to kick in. So, to say that sex isn't an issue - j

The National Council is comprised of the following members: All members of its Executive Board Members of the Regional Executive Committee Local Council Representatives (president and council commissioner plus an additional member for every 5,000 youth members) Members at large elected by the National Council for 1 year terms Honorary (non-voting) members as elected by the National Council for 1 year terms.

Schools will not sponsor units unless you also allow atheists in - it's not just the ban on homosexuals.

Brewmeister may be right (I guarantee in the first press conference after the ruling, some tool will utter the words: This is a good start, but we have more work to do.) based upon this news story. It's interesting to see how a group that was OK with the proposed changes is now saying that they aren't enough - that every CO must implement this proposed policy. Furor Over Proposed Shift In Scouts No-Gays Policy By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer Thursday, January 31, 2013 NEW YORK (AP) The Boy Scouts of America faces intensifying criticism from the left and right over a pro

I have found the link that you requested: http://www.gcumm.org/news/2013/01-29/statement-regarding-boy-scouts-of-americas-proposed-changes

I only have the actual email that was sent out to the Scouting Ministry Specialist. I will try to find out if they have posted it somewhere and report back.

The General Commission of the United Methodist Men (which oversees all Scouting for the UMC) has just released the following statement regarding BSA's policy change. It will be left up to each local church to determine whether or not they will allow gays and lesbians into Scouting - either as a youth or a leader. Statement from GCUMM Gilbert Hanke, top staff executive of the General Commission on United Methodist Men, says that both he and Larry Coppock, national director of scouting ministries, were consulted by the leadership at the highest levels of BSA prior to the proposal to c

The General Commission of the United Methodist Men (which oversees all Scouting for the UMC) has just released the following statement regarding BSA's policy change. It will be left up to each local church to determine whether or not they will allow gays and lesbians into Scouting - either as a youth or a leader. Statement from GCUMM Gilbert Hanke, top staff executive of the General Commission on United Methodist Men, says that both he and Larry Coppock, national director of scouting ministries, were consulted by the leadership at the highest levels of BSA prior to the proposal to c

Our District will soon be holding its Annual Business Meeting. All registered District Members at Large and Chartered Organization Representatives are eligible to vote on District nominees. I am a Chartered Org Rep but will not be able to attend this meeting due to a work conflict. My question is will I be able to provide my proxy to a registered Scouter from one or our organization's units so that they can vote?

perdidochas - I agree with you about the maturity level of the boys. I guess that they could earn the A of L award in the 4th grade and still stay for another year as a Webelos Scout while they're in the 5th grade. Based upon everyone's feedback what my Committee Chair and I are looking at doing for next year is the following: We plan on introducing a tried and proven "one year curriculum" for a boy to earn his Arrow of Light that was provided to us at the Council training workshop. We would expect (and hope) that most, if not all of those boys that actually earn their AoL would c

perdidochas; Prior to ever starting his fourth grade school year a boy would have already been a Webelos since the day after his last school day as a third grader. Most boys turn 10 years old while they are in the fourth grade - some toward the beginning and some later. So, if a boy turns 10 in October of his fourth grade school year, then six months later he would be eligible for his Arrow of Light award. That would be in the month of April and he would still be in the fourth grade. Also, if I read it right, the requirement that you quoted is not a "this AND that" requirement - it's a "th

So, I would assume the site the quote he showed you that states "A Webelos Scout who has earned the Arrow of Light Award has now completed all the requirements for the Scout badge and may join a Boy Scout troop." May simply be outdated information. _________________________ No, it's from the current official BSA website. It's titled "Improved Webelos Transition" and this is the program that they covered with us. Like one of the above posts states, they told us that all the LDS Packs have only a one year Webelos program and that is what they're now recommending that we all

At a council training event we attended a seminar on Webelos Transition. One of the topics that came up is that once the boy earns his Arrow of Light Award he is eligible at that time to enter Boy Scouts. We told the instructor that our understanding was that the boy had to be at least 11 years old and in the 5th grade. He said that was not the case - that as long as the boy earned his AOL award he can cross over immediately. He said that his Pack only has a one year Webelos program for fourth graders and they have been crossing over boys who are still in the fourth grade and were ju

We have two Webelos Scouts that will be crossing over to Boy Scouts at our upcoming Blue & Gold Banquet. Neither boy will have earned their Arrow of Light award by the B & G. I know that the other Cub Scouts that did not earn their appropriate rank have until the end of the school year to do so if they didn't get it done by Blue and Gold. Please clarify whether the Webelos can still work on their Arrow of Light Awards until the end of the school year. My understanding is that the minute they cross over then they are "officially" Boy Scouts and thus would no longer be able to w

Nope, no problems with the other local troop at all - we have a great relationship with them. We are located in a rapidly growing town that has gone from just a couple of elementary schools a few years ago to where we now have two high schools, two Jr. high schools and 10 elementary schools. Even with this economic slowdown our town is still growing in new homes and people - not as fast as it was (thank goodness) but still moving forward. Our pack started because the other pack in town was busting at the seams and could not take any more boys. The same with this Scout Troop we're sta

Thanks for all the great feedback. Another question that has come up is regarding what uniform the leaders wear who are filling dual roles. Say an Asst. Cubmaster who is also an Asst. Scoutmaster - can he still wear his uniform with the Asst. Cubmaster patch on it and just change out the shoulder tabs when he's doing Boy Scout activities? I guess the real question is in regards to our Webelos Den Leader who will also be an Asst. Scoutmaster. Since the Webelos boys will be camping with the Scout Troop he will in fact be performing two roles at the same time.

I am the Cubmaster of an existing Pack and we want to start a new Troop. We have enough boys to get it chartered but I have a few questions about staffing the adult leadership. We have one parent who has volunteered to step us as Scoutmaster and another parent who leave vacate his Cub Scout leadership position to be the Committee Chair of the troop. My question is this: can adults who still hold leadership positions in the Cub Scout Pack also hold leadership positions in the Boy Scout Troop? For example, can my Assistant Cubmaster who is a former Boy Scout also hold a position as an

A previous poster stated: "This year, not being involved with a Troop (I am DAC), the District nominated me and I received my letter." _______________________ I thought only Adult Leaders who were active with a Boy Scout Troop could be nominated for OA membership - at least that's what we've been told in our District. We have several great Scouters who have spent quite a few years focusing their attention on Cub Scout Packs and whenever someone has tried to nominate them for OA they have been told that Cub Scout Leaders are not eligible. There are several Cub Scout Leaders who are OA

"To go on any trail at Philmont you will need to do the full Trek version of their physical." While we were at PTC last year we were able to hike quite a few trails on the Philmont Trek side. There were no restrictions and no special physical was needed - just the standard PTC physical. Now when I came to Philmont in the 70s as a Scout, and spent 12 days hiking all around the place (it was officially called Philmont Scout Ranch and Explorer Base back then) we all had to complete a more detailed physical for our trek and I'm sure that they require something similar to that now. But

They told us it was a Council in New York State that was running it. I don't know which one but I will check and see if I can find out which one.

Is this a new name for the Webelos to Scout Transition Coordinator? Don't know but the way the folks from National explained it to us was that this was a brand new position that they had just created this past July. Perhaps it's something that they are reintroducing with a new emphasis.

How is Tiger Cubs voluntary? My exact same response when I heard it a few weeks ago. I found out that if the Chartered Org does not want to have a Tiger Cub Den then that is entirely up to them. They told us that well over 30% of the U.S. packs do not have a Tiger Cub Den. While at PTC we attended a presentation on "Scouting and the LDS Church" and found out that it's their church's policy that an LDS pack cannot have a Tiger Cub Den. We were also told that LDS churches are the largest Charter Orgs in the US and as such I'm pretty sure that they largely contribute to the high am