RememberSchiff

Source: https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/treks/secondseasonprograms/winteradventure/

Update April 10, 2025: "The April 9 arrest on undisclosed charges resulted in Michael Kelsey being held at the Dutchess County Jail Wednesday night. Kelsey was previously arrested in 2023 for a parole violation." Source: https://midhudsonnews.com/2025/04/10/former-lawmaker-and-boy-scout-leader-kelsey-arrested-for-another-parole-violation/ Update Sept 13, 2025: "On Thursday, September 11, Kelsey was returned to prison for the April parole violation. He is confined in the St. Lawrence Correctional Facility." https://midhudsonnews.com/2025/09/13/former-legislator-who-molested-scouts-back-in-prison-after-violating-parole-again/

9/11/2025: Boy Scout Settlement Delays Extend ‘Nightmare’ for Abuse Victims by Alex Wolf https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/boy-scout-settlement-delays-extend-nightmare-for-abuse-victims

I only found one other BSA troop in Syracuse, a girls-only BSA troop 150. At that time in Syracuse, did the author miss another traditional boy scout troop beside Troop 1? I hope so as only 3 boy scouts in a city of 140,000+ is discouraging.

You are right, but IMO, a Scout is Trustworthy should have been sufficient.

Interesting to read Troop 26 SM M-J Hey's account of this rescue in Outdoor Life. “When we got to him, I asked him where he thought he was and he was a complete 15 miles off course,” says Hey, who’s been a scoutmaster for six months. “He did bump into hikers and they gave him directions but no help. More than anything, I was upset to hear that. He was anxious and concerned. He was in a bad spot.” ... Three hours after the troop’s Garmin inReach transmitted a call for help, a chopper retrieved Montgomery from a nearby meadow. He made a full recovery and is now traveling in Europe. As for Troop 26, rescuing Troop 10’s former leader goes well beyond merit badge recognition. “We sat around the campfire that night and I was peppered with questions,” Hey says. “I thought it was so lovely to be able to go through the entire thought process with the boys. What I saw, what my options were, why I made certain decisions. They were really engaged. It was a powerful moment. What I wanted the scouts to get out of it was how they can really have a huge impact in the real world. I wanted to look after Montgomery and save him, but I also wanted the scouts to see how important their skills are. And they got the message in droves.” Source: https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/boy-scouts-rescue-backpacker/

Recently, Syracuse Post-Standard outdoors reporter Steve Featherstone was a big winner at the 2025 Outdoor Writers Association of America Excellence in Craft Contest last month. Among his four awards was Third Place in Newspaper, Family Participation/Youth for May, 2024 The quest to save Syracuse’s last Boy Scout troop Which can be read in full here. https://www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/2024/05/the-last-boy-scouts-inside-the-quest-to-save-syracuses-sole-remaining-scout-troop.html Competition, Lack of Volunteers, COST

From Michigan Crossroads Council: Want to test drive Scouting before a full-year’s commitment? Want a way to offset the membership fee associated with the application? We have options that will allow you and your youth the ability to learn how amazing the Cub Scout program can be. The 2025 membership fee is $170, which for some families is a large commitment, especially if there are multiple Scouts involved. Here is how the Trial Membership works. Step 1: Once you know the Cub Scout Pack that you would like to join, fill out the form below requesting the Trial Membership. Step 2: You will receive an email with a coupon code that can be then used in the Youth Application process. Step 3: Complete the online Youth Application, entering the provided coupon code. Your Cub Scout Pack should provide you a QR Code or link to their Application page. If not, you can go to https://beascout.org, enter in your zip, find your Pack, and click APPLY NOW. NOTE: The coupon does not cover the Scout Life subscription. If you optionally want to subscribe to that, it will be a $15 fee. Step 4: Enjoy the fun of Cub Scouts until December 1, 2025! You will be asked to sell popcorn to offset the balance of the $170 membership fee, if any, to continue your Cub Scout journey beyond December 1. Check your email for details on the Trails End sale. How it works: Upon completing the Online Application (with the discount coupon code), you will be asked to sell $570 in popcorn per registered child ($170 commission). If your Pack sells popcorn, you will be immediately included in their fall sale. If your unit does not sell popcorn, you will be contacted by a district popcorn lead about the options for selling. It’s easy! On average in Michigan, a Scout that sets up a table at approved stores will sell $48 in commission ($158 retail) in one hour! Set up for two 2-hour storefront sales, and you should exceed your required amount. Scouts not selling the full amount will be expired on December 1 unless the membership fee balance is paid. You must agree that your family will sell $570 in popcorn for each Cub Scout taking part in this trial membership. You will need to agree that you will sell the popcorn or return it as directed prior to the dates specified based on your application date. You agree that if you do not sell your allotted amount, your memberships will be expired on or around December 1, 2025 unless you pay the balance of your application fee for $170/Scout. You are responsible for returning popcorn product in a timely fashion. Have questions? Contact us at info@discoverscouting.org Sources: https://michiganscouting.org/trial-membership/ https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2025/09/09/scouting-america-offers-trial-membership-program/

Update Sand Hill Scout Reservation 09/2/2025: " The Hernando County Commission voted 4-1 Sept. 2 to approve rezoning that will allow the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative to purchase 52 acres of Boy Scout land for an operations center. The proposal has drawn fierce opposition from residents who argue the sale violates the wishes of Larry DiePolder, who donated the original 1,300 acres with the intention that it remain undeveloped Scout land in perpetuity. Critics organized protests and created a website opposing the plan. Commissioner Ryan Amsler cast the lone dissenting vote, criticizing both the Scouts and the utility for their handling of the controversial proposal. "The way this is moving forward, how the Scouts got themselves in this position in the first place, and the way they've continued to go after this — I don't think they earned their 'ethics' badge on this one," Amsler said. The approval establishes a Public Service Facility Overlay District on part of the 1,251-acre Sand Hill Scout Reservation. Under the agreement, WREC will relocate its western Hernando County headquarters to the site, while the Scouts will use proceeds from the land sale to improve their remaining facilities." More at source: https://www.suncoastnews.com/news/commission-oks-rezoning-for-overlay-district-for-wrec-on-boy-scout-land/article_d890376b-0a3b-43d6-840e-3a6e6fb5bc4a.html

Let's keep our language Courteous. Thanks.

"Beware the fury of a patient man..." John Dryden

9/4/2025 FORT STEWART, Winn Army Community Hospital (GA) An Eagle Scout's project is a start towards a ROTC scholarship for chaplaincy. When her brother got sick as a child, only one thing offered him a small bit of comfort: a small stuffed animal that was there for him through his hospital stay. Today, Life Scout Reis Hill used that memory as the inspiration behind her Better Bears Eagle Scout project, donating more than 100 hand-made bears to Winn Army Community Hospital’s emergency department Sept. 2 to complete one of the final requirements to earn Scouting America’s highest award. For Reis, that’s the goal of the bears: offering comfort in a moment when comfort is needed. “When something traumatic like going into the ER as a little kid happens, it's good to feel that somebody cares,” she said. “I wanted to be able to give kids the teddy bears so that they feel that sense of connection.” The bear’s design was chosen for its simplicity because Reis knew she would be making several of them. The cloth for the bears came from multiple sources, including reclaimed old t-shirts, bolts purchased from a closing sewing shop, and Reis’s grandmother, she said. Next was finding the time to sew. “We spent about 36 hours in total working on it,” Reis said. “We had two four-hour workdays and two two-hour workdays. And then at home, I had a couple sew parties, as I like to call them, so that was just doing the final stitch on them after they were stuffed.” ... More at source, good story: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/547217/eagle-scout-candidates-project-makes-winn-er-visits-bearable-children Related, earlier Better Bears Eagle projects: https://tipjunkie.com/projects/easy-better-bear-eagle-scout-project-free-printables/ https://katv.com/news/nation-world/eagle-scout-donates-handmade-comfort-bears-to-childrens-hospital-in-west-virginia-huntington-hoops-family-childrens-hospitak-kids-patients-pediatrics-high-school-student-service-project?photo=1

My younger son earned Graphic Arts MB. I mentioned I had earned its precursor, Printing MB. What you do Dad? Well, I set type, inked the press plate, and printed the school newspaper myself. ?? School newspaper? I used my notebook to design a new 10ft troop vinyl banner and digitally print it. Then I pressed on the grommets. Pretty sharp looking banner and the ink didn't come off in my hand.

Parents may get a taste of a less expensive (free maybe?) alternative to Scouts and sports.

“Scouts will now have the chance to see firsthand how flexography touches their daily lives……from chips and snack bags to labels on their condiment and vitamin bottles. What better way to learn valuable skills that can lead to rewarding careers,” said Bettylyn Krafft, Executive Director of the Phoenix Challenge Foundation. Source: https://whattheythink.com/news/127424-phoenix-challenge-foundation-celebrates-scouts-americaflexo-printing-added-graphic-arts-merit-badge/

Oregon (2016), Washington (2023?), and Minnesota (2025) also fund Outdoor School for All programs but not necessarily for the same grades. I am curious as to the impact on Scouting membership numbers in those states.

Aug, 2025 Maine Outdoor School for All, administered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension (UMCE), is launching this fall thanks to $450,000 secured from private foundations. The Maine Outdoor School for All is a coalition of the UMaine Extension’s 4-H Learning Centers, the Chewonki Foundation, the Ecology School and Schoodic Institute. I found no Scouting groups mentioned. UMCE will give grants to certified outdoor learning centers to provide students in grades four through eight an immersive, three-day, two-night outdoor educational experiences." While at the certified outdoor learning centers, students and their teachers will participate in hands-on discovery aligned with state learning results. The core curriculum will help students develop in-demand STEM, leadership, communication and collaboration skills, while fostering confidence, connection to the state’s outdoor heritage and a commitment to environmental stewardship. About one-fifth of Maine public school students already participate in overnight programming through the organizations that make up the Maine Outdoor School for All coalition. At current funding levels, UMaine Extension expects the program will serve 1,000 additional students in 2025-26, at no cost to their school districts. Thousands of Maine students will participate in overnight outdoor educational experiences in the coming school year, at no cost to their districts, according to the University of Maine. “Current funding formulas for public education simply do not allow schools that would most benefit from this type of experience to pay for it out of their normal operating budgets, especially schools in rural, low-income or remote parts of the state. And yet, these very students are often the ones we are depending on to lead our fishing, farming and forest industries in the future, and hope they develop an interest in the sustainable resource management so crucial to Maine's economy,” said the Chewonki Foundation’s Nancy Kennedy. With the establishment of the program in state statute, initial private funding and a campaign to raise an additional $1 million this year, Maine has become one of just four states committed to providing outdoor learning opportunities for all public school students, regardless of the socioeconomic status of their family or their district. Oregon, Washington and Minnesota have Outdoor School for All programs funded by lottery proceeds and appropriations. When fully funded at $6 million annually, the program will be accessible to all students in grades four through eight in the state. Extension will certify outdoor education programs across the state and issue grant funding for these programs to partner with school administrative units and provide immersive outdoor education. “There is no better classroom than the Maine outdoors,” said Executive Director of UMaine Extension 4-H Centers Ryder Scott, in an Aug. 26 news release. “Research has reinforced that outdoor learning benefits students’ academic performance and their physical and social-emotional wellbeing. These aren’t just field trips — they are transformational experiences that engage Maine students in exciting STEM learning and prepare them for future success in their studies and careers.” This is consistent with the goals and strategies of the recently released 10-Year Maine Outdoor Recreation Economy Roadmap, which proposes expanding pipelines to rewarding careers in the outdoor industry through “increasing access to outdoor experiences” and "integrating outdoor education and career pathways in K-12 curricula.” “Our outdoor school experiences make a meaningful difference in the academic and social-emotional learning for our students," said Woodstock Elementary Principal Beth Clarke about her students’ immersive learning at the UMaine 4-H Learning Center in western Maine. “Whether observing the life cycle of plants, understanding ecosystems or learning leadership skills, Outdoor School at Bryant Pond deepens our students' understanding of the world and helps them grow into successful young adults." “Extension is thrilled to play a key leadership role in the Outdoor School program,” said UMaine Extension Dean Hannah Carter. “This program will create pathways for students to attend Maine's public universities and help build a labor force skilled in resource management, conservation, outdoor recreation, agriculture and forestry.” “Outdoor immersive education allows all its participants the opportunity to grow academically and socially. It allows students to practice healthy risk taking, and it shows them a world beyond cell phones and social media,” said 2025 Maine Teacher of the Year Becky Hallowell, who incorporates outdoor teaching and learning into her fourth grade at Wiscasset Elementary School. “All our Maine students deserve to have this opportunity.” “Research shows the critical years around middle school are a key window for physical, social and mental health development and the data shows that Maine youth are facing more mental health challenges than ever before. These middle school years are when kids start thinking about possible career pathways and their beliefs about the place they call home,” said Maine Environmental Education Association Executive Director Olivia Griset. “When our youth get to have positive community-based learning experiences they gain a greater sense of place and connection to this state, making it more likely they will want to stay here to pursue careers, contribute to the Maine economy, raise their families, and participate in their local communities.” “This new Outdoor School program creates a framework for improved access to robust outdoor learning programs for students in our poorer and more rural areas,” said Cobscook Institute Co-Executive Director Shaun Haskins. “Making this a statewide initiative, rather than something that individual schools or school districts must manage to implement on their own, reduces barriers and builds opportunity for all of our youth to reap the benefits of these amazing programs.” “This is a win for Maine students,” said Ecology School President Drew Dumsch. “We know from decades of experience that outdoor education is a powerful spark that keeps kids engaged in hands-on learning, STEM-related studies and, most importantly, gives them a window into Maine’s distinct landscape and natural heritage — from working forests and tidal estuaries to agriculture, conservation and fisheries. Now we must secure full and ongoing funding so all of our kids can benefit.” More at Sources: https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/maine-pilot-outdoor-school-all-year-students-across-state/261863 https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2025/08/25/maine-to-pilot-outdoor-school-for-all/

The Buckskin Council sold 350 acre Camp Kootaga in Parkersburg, WV to the Camp Kootaga Foundation. “The Camp Kootaga Foundation is committed to ensuring that this historic camp remains a thriving, year-round haven for outdoor adventure,” Bennon said in the release. “Our mission is to preserve the camp’s rich Scouting legacy, providing a place where young people can develop leadership, character, and a deep appreciation for the outdoors.” https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/community-news/2025/08/local-nonprofit-completes-purchase-of-camp-kootaga/

Great adventure.

Santa Barbara–based troop, Troop 26, was on the fourth day of a seven-day backpacking trip through the Emigrant Wilderness in the Stanislaus National Forest that borders Yosemite National Park. Nine young scouts were accompanied by five adult leaders. They were trekking with their 40-pound packs through a high-altitude meadow near Long Lake when they came upon a lone, disoriented 78 year old outdoorsman Douglas Montgomery. He was on a solo 14-day backpacking trip but lost his pack and with it his shelter, food, water, medication, and personal locator beacon. He did have his survival training from Scouting, but Eagle Scout Douglas Montgomery was cold, tired, and dehydrated when Troop 26 scouts came to his rescue. There's more at source. Good story with another surprise or two. Source: https://www.independent.com/2025/08/24/santa-barbara-boy-scouts-rescue-former-scoutmaster-lost-in-the-sierra-nevada/ P.S. I can relate to this quote from old Eagle Scout Douglas Montgomery “Backpacking was my first love. But once you learn how to live in the wilderness … and your backpacking skills become more challenged by age, you like stuff where you’re sitting down.” Scout Salute to all in this story.

A Scout is Trustworthy. And scouting is not easy. Teach them how to responsibly use tools. And yes they will fail but try again and again... learn by doing. Share the troop policy with parents. For example, how to fully charge phones before activity and how to find a missing scout or a phone via a phone. Back in the day, we scouts had nighttime competitions as to who could tune in the furthest AM station. We would be up all Friday night, however we soon learned the downside - dragging or missing fun Saturday activities. Wiser by Sat night, we slept and were ready for Sunday activities. Scouting is a learning experience. It is far easier to simply... but it is far better to use the Scout methods. Another $0.02.

Good grief. The cellphone is just another tool like a pocketknife. Maybe add to chit card. If a scout abuses the privilege, take it away, teach, trust, and return it. My $0.02. P.S. SOS Flashlight is a pretty cool and simple Android app.

Oct 13, 2014: Camp Püpükea Master Plan (500+ pages) filed. https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/erp/EA_EIS_Library/2014-10-23-OA-FEA-Camp-Pupukea-Master-Plan.pdf Aug 20, 2025: Plan update and other council property renovation plans in Aloha Council. https://alohastatedaily.com/2025/08/20/north-shore-scout-camp-reenvisioned-for-community/ "The camp improvements aim to serve scouts, business and nonprofit organizations and community groups, as well as those seeking refuge during natural disasters." A long planning process starting with needed improvements then adding shabby chic along the way.

Yes. I have been watching Bomazeen and Sand Hill. Both respective Councils appear determined to ignore donor wishes.

stained-glass windows damaged? Maybe a more thrifty and sensible impact resistant windows. Art panels on walls.