RememberSchiff

The North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church has agreed to pay $448,216 (within a year) to help pay sexual abuse claims against the Boy Scouts of America as part of the scouting organization’s federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy settlement. Starting June 30, new agreements will be in place with the Boy Scouts, she said. Churches will have affiliation agreements with Boy Scout troops instead of charters with local councils, to “decrease risk of legal exposure,” Lynn Hare, chancellor for the North Alabama Conference, said. Through the end of October, new agreements will be signed, with equipment such as tents and trailers to be owned by the Boy Scouts, not by individual churches that had sponsored them. “We are making a separation between the church and the Boy Scout unit,” Hare said. The agreement provides for safe sanctuary and youth protection plans. More at source: https://www.al.com/news/2022/06/north-alabama-methodists-agree-to-pay-448216-in-boy-scout-abuse-settlement.html

In 1968 (1967?), 11 Scouts from an area troop floated 80 miles down the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania. Their council leaders thought it was such an epic trek that they offered a patch to troops that also tried the “Chinklacamoose Wilderness Canoe Trip.” Chinklacamoose is the Native American name for Clearfield. The Bucktail Council BSA (Boy Scouts of America) sponsors the special patch “Chinklacamoose Wilderness Canoe Trip BSA” for those who complete the trek. (see below) In June 2022, Troop 26 of DuBois completed the five-day journey, earning the Bucktail Council patch and the BSA 50-Miler Award. The Scouts and leaders launched from Clearfield on June 1 and made it to North Bend on June 6. Scouts saw beavers, deer and many birds, including several bald eagles along the scenic waterway. Water levels were low so the paddlers encountered many rocks but experienced excellent weather for camping along the way. ...but they also tackled Class II whitewater rapids at Moshannon Falls. All paddlers safely negotiated the fast water. More about Troop 26's recent 2022 canoe journey at news source: https://www.thecourierexpress.com/news/area-boy-scouts-complete-five-day-journey-on-susquehanna-river/article_3fb11424-f318-11ec-b509-63e3ad4ff205.html 2020 trip: https://www.thecourierexpress.com/lifestyle/area-scouts-conquer-chinklacamoose/article_e9fd92ad-b61e-5465-abeb-8cb74c331598.html Other sources: 80 Miles of Wilderness Adventure: Chinklacamoose Canoe Trip – Clearfield, Pa. to North Bend, Pa. by O. Lynn Frank. Link to 28 page planning reference (good stuff!) https://www.personal.psu.edu/~gal4/Chinklacamoose.pdf https://www.susquehannagreenway.org/80-miles-wilderness

You may or may not have seen the official crest for the USS Gerald R. Ford, but do you know the meaning of the symbols, text, and emblems on it? Well, first off, the compass. If you look at the point for north, you'll notice a Fleur-de-Lis symbol. Although used on the compass rose since antiquity, its use here stands for the Boy Scouts of America — Ford was the only Eagle Scout ever to become U.S. president. The presence of the compass itself is meant to symbolize "The moral compass," a reference to President Ford's legacy of honesty and integrity. USS Gerald R. Ford's global presence and linkages to the chief of naval operations' guiding philosophy of operating forward are shown by the world map. The 38 stars around the logo commemorate Ford's legacy as the United States' 38th President. Twenty-six of the 38 stars have been colored in to depict his WWII battleship, the USS Monterey (CVL 26). Ford's undergraduate university, the University of Michigan, is represented by the color scheme of azure (blue) and maize (yellow). To honor his graduate school, the crest also includes Yale blue and white. The words "Integrity at the Helm" as they are the motto of the Ford Foundation and connect the ship not only to the Foundation but also serve to stress the Navy's key values. More about our newest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford at source https://interestingengineering.com/uss-gerald-r-ford-advanced-carrier-us

Sad story. According to wildlife officials, it appears the bear got inside the car using its teeth or paws to open the unlocked door and got trapped after the door shut behind it. Once inside, the bear likely died in the heat as outdoor temperatures surged past 95 degrees, meaning the temperature inside the car could have “possibly reached over 140 degrees,” officials said. The bear could have been lured into the car by the smell of food. “Notice the empty soda can and food package on the floorboard," the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said, sharing a photo of inside the car. "Bears have noses 7 times better than a bloodhound and can smell even the faintest odor of food inside a vehicle." https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/black-bear-dies-getting-trapped-car-sweltering-95-degree-weather-tenne-rcna35148 https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/mammals/large/black-bears.html

Sadly agree. Journalism here started its decline about the same time, though for different reasons, well except money. My $0.03 (inflation)

Oh I see my confusion, Ohio EPA is a department of the Ohio state government as opposed to the US EPA.

@BPUMC welcome to scouter.com

Agree everyone deserves safe drinking water, but what is safe "adequate", what is being tested, and where - campsite, camp kitchen,... The EPA does not regulate private wells, so I would be surprised if the EPA fined camps over drinking water quality. Regulation and enforcement is left to state and local authorities or self-policing camp associations. Nothing to stop a scouter from drawing a water sample and having it tested by a private lab. Testing for bacteria and E.coli might be less than $100, radon and arsenic a little more, and testing for PFAS would likely be $400. https://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/unregulated-drinking-water-systems.aspx

@Eagle390 welcome to scouter.com

Update 6/17/22: Camp Cachalot, in Carver, Massachusetts, sold to Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $1.4M “Water is crystal clear, there’s not a better place to go swimming, but it’s the group of people,” Camp Cachalot Alumni Association Chairman Brian Bastarache said. “I don’t know why, but there’s a unique group of people here who are dedicated to the facility and that sort of dedicates them to each other.” https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/se-mass/popular-boy-scouts-camp-in-mass-forced-to-close/

@GMarshMo welcome to scouter.com

At the CO level, the thought was to divide required liability insurance expenses between volunteers (personal) and CO (facility). Personally I have carried my own personal liability insurance as recommended long ago in this forum and other youth groups I have volunteered. I have no confidence in any BSA insurance for which I do not have a hardcopy of the policy.

Like it. I will ask, hopefully that functionality is in our base software.

One end-user solution is a browser add-on to rename/retitle Tab manually. For example, there are Firefox add-ons Rename Tab Title and Tab Retitle. Note these add-ons are not actively monitored for security by Mozilla. Can be tedious to use and there is security concern. Agree with your suggestion, a better solution would be for the forum software to provide webpage title options.

As I recall past discussions, requiring volunteers to buy personal liability insurance was proposed. I have not seen that mentioned in the new CO model.

A moderator reminder, members can express their differing, diverse opinions in a courteous, kind, and helpful (scoutlike) manner and receive the same in discussion. Opinions can be right, wrong, informed, experienced, well-stated, less so, a mix. No credentials or experience are needed to express an opinion, hopefully the ensuing scoutlike discussion will educate all. One can advise and express his/her wishes for others, however in reality, one can only speak for oneself unless others have given their consent. Around our virtual campfire, we will agree to disagree in a scoutlike manner while working together to keep our scouting campfire glowing - bright with knowledge and wisdom and welcoming warmth. Less tinder, more kindling of diverse ideas - fuel for thought. Thanks. ~ RS @MattR@Eagle1993@T2Eagle@elitts@gpurlee

Some questions, @T2Eagle @Eagle1993 @MYCVAStory 1. Can a bankruptcy judge research the debtor and creditor outside of court, view the documentary in this instance, or would that be considered prejudicial since there would not be an opportunity for rebuttal? 2. Could say the TCC request a court hearing to view documentary and allow the opportunity for rebuttals? Thanks

April, 2022 : example of a professional association partnership: Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance. Welding Merit Badge Workshop The workshop will be held on April 30, 2022 from 9 AM to 2 PM at member company Collins & Jewell in Bozrah, CT and is open to high school age members of Scouts, BSA in New London and Windham counties. Participants will learn about welding safety, equipment, processes and training and career opportunities available in this high demand field. In addition to donating space for the event, Collins & Jewell will also be hosting a tour of their facility and is dedicating the time and skills of several of their certified weld instructors to work with the scouts to learn different types of welding. Airgas & Lincoln Electric are generously donating safety materials such as weld helmets, gloves and coats for the scouts to use during the activities and support is also provided by the American Welding Society. The event is open to Scouts ages 14 and older and event capacity is limited to 20 Scouts. Lunch will be provided by EAMA. Parents & Guardians of registered attendees are invited to join the tour and learn about the numerous career opportunities in the region available in manufacturing. https://eamainc.com/event/welding-merit-badge/. I have seen other Welding MB, sometimes called Welding Merit Badge Day, partnerships this Spring. https://scoutingevent.com/250-weldingmb2022 <- Northern Star Scouting Council/ Lynnes Welding Training

June, 2022 : example of a school partnership. I do not know if faculty were offficial MBC's or if Council used adult leaders for proxy signoff and YP. I prefer this approach over the expense of a Council creating their own separate Skills or STEM center. The Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America and New England Institute of Technology have formed a collaboration, offering a series of Merit Badge courses that help Scouts learn technical skills directly from industry expert faculty. These Merit Badge courses give Scouts the chance to explore areas of interest that could inform future careers. While Scouts learn from NEIT faculty, parents and guardians are given the opportunity to tour the campus and learn about post-secondary education opportunities at NEIT. This May, NCBSA hosted STEM-focused Merit Badge courses at two NEIT campuses. The Surveying, Electronics, and Health Professions Merit Badge courses were held at the East Greenwich campus, and the Automotive Mechanics Merit Badge course was held at the Warwick campus. Each course was led by NEIT faculty. Scout attendees benefited from a hands-on, intensive learning experience that met the requirements for their chosen Merit Badge. This collaboration will be especially impactful for Scouts who may not otherwise have access to hands on learning in these topic areas, and professionals in these fields. “It is particularly gratifying to help Scouts achieve their STEM-related Merit Badges by offering hands-on experience under the guidance of our industry expert faculty,” said Alan Resnick, Vice President for Strategic Planning at NEIT. “Our faculty is dedicated helping young people discover the joy of learning about and doing new things. We anticipate future successes as our relationship with the Scouts continues to expand.” “We’re excited to expand our Merit Badge offerings to Scouts through our new collaboration with NEIT,” said Tim McCandless, Scout Executive and CEO. “By partnering with a higher education institution like NEIT, we’re able to show Scouts that the skills they learn through their Merit Badges have real world applicability. We look forward to continuing to add more subject areas going forward.” https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/state/narragansett-council-and-neit-collaborate-to-teach-stem-skills-to-scouts/article_cd2146d0-e828-11ec-8271-87c0309a1328.html

You were a lifeline. Glad you were there.

"I never told my father how I really felt about our pinewood-derby adventure. He never knew that he had taught me an invaluable truth: It’s better to fail on your own than to take credit for another man’s success." Audio (3 min) and text by author/scout Greg Opelka https://www.wsj.com/articles/pinewood-derby-racing-fathers-day-lessons-car-boy-scouts-cubs-11655326263

Camp Babcock-Hovey (Seneca Waterways Council, eastern shore of Seneca Lake, NY) “Our volunteer Executive Board this evening made the difficult decision to begin the process of selling Camp Babcock-Hovey,” said the council in a letter sent to Scouting families on Tuesday, June 14. “The board made this choice only after nearly a year spent exploring ways to fulfill our obligation to the national BSA bankruptcy settlement, including a fully researched recommendation from the council’s Asset Committee.” ... Others wondered out loud if the two remaining camps operated by the SWC- Camp Cutler in Ontario County and Massawepie Scout Camps in St. Lawrence County- would adequately serve the Western New York Scouting community. ... The Seneca Waterways Council is expected to pay 8-MILLION dollars in cash towards the national Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy settlement, that was brought upon by thousands of sexual abuse allegations. In a statement, the Executive Board said after using all of its operating and capital cash assets, and other funds, they would not be able to afford to pay the 8-MILLION dollars without selling one of its three camps. Sources: https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2022/06/15/local-bsa-council-announces-camp-babcock-hovey-in-ovid-will-be-sold/ The source link below includes an explanation from the Executive Board. https://www.fingerlakesdailynews.com/2022/06/15/1474035/

Yes but that is not the Scouting Leadership method where the SPL comes around to patrols and advises, checks,... Patrols did their meetings online during covid and some of their assumptions of the way things are were apart from reality. That said, leader styles are dynamic. What may work for one patrol may not work for another. Let them experiment, fail, team-build, fix, succeed. My $0.02, P.S. I am a ASM, yep Anti-Snacks-at-Meetings - my den meetings, pack meetings, trooping meetings,...

IMO, this could be a good experiment, with failure allowed, of the Leadership Method. One patrol prepares for a campout, another wings it or a mystery destination where lack of preparation leads to lost fun opportunities...oh there was a beach?

Agree, kids can do stupid things. I would like to see the Watertown school district rescind the suspension immediately and our Boy Scout be allowed to take state exams as planned. As I understand, the superintendent is leaving in days as previously announced. Fix this now. Who was that masked man - Scott Armstrong, Director of National Media Relations for the BSA? From what I read, his response was quick, informed, and supportive - professional. 👍 My $0.02,