RememberSchiff

"We reach out to you to share great news! Last night the Executive Board of the Northeast Georgia Council, BSA approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU - attached) that establishes a formal partnership and relationship with the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee (GTEC) After the MOU was unanimously approved by the Executive Board, a formal signing ceremony was held with Ms. Rhonda Odum, Tribal Council Chair of the GTEC, and our council leadership including Brother Michael Levengood, our Council President, and our Scout Executive, Brother Trip Selman. Late last year, the National Order of the Arrow Committee let each council and lodge decide whether or not native American culture would continue in their programming. The Northeast Georgia Council made the decision to keep this important part of our program. This required a MOU with a federally or state recognized native American nation that expresses this desire and to focus all of this programming locally. While this initiative began with the OA program, we believe that this can have a positive impact on all of the family of Scouting programs in our council. And, as of last night, it is official! As part of the goals of the GTEC, they are planning to develop an authentic Cherokee village and promote the important and critical culture of the first peoples in north Georgia. Mowogo Lodge is proud and prepared to offer our resources and skills to helping them achieve their goals and we will serve as the catalyst for our youth and adult participants to learn genuine Cherokee culture and heritage. We hope you will join us in welcoming our new friends and be ready to learn and grow with them. This is the beginning of a new opportunity for all of us and future generations of Scouts and Scouters we may never meet. Their leadership is planning on joining us at our Pow Wow Fellowship in September. Yours in Service, Rusty Royston Lodge Adviser, Mowogo Lodge Northeast Georgia Council, BSA" More (photos) at source: https://www.mowogo.org/news/mowogo-news/lodge-adviser-s-minute/551-a-new-day-a-new-era Memorandum of Understanding: https://www.mowogo.org/mowogo/lodge-administration/file-downloads?task=download.send&id=130:signing-memo-nega-gtec-june-26-2025&catid=8 Note: Perhaps should be moved to OA forum, but I'm not a member of OA.

7/16/2025 Owasippe Scout Reservation...our Scout was only 15 years old. Scout Salute and Farewell. Camp Owasippe is perhaps the oldest operating scout camp in US. Sources: https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2025/07/missing-15-year-old-found-after-suspected-drowning-at-muskegon-county-scout-camp.html https://www.woodtv.com/news/muskegon-county/emergency-crews-called-to-scouting-camp-northwest-of-whitehall/

7/17/2025 "One person was killed and several others were rushed to the hospital after a lightning strike at the Black Knight Bowbenders outdoor archery range in Jackson Township, New Jersey on Wednesday, according to officials. Mayor Michael Reina confirmed the strike hit the ground near Jackson Cub Scout Pack 204. Robert Montgomery, 61, was a member of the Black Knight Bowbenders outdoor archery range and was volunteering at the time he was killed. Six other people, include several juveniles, were rushed to nearby hospitals, including Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Everyone was alert and conscious when they were taken to the hospital, but one person with more serious injuries was taken to the was taken to the Livingston Burn Center. The children were as young as 7 years old. Reina said CPR was successfully administered to at least one victim, who survived." More at sources: https://abc7ny.com/post/jackson-township-lightning-strike-leaves-1-dead-6-injured-archery-range-nj/17154234/ https://nj1015.com/jackson-nj-lightning-strike-2/ https://people.com/1-dead-13-injured-after-being-struck-by-lightning-at-new-jersey-archery-range-11773986

@PatrickPablo welcome to scouter.com

Timely article: https://gazette.com/news/local/southern-colorado-boy-scouts-camp-survived-terrifying-flash-flood/article_78a58953-e44e-48a3-90d1-58f144d59da0.html I did not know that Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch was sold in 2023.

@CuriousOne welcome to scouter.com

Local Boy Scouts built the popular Odum Scout Trail along the scenic ridgeline which saved the wilderness from being split by a highway. More at Sources: https://thebamabuzz.com/the-heroes-behind-alabamas-wilderness-areas-a-historical-look/ https://www.uapress.ua.edu/9780817351595/the-battle-for-alabamas-wilderness/

Major carriers have yet to make payments, citing coverage disputes and due process concerns "Insurance carriers that declined to take part in the Boy Scouts of America Settlement Trust have been billed a total of $6.99 billion since September 2024, according to a recent update issued by the trustee overseeing the sexual abuse settlement fund. In a status report dated June 2, trustee Barbara J. Houser said no payments had been received from those insurers as of May 30. She noted that none of the non-participating carriers had confirmed any intention to make payments toward the abuse-related claims." More at source: https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/legal-insights/nonsettling-insurers-billed-billions-in-boy-scouts-abuse-settlement-fund-539575.aspx

Update 6/20/25 Camp Geiger (ST. JOSEPH, Mo): "This summer, scouts are getting the chance to develop and grow their skills as innovators, part of the first ever Invention Scouts Program launched by the local Pony Express Council thanks to a $30,000 donation from former Camp Geiger scout and now nuclear physicist Rob Duncan, a leading Texas Tech physics professor with more than 50 patents to his name." "This makes us only the second program in the country like this. And what an exciting opportunity for these scouts to really be the first generation to experience it," said Dr. Ryan Maderak, director of Benedictine College’s astronomy major and a top advisor for Invention Scouts. "It's not changing scouting. It's just enhancing it.” .... "Information for 21st Century Scouting will be published on the Pony Express Council's website by the first week of July. A full schedule and registration will also open by the first week of August." There is also an upcoming Invention Convention at Cub Scout Day Camp listed on the Pony Express Council website. https://ponyexpressbsa.org/camping-and-activities/cub-scout-day-camp More at source: https://www.newspressnow.com/news/top-stories/2025/06/19/camp-geiger-debuts-all-new-invention-scouts-program-one-of-the-first-in-the-nation/

@Trooper721 welcome to scouter.com. There is a similar recent discussion in topic https://www.scouter.com/topic/33917-lawsuit-settlement/

Update 6/18/25: Middle Tennessee Scouts learn skilled trades, get badges at Lebanon camp (good read, with photos) https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/careers/2025/06/18/middle-tennessee-scouts-roy-grindstaff-skilled-trades-lebanon/84229260007/

Will this take off where geocaching did not? So is this sort of Train the Trainer program? IMO scouting is real world with an outdoor classroom. Though fun, this seems just the opposite but then I have never caught and trained a Pokemon. My $0.02 or virtual money equivalent

"Even though the water was only a few inches high, it was flowing quickly into the nearby creek. So, rescue crews strapped helmets and life jackets on each child and carefully guided them across."

@JMF welcome to scouter.com

@Evereatapinecone welcome to scouter.com.

Now for something completely different. The Scout Association of Japan is teaming with Pokémon to host a “Become a Pokémon Trainer!” program for kids in Japan! Aspiring Trainers (scouts) "will go through a variety of missions to learn what it takes to become a Pokémon Trainer. With lessons in teamwork, respect, and discipline, there’s a lot more that goes into it than just catching Pokémon. The program is available across many regions of Japan, with limited spots for those who want to apply." Sources: https://nintendowire.com/news/2025/06/16/pokemon-is-launching-a-special-boy-scouts-program-in-japan-where-kids-can-become-trainers/ https://saiganak.com/event/pokemon-scout-2025-summer/

@ScoutsMama welcome to scouter.com

"What began as a local initiative in Iași, a city in northeastern Romania, has become a national movement for sustainable mobility, civic education, and youth-led advocacy. "Scarf on the Bicycle," a project initiated in 2022 by the Constantin Sapatino Local Scout Centre, has, over the years, transformed into a symbol of determination and collaboration for a greener, more bicycle-friendly Romania." Cities like Iași, which have experienced rapid development, are now struggling with congestion and poor air quality. That’s why a bicycle and scooter-friendly city should adopt a coherent public policy in this regard: dedicated bike lanes, adapted legislation, road safety education campaigns, bicycle parking spaces, and facilities that encourage alternative mobility. As Scouts, we believe in leading by example and in our contribution to a healthier and more responsible community. Miha Scout leader from Iași More at source: https://www.scout.org/news/scarf-bicycle-romanian-scouts-lead-national-movement

@madrivereric welcome to scouter.com

Update 6/10/2025: "The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) , which purchased the 1,776-acre property for more than $7 million from the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 2023, announced May 30 that the expansive ranch will become officially a part of the Loess Hills State Forest through a land transfer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources." More at source: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2025/06/10/little-sioux-scout-ranch-deadly-2008-tornado-iowa-dnr-loess-hills-state-forest/84131622007/

...is that all there is? ...something is missing (I hear a Peggy Lee song in my head) Saw no listing on Safe Swim, Safety Afloat. There should be a Head Table - Required Training for All. YPT/SYT should go there! First Aid training? Basic First Aid/CPR for Cub Scout Leaders. Beyond that Wilderness First Aid. We can do better than 10 min brain dumps. We learn more from our mistakes and mistakes of others - discuss incident report examples. Is training leaders to deliver the Program about learning process or preparing for adventure? Another $0.01,

I'm baffled. 1. The SM/ASM required training appears glaring incomplete both from an official/legal and an outdoors/adventure standpoint. 2. Course duration appears so short as to question content and usefulness. Trained for what exactly? My $0.02,

6/10/25 Update article written by Eagle John Shell: “There are no fish here,” one of the Boy Scouts in our group said, looking disappointed. I glanced out at the water. He was right. We were in Orange Beach, Alabama, for a January campout. Nine Scouts from Troop 147 and their parents had come here because it was supposed to be good for fishing. I was 16 at the time and was one of the oldest kids in the group. In the end, all the equipment we had bought, all the research we had done looking for places to fish—none of it panned out. I was lucky enough to grow up with a dad who knew where great fishing spots were, and I am grateful every day for those experiences. But for these kids and their parents, the best spots no longer held the amount of fish they used to. I wanted to do something about it... Continued at source: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2-summer/treehugger/eagle-reef-fish-populations-were-disappearing-alabama-boy-scout-did-something-about Find out how you can support the Eagle Reef project at theeaglereef.com.

Our manufacturer launch rods were often bent and pads flimsy so we created our own.

Organized by branch and position with course numbers, names, and time length https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Position-Trained-Requirements-Jun2025.pdf Note Youth Protection Training (YPT) has been replaced with Safeguarding Youth Protection (SYT). https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection/