Chisos

Thank you for being "boots on the ground" @@Col. Flagg .  God Bless Texas!

Yup. Been fighting that particular battle for about 5-6 years. Most of our attrition is due to boredom, but getting the PLC to the root of that boredom and to plan activities they want to do has been challenging. Not sure why. 

Well, if you figure out that one, let me know.  On one hand I hear (from the scouts) "let's do something new" but then when it comes to planning things, they come up with the same activities, campouts, summer camp, etc.  I think some of it is them not knowing what they *could* do that's new...it's that balance between nudging them in the right direction without telling them what to do.

Sam Houston Area Council is mid-way through building a new camp, just east of Huntsville and NE of Conroe...I wonder if this is going to set them back.

Interesting.  I wish there was a way to keep it as one piece of land...those are getting to be fewer and fewer...maybe as some sort of nature preserve or otherwise development limited area.  I'd hate to see it get chopped up in to a bunch of 5-acre "ranchettes."

@@Ankylus, I didn't know about the 8-man tents!  I must have just missed them...I was there in '87, '89, and '92.  Two of those years we stayed in Ironwheel Mesa--shady campsite, with two-man tents.  One other year we were across the river, just on the other side of the low water crossing...not as much shade and it was hot!

I hate to see this.  This was my favorite camp growing up.  But, usage at the camp was down, and a significant amount of its infrastructure was damaged/destroyed in the May 2015 floods along the Blanco river.

On the other hand, if I win the Powerball tonight...

Well, my son (who just turned 12) informed me he's going in 2021.  We'll see how he feels about it in a few years!

I've previously stated how one volunteer will create a "paper girls unit" and fully integrate the girls into the Boy Scout troop, irregardless of what national wants.

I agree 100% that this is how it will play out in practice.

Even said so when I took the survey, if anyone was listening...

This situation is discussed in the Guide to Advancement, 7.0.4.7.  The first step is for the SM to have a discussions with the scout about the MB experience.  Hopefully, the Scout will agree that the requirements were not completed as written, and a plan can be devised to get them done.

I'd also be sure to let the camp director and council advancement committee (for the camp) know what was going on.

It looks to me like coed troops are off the table.  If there is a program for girls 11-17 it is going to be in separate girls-only units.  I got the same impression from the CSE's presentation.

I don't see how that is going to be tenable in practice.  On paper, sure.  But if the premise is "accessibility" then having the boys do one thing while the girls do something else isn't going to cut it.  They might be separate troops on paper, but it's going to be co-ed in practice.

I'm going to try to go to mine, although the scheduling is not very convenient. If we both go to our respective meetings, we can compare notes afterward.

Sounds like a plan.  Our meeting is not for a few weeks, so you'll know what's up before I will.

Yes.  Got the exact (literally!) same email not long ago; only difference is time and place, because I'm pretty sure we're not in the same council.

Sounds like I should RSVP and check it out.

Hmmm, didn't see that one coming.

I wish they'd of at least left some post-Eagle time in...maybe 3-6 months after Eagle you can get however many palms for your current MB total, then another every three months after that.   I don't think this change will really change much though.  Those what want to stick around post Eagle will, and those that won't, won't.

I had the library's copy of the book, but believe my wife returned it before I was finished with it. And I know for a fact I cannot get it before I need to post survival kit items because the day I checked it out, a Webelos saw it at my house, and got his mom to reserve it for him.

Well, I can't help you.  But this part made me laugh!

I'd guess that for at least a few of those--sports, extra-curriculars like band, etc.--if you don't show up you get benched or kicked out.

Anyone familiar with the area?  We're going in a few weeks but I've not been there before. Curious about any advice or insights on the various hiking trails in Cheaha Wilderness.

Whoa,  $300 for a cub scout day camp??  Ours is about 1/3 of that.  That just over $300 figure can get you a week of Boy Scout Summer Camp, including a whitewater rafting trip around here!

Personally, I'd count the other camp, buy the patches and hand them out.  What you're calling "Cubelos" sounds like what we call Resident Camp; it an organized, cub- and Webelos-level camp lasting a few nights.

Never heard of that.  We've sent home flyers we made on multiple occasions.

Council has also made flyers for us.  A couple of times they made flyers without talking to us first.  Those usually had wrong information on them (dues, roundup date/time, etc).

Other times they worked with us to make something we both liked.  That was nice because they paid for all the printing.

My thoughts...if he's planning to keep all those activities, and wants to do them at a high level, then yes there will be time conflicts in the future.  Especially when High School gets here and the expectations get ramped up.

There are some "time in service" requirements (i.e., serve in a position of responsibility in the troop for a given number of months) for the higher ranks.  He should make a plan to get those done sooner rather than later, especially if other commitments would prevent him from doing those jobs when he is older.  Other stuff, (merit badges and such) can be done as time permits.  What I've started reminding scouts, is that if you want to be Eagle, you're going to need to have at least 16 months for which Scouting is a priority between when you get First Class and when you turn 18.

They are most certainly aiming for an Ig Nobel Prize.

I don't think so.

It's either:

A.  11 years old; or

B.  10 years old and (completed 5th grade or earned AOL).

If you want to parse it, there's no comma after "completed 5th grade".  There's two clauses here, not three.

Or, just have his parents fill out the application indicating his birthday and desire to join Boy Scouts.  See what the council says about it.

Sounds awesome, do it!

If the question was about "allowed to teach MB's..." look at the Life rank req's.  One of the options is for a scout to use EDGE to teach something from one of the Eagle-required MB's...then the scout being taught can demonstrate their new skill and get it signed off by a MBC.

It's off the my.scouting.org page.  I just want to know if the one I sent in last Friday was the last one ever, haha!

Well, Bryan said it (a day *before* April 1) so it must be true.

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2017/03/31/bsas-tour-and-activity-plan-eliminated/

Well, I just sent one in today.  I'll see if anyone notices.