RememberSchiff

“The bills add language to the gun storage bill which saves the shooting sports at Boy Scout camps, summer camps, high school clubs, and other shooting ranges,” said Bob Confer, president of the Trail Council. “That means our wonderful rifle and shotgun ranges can continue to exist at the Iroquois Trail Council’s Camp Dittmer.” The Assembly Bill summary states the bill “provides for an exception to firearm storage requirements related to persons less than 16 years old when such person less than 16 years old is at a shooting range under immediate supervision, or when such person less than 16 years old is the holder of a hunting license or permit.” Confer in an April column said the legislation might have prevented most Scouts from earning the rifle shooting merit badge. ... “Two things helped our cause and gave us a little hope. For starters, the column went viral and thousands of people reached out to their elected officials. Within days, the bill’s sponsor was quoted in the New York Times as saying she hadn’t intended for the Scouts to be harmed by the bill and it was something she could fix,” Confer said. “Secondly, some key Scouters across the state worked with elected officials with whom they have ties to craft the revised language and educate others on it. I’ll admit we got quite worried again this past month, especially heading into the last week of the legislative session. Had it not gone (into) both houses, Cuomo would have had before him only the old language to sign into law. So, it was a stressful last-minute sort of thing.” Even when Albany was considering the legislation without the amendment, the Scouts would probably have been able to use the range this year, based on the standard adoption period for new laws, Confer said. “But the original bill had some of our board members wondering how to fill the void in programming had we lost the ability to offer shooting sports in 2020 and beyond. We would have lost our own council Scouts to camps in other gun-friendly states and we would have lost the Canadian scouts who come to us regularly, citing our shooting ranges as a major reason for their visit. “Without campers there’s no camp. That’s an uncomfortable thought,” he said. At Camp Dittmer, more than 300 boys earned the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge or used our shotgun range last year during three weeks of summer camp, Confer said. “To get the badge the boys have to learn safe procedures for the range and in the general environment, they have to show proper use of the gun, they have to pass a shooting test on the range and they have to clean the equipment. It’s a week of hard, yet satisfying, work that turns them into capable and safe marksmen,” Confer said. More at sources: https://www.thedailynewsonline.com/lcn01/supervised-youth-access-to-firearms-safe-under-amended-state-law-20190622 https://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/286936/lawmakers-advance-tweak-to-gun-storage-restrictions/

@mab0221 welcome to scouter.com . This topic is currently under discussion in this thread

In 2016, Paige Spears, then 14, of Winslow, ME achieved Scout Canada’s Chief Scout Award. Chief Scout is the highest rank in the Scouting section of Scouts Canada, making it equivalent to Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts or Gold Award in Girl Scouts. (No word if Ms. Spears is still a BSA member - RS) She holds dual American-Canadian citizenship through her mother. She is a member of the 1st Ketepec Scout Group of Grand Bay, New Brunswick. She participated in the Scouts Canada program as a visiting Scout with Winslow Boy Scout Troop 433/Venture Crew 443, where her stepfather, Chris Bernier, serves as Scoutmaster. Paige completed the requirements for Chief Scout in June. For her conservation service project, she constructed several bat houses and installed them at Camp Bomazeen in Belgrade, ME according to a news release from Bernier. More details at source: https://www.centralmaine.com/2016/11/16/paige-spears-achieves-scout-canadas-chief-scout-award/

No I don't. Were there any ads like "American girls, your path to Eagle is through Canada. Keep Exploring and more in Canada..." ?

A moderator reminder, lets limit our criticism to culpable adults and there are many in this case. Thanks. IMHO, remedies for adult misbehavior and mistakes in the Advancement Method are long overdue. There are just too many ways to play the system. My $0.02

Public announcement 6/20/2019 In an attempt to bolster their abuse-prevention efforts, the Boy Scouts of America has launched a new awareness program that features cartoon-style videos. Targeted at children from kindergarten to sixth grade, the series of six videos aims to teach children how to recognize potentially abusive behavior and what to do if confronted by it. The videos will be provided to more than 1.2 million Cub Scouts nationwide. The initiative, being announced Thursday, comes as the Irving-based Boy Scouts face a potentially huge wave of abuse-related lawsuits after several states enacted laws this year making it easier for victims of long-ago abuse to file claims. The Boy Scouts acknowledge that the litigation poses a financial threat and have not ruled out seeking bankruptcy protection. ... The videos target two age groups: kindergarten through third grade and fourth through sixth grade. Each series features a boy and girl who talk about experiencing abusive situations — for example, with a neighbor or coach — and explain how they used a set of “Protect Yourself Rules” to avoid harm. One of the rules, in case of abuse: “Shout, run, tell.” Another rule is “Safe touch, unsafe touch” — being wary of anyone touching the child on a part of the body that their bathing suit would cover. “Unsafe touches are scary and confusing, because they can seem playful or gentle,” says a character in the video for kindergarteners. The videos for older children extend beyond sex abuse, addressing bullying, domestic violence and online dangers. more at sources: https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/06/20/boy-scouts-sex-abuse-awareness-animated-videos/ https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2019/06/20/barbara-sinatra-center-rancho-mirage-boy-scouts-cartoon-campaign-curb-sex-abuse/1512900001/

"Scouting’s 265 independent operating councils oversee more than 600 camping facilities that offer outdoor adventure programs to 2.5 million boys, girls, and adults every year. Not all Scouting facilities will be opened to families. The organization will be particular in how it launches the program to ensure consistency in the quality of its family adventure program, he explained." I would hope "independent operating councils" would decide about allowing a "family adventure program" or RV's on their camp property. Further not all councils actually own their camps. Some camps are in real estate trusts which are definitely independently controlled and very likely would say they will only allow a "scouting program" and no RV's. Here's an example of KOA camp rules and regulations: http://koa.com/content/campgrounds/orlando-se/WhippoorwillRules.pdf My $0.02,

The Scouts will formally roll out the BSA family adventure camps program in 2020. 2022, BSA sells their family adventure camps to KOA?

Bringing contraband to camp happens, recall fIve years ago, a 12yr old scout brought his father's handgun to Camp Fiesta Island . Would a bag search have prevented this?

Update 6/19/19: Texas Governor Abbott signs Power Line Safety Act Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 4150 into law Friday. The bill, also known as the William Thomas Heath Power Line Safety Act by state Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, would require that all utilities make regular inspections of their power lines to ensure those high-voltage carriers comply with state and federal height and other safety regulations. William Brannon, 17, Heath Faucheux, 16, and Thomas Larry, 11, were at Alley Creek at Lake O’ the Pines with fellow Scouts from Hallsville-based Troop 620 on a weekend campout when the mast of their catamaran contacted a power line on Aug. 5, 2017. The two teens died immediately. Thomas died two days later. Pamela Larry, mother of Thomas, said in an emailed statement the parents of the boys who died are relieved and grateful. “We are so humbled in knowing that our boys’ lives are being honored,” she said in the email. “We are relieved to be at the end of this particular road, and we are grateful that our lawmakers realize and understand that action has to be taken to prevent our tragedy from happening again.” more at source: https://www.ktbs.com/news/east-texas/tex-gov-abbott-signs-power-line-safety-act/article_e0dbbd98-91f7-11e9-a1f5-6be48bb31cd7.html

Another bear encounter and euthanization, a 3 year old female at Camp Geronimo in Payson AZ . This is the second bear this year to be lethally removed from the Payson area after exhibiting habituation and no fear of humans, according to Game and Fish. The most recent bear killed reportedly entered empty tents and raided garbage cans over a two-week period at the camp. Attempts to scare it off were unsuccessful. AZGFD reported when they arrived on scene to set a trap, the bear was found at the camp for the third time that day. The bear was rummaging through a vacant tent and eating food found in a Boy Scout’s suitcase. Attempts to scare the bear away from the tent with hazing methods including a Taser, were unsuccessful. The bear was deemed an immediate threat to the safety of the more than 900 Scouts (ages 14-17) at the camp and was euthanized. “Habituated bears that have become accustomed to human food and water sources, including trash and bird feeders, pose a safety risk to the public and will likely end in the removal of the bear, sometimes by lethal means,” said Wildlife Supervisor Jarrod McFarlin. https://www.paysonroundup.com/news/environment/bear-at-payson-boy-scout-camp-euthanized/article_24e275cf-4c53-5cfb-8b7a-d9b1dfa5bff4.html

Hobble Creek Canyon , UT, a black bear wandered into campsite. The scout’s tent was about 150 yards away from the rest of his group, and after the bear scratched the tent, the boy made noise scaring the bear from the camp. The bear did not seem to be searching out food. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources found a bear in the area, used dogs to chase it up a tree, and killed it, but officials won’t know if it was guilty until running DNA tests. “Anytime there is a bear incident that results in human injury, the bear is euthanized," said Faith Heaton Jolley, the public information officer for the division. "Anytime it loses that fear of people, it is euthanized.” Heaton says the boy scouts had a clean camp and acted properly. The bear was a two-year-old male. https://www.upr.org/post/black-bear-killed-after-disturbing-boy-scout-tent-scratching-boy

@ArmyScout welcome to scouter.com

@Scoutmomonly welcome to scouter.com.

I saw this in National's list BSE – borough Scout executive shouldn't it be BSE – burrowed Scout executive...as in head first?

Capitol Area Council statement

If you are not treated fairly, take your business elsewhere, Well done BSA council.

A week later, another river the Androscoggin and another rescue by scouts. Scouts training on the Androscoggin River had just learned how to empty and flip a swamped canoe when 10 distressed men and a dog emerged from the rapids 100 yards from the scout’s sandbar. The men had capsized up the river in the 55 degree water. “The lesson we learned was fresh in our brain, so we focused on the thing we had to do, to get them to shore,” 12-year-old Adam Praschma of Hingham said. “We knew we had to get them as quick out of the water as possible.” The National Weather Service issued an alert earlier in the day about the dangerously cold water, the Scouts said, so they knew they had to act fast. They took to the water and rowed their canoes to the men. “Everyone was in a big hurry because we realized it was freezing,” 13-year-old Henry duBose of Hingham said. “Walking out putting your feet in it you could realize how cold it was.” The troop righted the men’s canoes, helped some get back in, but brought them all to shore, including the dog. Some were visibly cold, the boys said. “If they had been in the water a little more they would have gotten hypothermia,” Praschma said. “We told them to breathe slowly so they can calm down.” duBose said at first he and some of the boys thought it was staged because of the lesson they had just minutes before. “We realized oh no... it wasn’t staged,” he said. “Wow it was such a crazy coincidence.” The men were camping nearby and the boys said they continuously said “thank you” for the remainder of the trip. Praschma said he does not feel like a hero, but it is nice to know that he helped someone. “It feels really good,” duBose said. “If we weren’t there they would have probably drifted another half mile to a mile down stream.” No word whether the men or dog were wearing vests. source: https://hingham.wickedlocal.com/news/20190613/hingham-scouts-come-to-rescue-of-10-men-whose-canoes-capsized-on-new-hampshire-river

I prefer patrol cooking like at Camp Bell in NH. Nearly all mess hall camps have "pack out" nights for patrol cooking at your site or a remote, rustic site. That said I am promoting "adult out". Scouts can head to the mess hall and I will stay back at camp, brew my coffee, cook my meal, relax and eat in peace.

More details from Newsweek Prasla was part of commercial raft trip with the Rocky Mountain High Adventure Base with his son and other Boy Scouts when the accident occurred. "A large group of Boy Scouts was on a commercial rafting trip with Mountain High Adventure Base out of Villa Grove," Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said, reports The Pueblo Chieftain. "We were notified the boat flipped and there were several people in the water." Prasla was wearing both a level 5 life jacket and a helmet at the time. His death was recorded as accidental drowning by the coroner's office. The day after the fatal accident, authorities in nearby Pueblo announced restricted access to the Arkansas River as a result of the dangerous conditions. https://www.newsweek.com/father-drowns-while-taking-son-boy-scouts-rafting-along-arkansas-river-1443586

why yes...@RainShine welcome to scouter.com

Moderator note: I merged 3 separate reports of same story. I may move this to Camping, High Adventure forum as this was a trip out of Rocky Mountain High Adventure Base. RS

@Lizzyttt. welcome to scouter.com In public schools here, I have found a student is dyslexia certified by an outside doctor - a psychologist , neuro-psychologist, etc.

I hear what you are saying. There is certainly context involved in their decision making process which we should teach. We teach scouts safety in nearly all areas even lightning where, as I understand, yearly death and injuries for children are less numerically than stranger kidnapping. I have not watched all the new videos. I wonder if any scenarios depict a relative or a uniformed scout leader as the bad guy?

I agree abduction by strangers are more rare, but I believe the results more tragic. My advice about accepting help from strangers has been the usual. Don't go with a stranger, tell the stranger to bring more help to you. There is safety in numbers. Hopefully I am teaching caution, not fear, what we used to call street smarts. My $0.02,