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CHESTERFIELD, Mass. More details of sale of Moses Reservation The 186-acre Chesterfield Scout Reservation (MA) was sold to Tolgy Wood , a group that runs live action Renaissance role playing. Selling price was $1 million. Tolgy Wood LLC then executed a 26-year lease agreement with Massachusetts Renaissance Faire LLC. The two companies have the same seven partners, but Tolgy Wood is the owning company and Massachusetts Renaissance Faire is the operating company of the site. Paul Dabkowski, one of the partners in Tolgy Wood and Massachusetts Renaissance Faire, said the plan is for the facility to host live action role-playing games, as well as other events such as weddings. The property includes an outdoor amphitheater, a large dining hall, eight cabins with electricity, adirondack shelters, and a large, modern kitchen, along with a pond and waterfall. The new name of the camp will be Tolgy Wood: Chesterfield Camp. Dabkowski said he and others involved in Tolgy Wood have been renting Chesterfield Scout Reservation since 2003 for the live action role-playing Magestry, which is held one weekend a month almost every month. Dabkowski said each Magestry draws 60 to 130 people. Live action role-playing games, LARPs for short, typically involve people dressing up as fictional characters and engaging in an immersive fantasy world they help to create. Many LARPS, including Magestry, have fantasy settings. The council made the decision to sell the property in 2014, following an 18-month property study that concluded that the council should focus its efforts on the 1,300-acre Horace A. Moses Scout Reservation instead. The council had owned both the Chesterfield Scout Reservation and the Moses Scout Reservation in Russell since the merger of two area councils in 2008. Kruse said that the vote to sell the property by the all-volunteer board of the council was unanimous ...the money would be used to invest in the Moses Scout Reservation, as well as deal with the council’s debt. The Moses Reservation has already seen some improvements such as added metal roofs and the replacements of window and rotting wood in some buildings. Other camper activity investments include an ATV riding program, a water trampoline installation, and a 68 foot climbing tower. Later this year a new bathroom and shower facility will be completed. Dabkowski said that the group has been trying to purchase the property for four years, in a process that included having a lease-to-own agreement with the Boy Scouts rejected and having another purchaser’s offer being taken over one of their offers before that rival offer fell through. “It’s been a roller coaster,” he said. Dabkowski said that the decision to purchase the camp was made because of the effort of breaking down and taking away all the different items associated with Magestry. “The game kept acquiring more and more stuff,” he said. He said the camp will now primarily cater to LARP groups, renting to not only Magestry but to other games as well. He noted that LARP groups have become major customers for summer camps of all kinds in New England. “They’ve become their biggest renter,” he said. Dabkowski and his wife, Angela, another partner in Tolgy Wood and Massachusetts Renaissance Faire, were married at the camp site, and he said that the site will be available for rental for weddings as well. He also said that it will continue to be available for rental by scouting groups. “The rates are going to go up,” he said, noting that the camp will now be paying property taxes and a mortgage. The Boy Scouts of America is a tax-exempt organization. Nevertheless, Dabkowski did express a desire to keep it affordable for scouting. Source and videos https://www.gazettenet.com/Boy-Scouts-sell-Chesterfield-Scout-Reservation-19031643 https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/former_chesterfield_scout_camp.html https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampshire-county/boy-scouts-of-america-sell-chesterfield-scout-reservation/1322956231

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"When Charlie Fenske was growing up on the island of Martha’s Vineyard (MA) and taking a ferry to the mainland to school every day, he’d come home and begin building his own amateur rockets. What started as a simple interest in space and rockets as a young child turned into a passion that led Charlie to space camp, rocket launches, and, eventually, the winner’s stage at the Google Science Fair. The Falmouth Academy student and Eagle Scout won the Virgin Galactic Pioneer Award, the top engineering prize at the esteemed event in 2016 for his prototype of a faster and cheaper rocket. Charlie went on to earn the second place engineering prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and top honors at the 2017 Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair. He spent last summer interning at the Kennedy Space Center. Charlie graduates from high school this year and will be attending MIT in the fall as a member of MIT’s class of 2022. He plans to major in aerospace engineering and obtain a Ph.D. Other future aspirations include launching his own commercial aerospace company." Source: The World's 50 Smartest Teens 2018 https://thebestschools.org/features/worlds-smartest-teens-2018/ and https://www.mvtimes.com/2018/07/24/charlie-fenske-skys-limit/ https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2016/10/03/charlie-fenske-wins-award-google https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/10/14/scout-wins-top-engineering-prize-at-google-science-fair-one-year-mentorship-with-virgin-galactic/

I wonder if the 17yr American, upon his return to our shores, will have a separate meeting with US Custom Officers etc, while his parents and SM wait their turn.

"One 16-year-old Scottish boy has been charged with supplying controlled drugs and a 17-year-old from the United States has been charged with possession of drugs, understood to be cannabis. Police were called to the event in the grounds of the picturesque Blair Castle at Blair Atholl, Perthshire, on Thursday. Last night a spokesman for Police Scotland said: 'After enquiries were conducted, a 17-year-old male was charged and given a Recorded Police Warning for possession of controlled drugs, and a 16-year-old male was charged and is to be reported for supplying controlled drugs.' The teenagers were sent home from the camp along with six other scouts. ... A spokesman for the organisation said: 'Scouts Scotland has a zero tolerance policy on narcotics use and this matter has been reported to Police Scotland.'" More details at sources http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5984559/Thats-scout-order-Boys-sent-home-jamboree-teenager-charged-supplying-cannabis.html http://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/trendingacrossscotland/16373695.eight-scouts-sent-home-from-international-gathering-after-drugs-charge/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-44936866

Update July 24, 2018 The Western Massachusetts Council of the Boy Scouts of America has sold its 186-acre Chesterfield Scout Reservation. The council has owned the property for 10 years. The buyer intends to maintain the property and continue to offer outdoors programs. The funds from the sale will be put toward another council property, the 1,300-acre H.A. Moses Scout Reservation in Russell, to improve maintenance, update buildings, new camper activities and programs, and eliminate the council’s debt. https://www.bankerandtradesman.com/boy-scouts-america-sells-chesterfield-scout-reservation/

@Matt_theLife_Scout02 welcome to scouter.com. There are many here who can help. Who is the ASPL? If the SPL does not show, the ASPL steps in. What is your position in the troop? Relax

I was not there either and have many questions. According to Salem, UT police chief Brad James, ... the pond is a popular swimming spot in the summer, with a beach area, picnic tables and pavillions. Though he said the water is quite calm, he urged anyone swimming there to keep safety in mind. “You should have flotation devices,” he said. “You should have life jackets, you should have throwaway devices to throw to somebody for help, you should always have those in place any time you’re swimming in open water like that.” So my take is those devices were not present and it is still unknown if there was a medical condition involved. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/07/19/troop-leader-drowns-utah/ I suspect local police and fire will/have questioned and instructed adult leaders and scouts but what does the unit and Council do in the next weeks? Grief counseling, review/retraining, install life rings at that park? My $0.01

The National Eagle Scout Association’s (NESA) World Explorers Program pairs stellar Eagle Scouts with world-class researchers at sites around the globe. Just 24 Eagle Scouts from across the nation are selected for the World Explorer program. To gain consideration for the program, an Eagle has to write a 250-word essay and produce a three-minute YouTube video about his Scouting career. Luke Giovanine , a 22-year-old Eagle Scout and Valparaiso University senior from Moline,IL was one of the 24 Eagles selected. For 10 days in late June/early July, Luke worked sometimes 14 hours per day with experts in exploring, mapping and data collecting in speleological disciplines such as cartography, biology, geology and hydrology, tracking deep into the interior of the 400-mile-long Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky. More details and photos at source link: https://qconline.com/lifestyles/joh_marx/q-c-eagle-scout-dives-into-caves-to-earn-world/article_80a7b5a5-7f67-540a-b57d-92cd6198e899.html

"Police have identified a Boy Scout leader who drowned after saving a boy struggling in a Utah pond. Salem police said Thursday that 22-year-old Wesley Robert Kratzer of Orem, Utah, disappeared underwater after pushing one of his young charges to safety on Wednesday night. Chief Brad James says Kratzer was found by divers under about 12 feet (4 meters) of water. He says the water is typically calm at the popular swimming spot, and it’s not clear why Kratzer slipped under the surface. He says Kratzer was one of three leaders helping three Scouts learn swimming techniques so they could advance to the next level of Scouting. Members of the group were not wearing life jackets. The child wasn’t hurt." http://www.bcdemocrat.com/2018/07/19/us-troop-leader-drowns-the-latest/ https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/south/salem/orem-scout-leader-who-drowned-in-salem-pond-identified/article_58915864-371b-5d15-a639-06fb9afd3c9e.html

SALEM, Utah — According to Salem Police Chief Brad James, a small group of Boy Scouts and their leaders were at the Knoll Park area of the pond practicing basic swimming . A 25-year-old Utah County Scout Master went in to the water to rescue a scout who was struggling and pushed him to safety, but the leader went under the water, according to James. https://fox13now.com/2018/07/18/boy-scout-leader-potentially-drowned-at-salem-ponds-police-say/ https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/south/salem/scout-leader-drowns-in-salem-pond/article_d178de2f-0d78-58e9-bd06-e9a89af1d6be.html

NPR had another report which focused on the necessity of straws for disabled customers.

Update: July 17, 2018 The five-year legal battle over control of the 100-acre Camp Richard Scout property on Nantucket has ended, with Judge Gary Nickerson ruling this week that an island scouting group is the owner of the property. “This is an amazing win for the people who put so many years of hard work into the camp and to all Nantucketers for years to come,” said Nantucket Land Council executive director Cormac Collier, whose organization assisted the Camp Richard Campers Association in fighting to retain ownership of the camp. The legal battle stemmed from the Cape & Islands Council of the Boy Scouts of America’s agreement five years ago to sell a portion of the property to Hingham-based Atlantic Development for $5 million , and efforts by island scouting groups – backed by the Nantucket Civic League (former owner of the property) and the Nantucket Land Council – to bar the sale . Last year, Superior Court Judge Gary Nickerson ruled that Camp Richard should forever remain a “campsite for the scouts of Nantucket,” and must be transferred back to the Civic League if used for any other purpose. He also determined – without any evidentiary hearings – that ownership of the property was to remain in a trust controlled by the off-island council, in part because it was affiliated with the national Boy Scouts of America and the Camp Richard Campers Association, the local organization, was not. In January, a three-judge appeals-court panel remanded the ownership question back to Superior Court after ruling that Nickerson’s decision was made “without affording the parties an opportunity to present evidence bearing on the question of the appropriate trustee. That was error.” Scout Salute to those good scouts who fought and saved Camp Richard for future scouts! More at link below: http://www.ack.net/news/20180717/judge-rules-camp-richard-belongs-to-nantucket-scout-group

@xd00z1 welcome to scouter.com

"No parents or coaches, just us." Then: outdoors...sandlot baseball, football,...patrol hikes, camping Now: indoors (bedroom closed door) Xbox Live ...

Update: July 13, 2018 The Morris Creek Fire, burning on the UU Bar Ranch, Philmont Scout Ranch, and State Land. Size: 1,671 acres, 77% contained. Cause: Lightning. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5887

Hmm, maybe one of your scouts gave your car a pheromone rinse.

We have schedule problems with weekend campouts so I am doubtful a week could be scheduled during the school year. Not even the Debate Team and FIRST take a whole week away from the regular 180 day school schedule. Maybe winter and spring vacation weeks but getting school-approved chaperons might be difficult. Another issue for some state public schools, the program may need to fulfill part of that state's education curriculum frameworks.

Update: 7/12/2018 LAKE O' THE PINES, TX (KLTV) - An electric company is considering major renovations to move utility lines underneath a creek where three boy scouts were electrocuted in 2017. A representative for Upshur Rural Electric Cooperative confirmed Thursday that the electric company has system-wide plans in the works, "including an extensive project that involves tunneling the lines that currently cross Alley Creek and placing them under the Lake O’ the Pines." On Aug. 5, 2017, three Hallsville Boy Scouts were electrocuted when their catamaran sailboat hit a power line at Alley Creek on the Lake o' the Pines Marina. Will Brannon, 17, Heath Faucheux, 16, died at the scene of the incident. Thomas Larry, 11, later died at a hospital in Shreveport. More details at source link: http://www.kltv.com/story/38632514/electric-company-considers-underground-lines-at-creek-where-boy-scouts-were-electrocuted

Scott Harmon, Sustainability Task Force Leader, - BSA In 2009, I pulled together a team to work on incorporating sustainability into scouting so that boys and girls across the United States could change the worldview of their families, too. After three years of planning, the Boy Scouts of America asked us to develop the Eagle Scout-required sustainability merit badge, which now has been earned by more than 25,000 scouts. Two years ago, this idea expanded beyond scouting to provide sustainability training to boys and girls, scouts and non-scouts, at local summer camps. More than 1,000 Boy Scout camps are in the United States alone, most of which are unused during the school year. Most can accommodate at least 300 campers a week. Assuming a 36-week school year, that’s 10 million camper-weeks of unused potential capacity per year. What if we could use that capacity during the school year for teaching middle-school and high-school students about sustainability while experiencing the great outdoors? That became our vision: to gather sustainability experts and interested teens at hundreds of scout summer camps to create a Sustainable Future Outdoor Academy focused on teaching young people about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in a hands-on format. From Aug. 13 to 17, we will be piloting the SFOA program at Cutter Scout Reservation, a 300-acre summer camp owned by BSA’s Pacific Skyline Council in Northern California. We are reaching out to schools groups, religious groups and scout groups to get a mix of youth entering the seventh, eighth and ninth grades this coming school year. They will be sleeping in safari tents equipped with double-decker cots and LED lanterns and will have the opportunity to try canoeing, boating and archery in their free time in addition to learning about sustainability. They will team with college-age counselors to give them support. ... Price: This Camp has been developed and subsidized by generous sponsors, so the standard Camp price of $500 is being offered this time only for $250 . Campers provide chaperones. Need-based scholarships are also available. Camp limited to 48 More, including planet-related SDG's curriculum, at source links: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-sustainability-summer-camp-could-affect-millions-youth http://www.pacsky.org/Activities/General/SFOA http://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/social_annotation?permalink_uri=2KydEq3&image_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a4d25d0101%2F723aad18-8931-4e72-afa2-b701f11b6071.jpg%3Fver%3D1529955254000

Good question. I know of a couple of BSA camps needing to replace buildings lost to the Ute Park and Whittier forest fires.

@Mich08212 welcome to scouter,com . Tell us more, there appears to be some missing information .

"Exploring serves two different age groups, both coed. Explorer Clubs serve middle schoolers, aged 10 - 13, in sixth through eighth grades. Explorer Posts serve older youth 14 - 20 years old. The program model is the same for age groups..." From exploring.org website

The National Law Enforcement Exploring Conference (NLEEC) will be held July 16-20 at Purdue. It is expected to draw 2,100 people to campus, including youth participants ages 12 to 20, adult counselors and law enforcement officers. NLEEC has been in existence since 1959. Law Enforcement Exploring is a career orientation and experience program for young people contemplating a career in the field of criminal justice. Conferees focus on career opportunities, leadership experiences, life skills, citizenship and character education. In addition, they participate in multiple competitive activities including protocols, procedures, marksmanship, drill team, crisis negotiation and emergency response. Activities range from driving to a camper entertainment show, as well as individual events and formal opening and closing. At the conference website, I found no seminar discussion about the Louisville Police Explorer Scandal or YP changes in Exploring. More details at links: https://www.exploring.org/law-enforcement/2018nleec/ https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2018/Q3/national-law-enforcement-exploring-conference-to-draw-nearly-2,000-to-campus.html

Our youth are customers while we volunteers are stakeholders?