RememberSchiff

https://www.facebook.com/WSJ2023USA Dear World Scout Jamboree Parents and International Service Team Members: On Friday, August 4, 2023, the US Contingent to the World Scout Jamboree has made the difficult decision that we will be departing the 25th World Scout Jamboree site early because of ongoing extreme weather and resulting conditions at the jamboree site. While we regret the need for the early departure, the move ensures the safety of our Scouts and alleviates pressure on the jamboree site services and infrastructure. The US Contingent will have a regular day of jamboree program on August 5, then move to nearby U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys (Camp Humphreys) on August 6 and remain there until August 11. Afterwards, Scouts will resume their planned departure and activities. The health and safety of our Scouts is our number one priority. On-site leadership has been monitoring weather and site conditions closely and has decided to leave the site early out of safety concerns. On-site leadership is in continuous communication with the World Organization of the Scout Movement and our South Korean hosts. Our hosts have engaged all levels of their government to support the jamboree and ensure a safe, quality experience for our youth and their leaders. Unfortunately, the extreme heat continues to stress the facilities and infrastructure of this site. The Boy Scouts of America is grateful to the Korea Scout Association, Korean Government and the World Organization of the Scout Movement for their efforts in the face of this historic climate event. Thank you for your well wishes and notes of care and concern. We will provide more detail on the activities that will be provided for our scouts as they are developed. We will continue to provide you with regular updates. Sincerely, Lou Paulson BSA International Commissioner Brad Valdyke BSA Head of Contingent

SANTA FE, N.M., Aug. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scouting Settlement Trust, the fund established to compensate the 82,000 survivors of sexual abuse who filed claims against the Boy Scouts of America, today announced the launch of its online portal to begin the processing of those claims. Letter from the Settlement Trustee (Aug. 4, 2023): Processing Portal Launched for Initial Claims www.scoutingsettlementtrust.com Press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scouting-settlement-trust-launches-portal-to-begin-processing-abuse-claims-301893625.html

Foreign embassies in Korea are on high alert as tens of thousands of young participants at the World Scout Jamboree ― taking place on the reclaimed (treeless) tidal flat of Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province ― are grappling with an unrelenting heat wave and poor facility management. According to event organizers, 28 participants have tested positive for the Covid virus as of Thursday. About 700 American Boy Scouts have traveled to South Korea for the Jamboree. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said it is in close communication with the event's organizers, Boy Scouts of America Leadership and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to ensure the safety of the U.S. contingent. On request from the Jamboree planning committee, the U.S. group arrived one day later and spent their first night at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, a U.S. Army Garrison. The news from the site, in Korea’s southwest, is a jolt for a nation renowned for organizing international events — including a previous World Scout Jamboree in 1991 which also had its bad weather problems. More at Sources: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/08/120_356384.html https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/aug/4/south-korea-scrambles-world-scout-jamboree-gatheri/ https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-scrambles-to-aid-scout-jamboree-amid-august-swelter/7210532.html

Great, timely speech. IMHO I think Bear and 40,000+ scouts could use a dip in the neighborhood pool.

Update Aug 4, 2023: The BBC has been speaking to parents of children at the campsite in SaeManGeum. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, they said that no activities were taking place due to the heat, and some people with specific dietary requirements were not being catered for. One parent from the north-east of England, whose 16-year-old daughter is at the camp, told the BBC the trip was meant to be a "great life experience", but instead turned into a "survival mission". ... Scouts from Britain, the largest contingent, said on Friday that they were moving to hotels in the capital Seoul for the rest of their stay, hoping to alleviate the pressure on the site. "The UK volunteer team has worked extremely hard with the organisers, for our youth members and adult volunteers to have enough food and water to sustain them, shelter from the unusually hot weather, and toilets and washing facilities appropriate for an event of this scale," UK Scouts said. Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66407392 https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-koreas-yoon-orders-water-trucks-buses-heatwave-hit-scout-jamboree-2023-08-04/

The British group of more than 4,000, the largest in attendance, is moving to hotels amid 35C temperatures, the Scout Association confirmed. The South Korean government said it is sending water and medics to the site. A statement from the UK's largest scouting organisation said its group will be moved into hotels "over the next two days" in a bid to "alleviate the pressure on the site overall". More at source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66407392

2023 National Membership Fee Details, courtesy of Greater New York Councils https://nycscouting.org/membershipupdate/

On occasion (two super moons this month!), one can motivate a lesser performing council by example of a Council which has a current BALOO approved camp sites list or just an approved campsite list directly accessible from their website. Mountaineer Council (WV) https://macbsa.org/camping/approved-campsites/ National Capital Area Council (MD) https://www.ncacbsa.org/approved-camp-sites/ Cherokee Area Council (TN) https://cherokeeareabsa.doubleknot.com/cub-scout-camps/baloo-approved-camps/45610 Baltimore Area Council (MD) which also includes a new Pack Site Approval Request Form https://broadcreekbsa.org/about/approved-campsites/ Another $0.02,

Rangers at Fort Moultrie National Historical Park.nominated a Cub Scout (age 6) for the 2022 George and Helen Hartzog Award for outstanding volunteer work. "Hannah Murray (age 6) is a reoccurring youth Volunteer-In-Parks who works at Fort Moultrie doing physical/ landscaping projects. The site needs consistent maintenance and upkeep due to weeds and invasive species in the historic fort. This is a difficult task as it must be done by hand and can be compounded when experiencing the summer heat. Hannah continually visits the Fort to help staff complete this necessary work. This is a never-ending battle that she looks forward to tackling and she often looks to recruit other children to help her. Hannah is a Cub Scout who not only loves working to improve the Fort but, serves as an ambassador to the park as well, talking with others her age to come experience the park. She comes to the park often to participate in events like National Public Lands Day and Park Day to volunteer and give back, improving the historic landscape at the Fort’s grounds. For her birthday, Hannah elected to come to Fort Moultrie to weed the parade ground with staff. The Cub Scouts organization recognized Hannah as Cub Scout of the Year in 2022 because of her efforts in recruiting new youth volunteers to the park and encouraging others to learn about their local history. She is one of the youngest recipients to ever be nominated and is the only nominee from the National Park Service Southeast region to win the award." Scout Salute More at Sources: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/2022-george-and-helen-hartzog-regional-awards-for-outstanding-volunteer-service.htm#impact-youth https://www.berkeleyobserver.com/2023/07/27/moncks-corner-girl-wins-national-park-service-award/

Exact grounding location unknown. https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/virgin-islands-marine-visitor-use-information.htm

Strongly agree. IMHO: 1. There should be some local water quality consideration in the planning. The Eagle Reef project interested me in using oysters to filter sea water. Say the local water has heavy metal contamination, do we want to add more contaminated fish into the food chain (bird and mammal predators) before addressing the water pollution? 2. I like the concept of man-made reefs/nesting areas where none exist, but with natural materials say a bundle of tree branches. There have been pass posts of using Christmas trees. PVC worries me. My local community is considering a waterway species restoration project with the thought-limiting-carrot of state grants and federal funding . The only water qualities that will be monitored will be pH and temperature (like we did in 6th grade with our goldfish). So breed more varieties of toxic fish, shellfish - only consume 1 a month. . My $0.02,

Firefly Drone Show, as I understand some 200 drones were used at Jambo. ( video attached)

All safe no injuries. Environmental hazard removal and incident investigation in progress. Coast Guard received a call at 2:11 p.m. on Monday from a Good Samaritan who observed “what appeared to be a vessel grounding of a monohull sailing vessel with white sails,” said U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer Ricardo Castrodad. The vessel was reported to be carrying nine people on board — two adults and seven minors, who were Boy Scouts. A Good Samaritan vessel was able to disembark the minors and one of the adults, who were transported to Sapphire Beach Marina. “A Coast Guard asset arrived on scene and couldn’t get close to the vessel because it could run aground, so another vessel was able to disembark the other adult and transfer him to our boat, then our Coast Guard vessel brought him ashore, also to Sapphire Beach Marina,” said Castrodad. Hmm, Google Map does not have a option for boating direction and distance from Johnson's Reef to Sea Base, St. Thomas, Source: https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/boat-with-boy-scouts-aboard-runs-aground-on-johnson-s-reef/article_869d1aee-749a-5ab1-a2d4-61350cc48aef.html Scout Salute to a Good Samaritan and the Coast Guard

CBS News Scott Pelley was the last Leadership Speaker as Jamboree came to a close. As I understand, the large closing ceremony where he had been scheduled to speak was cancelled due to heat, so he spoke earlier for nearly an hour at a smaller morning gathering in the amphitheater. “I was a scout when I was a kid, of course, Troop 505 in Lubbock, Texas,” said Pelley. “What I wanted to tell the Scouts today was that the values in the Scout Law are what guided me throughout my life and that they could count on those values to guide them, too.” Mr. Pelley told stories of those who impacted him like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad. “The one tenet that I wanted to emphasize today from the scout law is Brave,” Pelley smiled. “It has applications in our national life, in our personal life, and the lives of our families to be brave enough to do the right thing, to be brave enough to reach out and understand other people. That’s the one thing I hope they took out of here.” Source: https://www.wvnstv.com/national-scout-jamboree/scott-pelley-final-speaker-as-jamboree-festivities-wind-down/

I could cite examples of overcoming fear, particularly water or first over-nighter, but when one of my scouts tells his Mom, Dad, big brother, ..."I got this." that is THE moment for me.

Oh bother, we need a smart scout or two to convert a cellphone into a badge that should make all happy. Call it, I dunno, a Comm Badge. Make it so.

A "Golden Eagle" distinction is earned by a scout who accomplishes the highest scouting achievement in both Girl Scouts of America - the Gold Award - and Scouts BSA - the Eagle Rank. ... While Logan Julia Seeley cherished her experiences in the Girl Scouts, witnessing her brother's BSA journey inspired her to pursue the skills and ranks offered by BSA. While in the eighth grade, the opportunity arose for female scouts to work towards Eagle Rank and Logan embraced the challenge of dual enrolling and set her sights on becoming a Golden Eagle. ... On May 11 Logan underwent her final challenge - the board of review - and proudly earned the esteemed "Golden Eagle" distinction in the East Carolina Council. https://www.newbernsj.com/news/logan-julia-seeley-becomes-first-ever-golden-eagle-in-bsas-east-carolina-council/article_1cdf537c-a26a-5ec8-9867-566cdf31fd3e.html

"Paul Kramer may be found at the Jamboree Museum, where he preserves and teaches the history of Scouting and the Jamboree itself to visitors...He has only missed two Jamborees in his lifetime." Rest of story at source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/long-time-jamboree-attendee-says-scouts-is-about-helping-others/ar-AA1emdiJ "Kramer said he hopes people will remember that Scouting started as a way of teaching young people to help others and to do the right thing."

Update July26, 2023: Today, a state appeals court has denied a new trial for Thomas Murphy, 62, who was convicted of killing Scout Andrew McMorris and injuring two other teens in 2018. The four-judge panel of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division in Brooklyn upheld the conviction Wednesday, ruling that each of Murphy’s claims is “without merit.” Murphy's attorney said that his client will now seek to have the case reviewed by the New York State Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court. Source: https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/boy-scouts-death-thomas-murphy-conviction-pi312pl9

This video was filmed a year ago, John Shell's Eagle Project was to deploy 50 of the 2’x2’x3’ mini reefs across coastal Alabama. "Shell deployed the first reefs for the Eagle Reef project under the piers at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab." "After six months, each reef is loaded with filter feeders (oysters, barnacles, etc.), and it will filter and clean 10,000,000 gallons of water per year and attracts fish to your wharf. It will also provide habitat to grow 500 fish and crabs annually. Each reef comes preassembled and is tied between four pilings under a dock or wharf. It floats up and down with the tide. " Update July, 2023: Partnerships have been established and more than 175 mini-reefs have been deployed. An Idea Formed: "We were fishing off the bank, and we weren't catching any fish. I wasn't used to this because my dad has a boat and we go out fishing multiple times a year, and we usually always catch fish," Scout John Shell said. He said he thinks everyone should be able to visit the Gulf Coast and enjoy the experience of catching a fish, which was what inspired the creation of this project. Shell conducted online research, stumbling upon ocean habitats such as reefs. While these reefs contribute to the growth of barnacles and oysters, it is their ability to purify water that particularly captivated Shell's attention. What started out as a service project eventually became something bigger than the Eagle Scout envisioned. "If someone has a genuine idea and it's a good idea, people will rally behind it, as we see with this project," he said. Shell's original goal was to create 50 reefs, but with the help of support and donors, he raised $52,000 and deployed 175 reefs. This represents 1.5 to 2 billion gallons of water filtered annually, according to George Hunter, economic development manager for Spire Energy, a company that provides natural gas service along the coast. John's Eagle Project - The Eagle Reef takes wing... He partnered with Partners for Environmental Progress and the University of South Alabama. PEP is raising money and awareness from their memberships for cleaning the coastal waters and improving the fish populations. The University of South Alabama Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences will help with location identification, deploying, stocking and maintaining the reefs as well as monitor and testing the waters around them, which now plans to deploy 1,000 mini reefs on the Alabama coast. More at Sources: https://gulfcoastmedia.com/stories/eagle-scout-launches-reef-project-to-help-clean-gulf-waters,177111 https://www.wkrg.com/baldwin-county/usa-and-partners-for-environmental-progress-joining-eagle-reef-project/ https://theeaglereef.com/ https://pepmobile.org/the-eagle-reef/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/boy-scout-raises-52000-for-175-artificial-reefs-to-support-ocean-life-in-mobile-bay/ar-AA1e4fKT Scout Salute,

@MattR , this fella at Jambo appears to agree with you. Jamboree.mp4 Source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvFxJIMp81b/

Unclear as to amount of contributions for sculptures (or number of sculptures) but I found this entry for contractor compensation in Arrow WV (Irving, TX) Form 990, year ending Dec, 2018. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/270441319/201903199349303075/IRS990

The Catholic Diocese of Madison (Wisconsin) announced it will drop support of BSA at the end of 2024. https://www.dailyunion.com/news/jefferson/madison-catholic-diocese-cutting-ties-with-boy-scouts-of-america/article_ce2815ce-3a73-5ade-aa44-3a416a195787.html

Camp Roland (Buckskin Council, Bastian, VA) located near Bastian, Va., is to be sold after serving Scouts for about 90 year, according to Dan Trent, program chair, Mountain Dominion District. Scout Executive Jeffrey Purdy said there were several factors behind the decision: several Boy Scout councils have merged since 1970. “Each one brought in one or more Scout camps through the mergers,” he said. “There have been six or seven camps we’ve been responsible for.” Covid-19 pandemic national organization declaring bankruptcy impacted the BSA’s finances. membership drop a “world-class” Scouting facility, the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County. For example, Buckskin Council will hold an Emergency Preparedness Camporee at Bechtel Summit on Oct 6-8, 2023. "On July 6, the Buckskin Council BSA signed a memorandum of understanding with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). This memorandum will to utilize various state parks for activities while encouraging scouts to contribute to the conservation and preservation of these natural treasures through service projects. Under the terms of this agreement, scouts from the Buckskin Council will have the opportunity to camp for free in designated state parks, such as Pipestem Resort and North Bend, as long as the requested facility is available for use on the requested date. Recreational activities may also be provided at a reduced or negotiated rate, depending on volume, availability, operational hours and the time of year. Before starting a service project, scouting units will be required to complete volunteer agreements and obtain project approval from the WVDNR’s West Virginia State Parks section. State Parks personnel may also provide educational programming, such as merit badge classes and counseling, to visiting scouts." More at Source: https://www.bdtonline.com/news/boy-scout-facility-camp-roland-in-bland-county-up-for-sale/article_701b6536-264a-11ee-bbcb-eb3bcbcc4383.html

Responding to two scout suicides, Juniata Valley Council (PA) partnered with the Jana Marie Foundation to help scouts and scouters "be prepared" when it comes to recognizing mental health concerns. Marisa Vicere and Joe Johnson from Jana Marie Foundation, with the support of Josh Kirby from AutumnSpring Counseling and Jeff Pickett from Juniata Valley Council, developed a new Activity Award for Mental Health entitled Prepared to Care. (Note this award is just local to Juniata Valley Council at present.) During Week 1 at Seven Mountains Scout Camp., the first group of Scouts officially completed the requirements to earn their Prepared to Care patch. The Scouts learned about mental health warning signs, how to engage in conversations with peers, and resources that are available to assist with a mental health challenge or crisis. Week 2, camp ran a second session of the Prepared to Care mental health awareness program. Approximately 60 people learned how to recognize and react to signs of crisis. Thanks to Marisa Visere and Joe Johnson from the Jana Marie Foundation and also to Josh Kirby from AutumnSpring Counseling for helping develop and deliver this great program. The Prepared to Care Award can be awarded to Scout members in grades five through 12. “Now more than ever, mental, emotional, and social health stressors are being dealt with by youth,” says Jeff Pickett, Scout Executive and CEO of the Juniata Valley Council. “They are dealing with things on a whole different level than what prior generations did. Social media has taken bullying into the online world; youth may be constantly comparing themselves to the perceived ‘perfect lives’ that others portray in their cyber lives.” “It made sense for us to find a way to help Scouts be prepared to recognize mental health warning signs and the available resources at local and national levels,” says Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation president and founder. “The award was carefully crafted to ensure Scouts would have a basic understanding of mental health, how to notice changes in thoughts, feelings, actions, and appearances, and learn a five-step process to start a conversation, and then how to get trusted adults involved.” Vicere said she hopes other Boy Scout Councils and Girl Scouts programs become involved in the program. “Mental health is health,” she said. “We spend a lot of time focusing on ways we can help someone who is experiencing a physical health need, and programs like Prepared to Care remind us that our overall health-mental, physical, emotional — is important.” More at Sources: https://wjactv.com/news/local/local-boy-scout-troops-partner-with-nonprofit-for-mental-health-awareness https://www.facebook.com/jvcbsa/ Scout Salute (hope they produce an online video), P.S. If someone could post the aforementioned Council press release, much appreciated.