RememberSchiff

My unit has encountered this. The older scout patrol stopped for pizza and donuts enroute and brought it to camp. They thought themselves rather clever. By Sat lunch, their mooching off the younger prepared scouts was ! So here's what we do now at departure gathering. SPL: Are all patrols ready for campout? NSP PL: Flaming Arrow patrol is ready to light the way. Leper Colony PL: ...Well, er you see our grubmaster kind of forgot... SP: Is Leper Colony Patrol ready or not? Leper Colony PL: No, we forgot food. SM: SPL is troop ready? SPL: Troop is NOT ready, one patrol, Leper Colony, is not ready. SM: SPL do you intend to proceed without that patrol, delay departure, or cancel campout? SPL: (now a decison has to be made and more questions are asked) So far no SPL has canceled a campout and no patrol has attended a campout without proper gear and food. My $0.01 for tough love,

From website http://stemscouts.org "Become a STEM Scout today and let your curiosity take flight. We’ll connect you with a nearby Lab unit for your grade level, and you’ll be on your way to meeting new people, learning new skills and inventing and discovering new things. The cost of $150 for the year provides the tee shirt, lab coat, safety glasses, backpack and some supplies." Wow, no hassle. Reasonable yearly cost stated upfront, no fundraising. Open to all kids (well in pilot program area), simple and focused. Now don't ruin it by making it expensive ("Let's have a National STEM jamboree and it will only cost $$$ each"), time-demanding, and overly-restrictive. Oh and keep it FUN. In the Volunteer area, I saw no mention of background checks and youth protection training.. IMO, our schools should be doing this, i.e.,after-school academic programs, Old Schiff was in a Chemistry Club back in the day. People will eventually correct this and STEM scouts will fade away. . My $0.02,

Red Hot Car Hop http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Red-Hot-Car-Hop-Raises-Money-for-Boy-Scouts-277350401.html Meridian's A&W-Long John Silvers took a step back in time today for a special occasion. The restaurant hosted a Red Hot Car Hop car show this morning to raise money for the Choctaw Council of Boy Scouts. Cars from all decades filled the parking lot. The boy scouts were out selling popcorn and racing pinewood derby cars. All the money raised will benefit the boy scouts through United Way. And those who organized the event say giving back in this community is always a two-way street. "The community gives to us through coming and buying our meals and root beers and all that," restaurant operator Bud Power says. "We just want to give back to the community. Doing things like this is just a very good way to do that." "Oh, it's just fantastic," Brandon Booker of the Boy Scouts says. "Everything we do, we try to give back to the community, and it's overwhelming to see the community come out for us." Power says organizers hope to make this car show an annual event. Sounds like a FUNdraiser. I wonder if they would let Schiff bring his old RED Radio Flyer wagon?

Good overview article: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140924/GZ01/140929602

So if your argument holds that the large majority are unfairly supporting limited use by a minority, then would you use the same argument towards selling the Summit, Philmont, and other high adventure bases? Just curious.

I am TIRED of hearing about stolen BOY SCOUT trailers. Go expensive with LOJACK http://www.lojack.com/Construction-a...s-and-Towables Go thrifty with an old smartphone and an app (you track the smartphone which was hidden inside your stolen trailer). https://preyproject.com/ Let's stop being victims; catch and prosecute the SOB's. Place a decal on side like WW2 pilots. My $0.02

Qwazse, Yeah, saw some of that when I was briefly a Crew Advisor, as school sports and clubs started charging activity fees.

Update: Sept 9,2014 http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/la...-ruled-suicide http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/09/boy-scouts-death-ruled-suicide/ "The 12-year-old Las Vegas Boy Scout who died from a gunshot wound during a late June camping trip to San Diego committed suicide, medical examiner documents show. William Grey Shook was taking medication for depression at the time of his death, the San Diego medical examiner report said. Officers were called to 1750 Fiesta Island Road just after 7:30 a.m. on June 30, one day after the Las Vegas troop arrived in San Diego. William and another Boy Scout had just pitched a tent and were inside when the second Scout turned his back to William and heard a gun fire. Arriving officers found William inside the boys tent with a gunshot wound to the head, the medical examiner report said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The gun police found near Shook body was not registered, police said in July, adding that Shook likely brought it with him. The semiautomatic handgun reportedly belonged to the boy grandfather, the medical examiner report said. William was the son of former Clark County prosecutor Julie Shook and local defense attorney John Shook, who was a chaperon on the San Diego trip for about 20 members of Boy Scout Troop 50, police said. The father told police he didnt know how the gun had gotten to the camp. The other Boy Scouts at the camp said they didnt know William had a gun and that he never told anyone he had it. After San Diego police investigated they turned the case over to Metro. Las Vegas police spokesman Larry Hadfield said Tuesday that Metro is no longer investigating the death and that no one faces charges. An obituary that referred to him as Will said the boy was an avid reader who loved cats, played the piano and could beat any video game. Will attended school at New Horizons Academy."

With no mortgage (land donated) or taxes, I'm thinking one month's rent would cover insurance. I could see maintenance being a issue - a new roof, septic system?

Maybe if one had the money or hand-me-downs, but money was tight, real tight. My father told me that in the 30's. he and his buddies joined various Harrisburg boy scout troops for just a month at a time, as after 30 days you needed a uniform. Now my father and his buddies were from union families mostly local mills. None owned a home. My father said he could put all his clothes in one shopping bag with room for his shoes. Soon they gave up on Scouting and went to the Y for a variety of youth programs which were cheaper than scouts. For lower income, urban youth the Y not Scouting was the place. My $0.02

a half hour spent in the Registry of Deeds Not around here, in a half hour you might get lucky and see someone able and inclined to help you. It would be more likely to be told to come back next Tuesday. Newer (last 20-30 years) deeds were computerized and easy to retrieve, older than that, they are archived and the fun begins. Meanwhile, people express different recollections - some first hand but faded, some third hand and jaded. And when the deed is retrieved, parts can be overruled by a court. Too often I have read of towns and contractors clearing land and building without having checked property ownership first. Oh it was okay, because a permit was issued at town hall and mistakes do happen. Often properties here in rural areas have no definitive boundary markers (steel rebar or granite posts). 5 acres more or less between a large oak on the the south, border on the east by a large rock. Frost wrote "Good fences make good neighbors" from his experience. Your second paragraph troubles me more, If Teddy Roosevelt had felt that way, would we have any national parks? One of the reasons District Camporees are dying around here is there is no place to hold them. Personally I think that camporee concept is obsolete. We as scouts are stewards of these lands and yes we predict that future generations will need trees, lakes, and outdoor places more than they will need more sprawl. If Council does not want to maintain camps for those purposes, sell them with such stipulations to those that will - Mass Audubon, AMC, local conservation groups. Be aware Council once those camps go, you are next, Speaking of Councils in general, who is in charge of camps? Well we have or had a ranger. Evelyn takes reservations until we get the online going... WHO IS IN CHARGE OF CAMPS? No one, oh maybe you will have a group of powerless volunteers overseeing maintenance issues and planning a camporee. IMO we NEED someone, A CAMP COMMANDER whose main responsibility is to proactive book and staff camp events. Summer from May 1 (college kids home) to Oct 1 should be 90% or better booked - scout troops, Autism camp, LDS week, Wilderness First Aid training programs, COPE, shooting programs, college retreats, other youth group programs not thrilled with most family camp groups. Weekends the rest of the year should be 60% or better booked. This person should proactively call every SPL and SM in council as well as other youth and outdoor groups No email, call and remember Schiff threaten to take your phones away. Call, book, staff. "Say we have a shooting program with Smith and Wesson on ...we have a few openings left. Yes the OA or Venture Crew 1 can do a provisional camp that weekend, we also have a WFA weekend. Our Hunter Safety weekend is also coming up... No that weekend is our Orienteering event weekend, the lake version....Yes it is with canoes, we call it a Canoe-O." If we can't find an experienced, enthused adult then hire our top Cub Scout popcorn seller, either way results. I can't tell you the number of weekends where I dropped in at a scout camp and hiked past empty campsites, locked canoes, closed ranges. The weekend of Aug 23-24 was beautiful and a local camp was completely empty except for RS crying like Chief Iron Eyes Cody. My $0.01 for being grumpy and I have not even watched Meet the Press yet. Too nice a day, time for a bike ride.

I can see it now - Nobscot Forest Estates. Our trustworthy builder is loyal and helpful to new homeowners desiring to custom build in a friendly neighborhood. With our courteous service, we build the kind of home... So say you had land to donate and wanted it used for outdoor scout activities and not sold later what should you do? Donation stipulations, if any, seem to be lost or ignored over time.

http://www.wcvb.com/news/man-says-bo...874208#!bPMQ3Q Knox Trail Council (MA) is evicting tenants from four houses which adjoin Nobscot Scout Reservation. One tenant had resided there for more than 50 years. This area is beautiful yet minutes to Framingham (population 68,000) and everything - very high real estate value. Since Knox Trail Council is moving their downton Framingham office to Camp Resolute, I fear a sale of these properties and maybe even Nobscot Reservation to a developer which would be just terrible. Matt Budz, the Council's scout executive, referred questions on the matter to the organization's legal counsel, Raymond Ewer. Messages left for Ewer Wednesday were not returned before the Daily News' deadline. According to the town's assessor's office, the Council acquired the parcel, which borders the Nobscot Scout Reservation, in 1971, and does not have to pay taxes on it. Peltonen said the homes are actually converted farm buildings that belonged to a farmer who previously owned the land. The farmer's daughter donated the property to the Scouts after his death, he said. Some tenants speculate that transfer might have had some conditions attached stipulating the perpetual lease of the homes. But the assessor's office had no such documents on record, and the state's Registry of Deeds' online records don't go further back than 1974, according to the agency's South Middlesex office.

Interestingly, the Boys' Life Planning Calendar 2015-2014 marks no religious holidays except for Christmas. http://www.scouting.org/filestore/magazine/pdf/331-011.pdf

A Maine scout is now working on his Hornaday Award. If successful he will be only the fourth Maine scout to earn the award. The last Maine scout to earn the award did so 72 years ago! Regarding his conservation project: After meeting with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the scout Cameron Patterson learned of the staggering amount of soft plastic lures being dumped in Maine waters. Patterson will be putting out recycling containers near boat landings in central Maine for anglers to discard their unwanted soft plastic lures. “Most of the boat landings in Belgrade, both the boat landings in China and in Unity,†he said. Once the lures are collected, they will be recycled and new lures made. Some will be donated to kids fishing clubs while others will be used as part of a study to determine if the soft plastic lures are harmful to Maine waters. “We’re going to have three non-biodegradable ones and three biodegradable ones and we’re going to be putting them in Unity Pond. We’re going to have them in water seeing how quickly they biodegrade and seeing if the biodegradable ones biodegrade as the package says,†Patterson said. But his project doesn’t end there. Patterson is also organizing a massive cleanup of a quarter mile stretch at Trickey Pond in Naples, picking up lures and garbage that’s been left behind. “The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is going to have their dive teams out farther deep in the water as the volunteers and the boy scouts do up close.†Patterson says they are in need of volunteers for the cleanup effort that is happening this Saturday. Anyone interested can meet at the Trickey Pond boat landing at 10:00 a,m. For more information check the website: helpsaveourfish.com News article link: http://wabi.tv/2014/09/01/winslow-bo...aine-72-years/ Hmmm, I had not realized that discarded lures were such big a environmental problem rather lead sinkers (illegal) and fishing line. Back in the day, we used biodegradable lures - a worm on a steel hook

It happens. Usually the scout is working with a local "Wheel chair ministry" or community group to serve a member.of same. I understand the preference for an Eagle project to serve a perceived greater good or number but there are other measures. Googling: here are some examples - Wheelchair Ramp Ministry, Eagle Scout project for shut-in: http://www.frontstreetumc.org/article229627.htm - scout constructed a wheelchair ramp for a hospice patient and his elderly wife for his Eagle project. This project was done through a nonprofit organization, Barn of the Angels. http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news...082114_247138/ http://barnoftheangels.com/rosary_ramps_ministry.html - sometimes the "one" is a scout http://www.waukeshanow.com/news/66549067.html - or a young mom with MS http://www.ksl.com/?nid=1009&sid=29467807 All needed, none seemed lesser Eagle projects. I think the question is does the Eagle candidate have the passion to serve and complete the project. The number served seems less relevant. My $0.02

Speaking just about US labor unions... From the wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...uts_of_America "The original handbook used a wealth of material from Baden-Powell's handbook. The comments on loyalty to employers concerned the labor unions– the Industrial Workers of the World in Portland, Oregon protested loudly during the 1912 tour. These comments were removed from the 1911 edition and West made much of the labor positions of the rival American Boy Scouts" As mentioned boy scouts were often thought in training to be soldiers and soldiers had been used against labor unions, e.g. the bloody Pullman Strike. As a result of this tragedy, President Cleveland and Congress added Labor Day as a federal holiday. Soldiers would continued to be called to break up boycotts and strikes. So unions were not pro-military, pro-police or any similar group. Scouts may have freely worked on projects thus denying union members paid work. Another point, scouts were more likely from middle and upper middle income families and not union families. My $0.02

Religious day exclusions seem comparatively few. The feedback from our parents/scouts is not to schedule weekend activities on the following: - three day weekends (Columbus Day, Memorial Day) - both weekends of a school vacation week, so lose two weekends each in Dec, Feb, and April, and now Nov as Thanksgiving seems to be expanding to a week off. (Don't ask me what I think of the teacher's union and School Board!) - Mothers' Day weekend - June graduation weekend - even SAT test weekends and Super Bowl weekend - OA and district are quick to grab what remains, though we tend to ignore both.

Hardly. My son's IEP is available to all adults who mentor him. While there is technical information describing his situation and justifying his needs to the public school administration, the recommendations are written in layman language similar to the Health Form asking about allergies and how to recognize and react. Knowledge is power. So if I know a scout has short term memory problems, I am not going to spout out a list verbally and ask him to quickly repeat that list e.g., MBC: Ok scouts in First Aid, you come to an accident scene you need to remember the ABC's - Airway, Breathing, Circulation, MBC: Johnny in First Aid, tell me what are the ABC's Johnny: I um. MBC: Johnny weren't you listening...the ABC's Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Now tell us. Johnny: I um can't... Johnny literally cannot get the information out of his head. Now if a MBC cannot accommodate a disability when informed upfront, he should courteously inform the scout and his SM that another MBC should be sought But step back suppose the MBC had read the IEP recommendations, he or she may have learned that while the scout has short term memory and verbal processing issues, he is strong in visual memory so a graphic poster of the ABC's may have been an effective teaching method. Knowledge is power. Scout troops are similar to schools. Both can be immeasurable help in educating and developing youth or they can be hell. You have to find those schools and youth organizations that understand, care, and have the willingness to meet your son's needs. And yes it is often damn hard to impossible. My $0.01 for not being so Cheerful.

After completing outdoor training, midshipmen were assigned two crews over the next consecutive weeks. Typically, crews consisted of nine people: two adult advisors, six scouts, and an interpreter. A six-day supply of food, equipment, and personal gear had to be packed in compact bags in order to complete the 60 mile journeys. "What I love about this program is that it's youth-led," said Midshipman 2nd Class Shawn Cleary, a midshipman participant in 2013 and 2014. "By the end of the trip, the Boy Scouts would be doing tasks as well as I could myself. It's great to see them grow in just a week." Northern Tier take participants into the remote wilderness, enabling scouts and interpreters alike to enjoy the beauty of the Boundary Waters while putting an emphasis on conservation. The program is designed to challenge Boy Scouts and help develop them into productive citizens while giving them an experience they will remember. On an average trip, an interpreter and his crew will paddle through more than 30 lakes over the course of 60 to 80 miles. Since lakes aren't connected by water, crews must portage, or carry their equipment, between them. Portaging can be quite challenging, with interpreters carrying more than 100 lbs of gear on their shoulders. "When I set that canoe back down into the water after my first major portage, it was like finishing my first long distance race," said Midshipman 3rd Class David Larkin. "The feeling was exhilarating." The midshipmen offered a unique perspective to their crews. Midshipman 1st Class Tim Waterman, the president of the National Eagle Scout Association, participated in the training, as well. "I picked Northern Tier because I believe it affords one of the best opportunities here to actually make a difference in someone's life," he said. The military and scouting goes hand-in-hand. Nearly a quarter of the midshipmen attending the Naval Academy have been involved in scouting at some point in their life. Such a close relationship has given Navy midshipmen the rare opportunity to teach leadership in the same program that taught them to be leaders themselves. Participating midshipmen agreed that Northern Tier was the most hands-on leadership experience offered at the Naval Academy for summer training. A number of midshipmen plan on returning to Northern Tier in 2015. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=82992

The National Park Service published new rules for "extended day hiking" and rim-to-rim trips by non-commercial groups, stating the changes were necessary because of the impact of the increasingly popular activity. The rules include obtaining a $175 permit -- a large increase from the previous price of "free" -- and limits on the number of hikers from each group. "Larry Abbott, CEO for the Boy Scouts of America's Grand Canyon Council in Phoenix, which oversees most of the state's Boy Scout districts except the Tucson area, says he's especially concerned that only one permit per day, per group, will be issue by the park service. If the National Park Service counts the Boy Scouts as a single nonprofit agency, only one permit per day would be issued for the Scouts' Grand Canyon Council, which is made up of about 2,000 separate troops. The limits take away the ability for several of the separate groups to do extended day hikes on the same day, even if members of each group aren't hiking together, Abbott points out. When hiking the Grand Canyon, Scout groups usually include a dozen or fewer hikers, he says Abbott could provide no estimate on how many Scouts hike the Grand Canyon each year, whether on day hikes or camping trips. He also expresses concern about the new process for proving group members are covered by insurance, and about the $175 fee, which he called "pretty onerous." For troops in low-income areas, the fee could "crush" some planned trips, he says. Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski, spokeswoman for Grand Canyon National Park, had little sympathy for Abbott's criticism. Several Boy Scout troops could do day hikes under one Boy Scouts permit, she tells New Times, and the 30-person maximum rule would apply for the total number of people doing a rim-to-rim hike.." http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/val...and_canyon.php

I wish it always worked that way but I have rarely found that new parents voluntarily come forward with this information. We have to be proactive and ask them directly, perhaps as they complete the joining application and again when they submit their scout's Health Form. As a unit, we need policies that reflect our abilities and comfort zone as leaders. In the process, we may recognize the need for required parent involvement, further training or additional help for this scout to participate, or we may realize that our unit cannot serve this scout (feel sad but not guilty) For prospective new scouts, I try to ask both parents, hopefully separately and in a friendly way, that I need a heads-up in working with your scout. Usually my questions flow this way, first I ask "Every kid is different. What are the most important things that I and the troop needs to know to successfully work with your son?" Listen. If the following information was not revealed, then I probe further. - behavior issues, anxieties - food allergies - friends in the troop, past issues with making friends, bullies - special needs - IEP (individual education plan), if so tell me more. - school problems Time consuming, not perfect, and it has to be done in a friendly way, i.e., no interrogation. My $0.02

Not saying that anything is wrong here but it just seems odd to me. I am doubtful that the intended outcome will happen, oh and the Girl Scouts are interested in the new school building too. I wonder if Irving was disappointed about the beneficiary or maybe other BSA National Foundation donations have gone to non-BSA groups? "...On June 16, Austin ISD’s board of trustees approved accepting an anonymous donation so that the district can begin planning for a 14,500-square-foot applied technology center to be constructed on the east side of the Anderson High School campus at 8403 Mesa Drive. An anonymous donor offered to give Austin ISD $59,000 for work on the center. The same donor plans to later make a second gift through the Boy Scouts for America National Foundation for construction and other costs...." ...then on Aug 26 "...Trustees late Monday night also approved an anonymous $2.9 million gift to go toward building a 14,500-square-foot Applied Technology Center on the campus of Anderson High School. The facility could daily serve between 400 and 500 students daily from Anderson and other high schools. The anonymous funders, who are giving the district the financial gift through the Boy Scouts of America National Foundation, stipulated that when the facility is not being used by the district during non-school hours, the Boy Scouts of America Capital Area Council would have priority access to the building..." http://impactnews.com/austin-metro/n...ch-center-at-/ http://www.statesman.com/news/news/l...n-opera/ng9TZ/