RememberSchiff

Update Aug 23, 2022 Arizona’s Grand Canyon Council dropped plans to sell Camp Geronimo after parents and former Scouts ignited an outcry. “At that time, the best way that we could meet an obligation to fund our council's contribution to the Boy Scouts of America Settlement Fund was to contribute Geronimo and some additional cash,” Price said. “Since that time, we've had the benefit that the Chapter 11 case has taken longer than expected,” Price said. “That's given us more time to continue studying our camps and our facilities. “We were unhappy with the previous decision, but it was sort of the best of a lot of bad options,” Price said. “And now that we know more about the situation and some of the dynamics have changed slightly, we now have a new path that allows us to keep Camp Geronimo.” On July 20, the council announced (video above) it would keep Camp Geronimo open. ... The Grand Canyon Council is still required to contribute $7 million toward this settlement. Price said that the council will use some cash it has from the sale of Little Grand Canyon Ranch near New River about two years ago. The council is still planning to sell about 13 acres of the Heard Scout Pueblo's 500 acres in south Phoenix. And it is in the early stages of finding ways to monetize Camp Raymond, its 160-acre camp 30 miles outside of Flagstaff between the Kaibab and Coconino national forests, Price said. ... More at source https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/08/23/boy-scouts-camp-geronimo-arizona-remain-open/7853416001/ @satl8

Good to hear. Please update @larryedwardpotterprofile accordingly. I will ban @Potter-Family-Dad account tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience. Welcome to scouter.com RS

Please log off @Potter-Family-Dad; log into @larryedwardpotter and post into topic Banned Scoutmaster. Let's see if this works. RS

Not an Administrator, but I will have another look. Thanks for removing your phone and email from OP. RS

@Potter-Family-Dad Well you are here now. The screening process is not perfect; no need to thank me for having a second look on your behalf. Do not use your account account larryedwardpotter which was flagged in May. Only one account per member. Please review forum Policy. You might reconsider posting your phone and email in a public forum. If you need help with editing let me know. RS

@BetterWithCheddar welcome to scouter.com

Cases and thoughts on whether a bankruptcy court has authority to approve nonconsensual liability releases. Silverstein’s 281-page opinion ...concluded that abuse victims can lose, without consent, their right to sue third parties that contribute to a mass settlement fund to pay them. The bankruptcy code “does not explicitly authorize releases, neither does it prohibit” such liability releases. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/boy-scouts-bankruptcy-exposes-court-split-on-liability-releases

More hassle, but I guess if it increases the number of Porta-potties from 2 to 3 maybe success can be claimed.

Marketing through scouting families acting as social media influencers, e.g. https://ggacbsa.org/

Some thoughtful analysis https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/boy-scouts-plan-changes-likely-to-pave-path-out-of-bankruptcy

Bird Study MB and the 91 year old Bald (honorary) Eagle Scout. "Just remember, take care of your youth. You may grow up to be old," says Bald Eagle Bob King . https://www.fox5dc.com/news/northern-virginia-91-year-old-fulfills-dream-of-becoming-honorary-eagle-scout Scout Salute,

IMHO, removing attorney David Buchbinder suggests the US Trustee/DOJ will not further object to third party releases in District Court.

Our new hybrid format begins with three weeks of online learning including readings, videos, and quizzes. You will spend 10 to 15 hours each week in the online portion and be required to finish assignments to progress. You will complete your course with a 5-day in-person program focusing on skills and scenarios. These are the last 5 days of the listed course dates. ... This course meets the American Camp Association 2012 Standards and the Boy Scouts of America Wilderness First Aid training requirements. Additionally, the Wilderness First Responder course (WILDMI-555) is approved by the United States Coast Guard to meet the first aid and CPR training requirements of 46 CFR 11.201(i)(1)(ii) and 46 CFR 11.201(i)(2)(iiI) for a merchant mariner credential. More details at source: https://www.nols.edu/portal/wmi/courses/20194/

What will this year’s conference focus on? This year’s conference will cover a few key areas of interest. The Model Aquatic Health Code updates and its impact on BSA aquatics Cub Scout Aquatics adventures and best practices American Canoe Association updates American Red Cross updates Innovative council aquatic programs Building your council aquatics leadership Where to find new financial resources and grants National Camping School feedback Outdoor Ethics and Aquatics Special Needs and Aquatics Swimming and Water Rescue/Paddlecraft Safety Feedback Developing a Council Lifeguard Program Creating a sustainable Aquatics Camp Staff Aquatic Inflatables – what’s out there and why have one Aquatics Instructor BSA crossover to American Red Cross Lifeguard instructor certification. For details https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ARC-LGI-crossoverV2.pdf More details and registration at https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/2022-national-aquatics-conference/

Update to Update: 08/12/22 Deal near to preserve Deer Lake in Killingworth as open space The Boy Scouts’ Connecticut Yankee Council, which owns the land, is in the final stage of negotiations to sell the land for $4.75 million to Pathfinders, Inc., a local nonprofit that has run camping programs at Deer Lake for many years under a lease agreement with the Scouts. “We think we are very close,” said Ted Langevin, president of Pathfinders. The Scouts did not comment, but in a July 25 filing in a lawsuit involving the property, the Scouts’ lawyers asserted that the “contract for the sale of the Deer Lake property to Pathfinders is near completion.”... To preserve the open space, Pathfinders had to top an offer that looked for a time like it would carry the day. In the spring, the Scouts’ Connecticut Yankee Council announced it was selling the land for $4.62 million to a major real estate developer, Margaret Streicker, who is also a board member of the council. https://ctmirror.org/2022/08/12/deer-lake-killingworth-ct-open-space-pathfinders-boy-scouts/ Following articles give an historical summary of council's sale process, at least what is known. IMHO, article raises questions about Executive Board transparency and ethics, My $0.02, https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-deer-lake-conservation-connecticut-20220813-htjpjl3i5vepvj6sai6yxz6tji-story.html Streicker adds her side of the story. https://www.registercitizen.com/shoreline/article/Deal-near-to-preserve-Deer-Lake-in-Killingworth-17372949.php

08/08/22: CHP officers responded to a call of a pickup truck and trailer stuck in the mud. Officer noticed Boy Scout patches and a map of Camp John Mensinger, a nearby BSA camp. That piqued the interest of the officers, who also noticed that the trailer had numerous items on it that were suspected to be stolen property. The officers called the Tuolumne Sheriff’s office for backup. Deputies went to the Boy Scout Camp and confirmed that six buildings had been burglarized. Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Jacob Ostoich detailed, “Helsel admitted to burglarizing the camp and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Helsel's accomplice was also arrested. Both Helsel and Vierra were taken into custody for felony burglary and criminal conspiracy. More details at source https://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/2710176/boy-scout-patches-trip-up-two-alleged-burglars.html

Update 8/12/2022 KILLINGWORTH — A lawsuit aiming to protect a bird sanctuary at Deer Lake Scout Reservation, which is for sale, and a countersuit from the Boy Scouts both have been dropped. Robert Brown, spokesman for the Connecticut Yankee Council, said the council is in negotiations with both Fortitude Capital, a real estate development firm, and Pathfinders, a local scouting group that runs the camp. Margaret Streicker, CEO of Fortitude Capital LLC, sits on the board of the Yankee Council, but had recused herself, she has said. When asked whether the Yankee Council was close to a decision on the sale, Brown said, “Not yet, we’re still in discussion with both parties to structure the best deal for Scouting.” More details at source https://www.nhregister.com/shoreline/article/killingworth-ct-deer-lake-boy-scouts-camp-17368037.php?t=89d685c3de

July 7, 2022, North Dakota: Leafy spurge is an invasive, fast spreading noxious weed which cattle will not graze. The plant also contains a toxic substance that serves as an irritant, emetic and purgative when consumed by livestock. It has caused death in cattle, sheep and loss of hair and inflammation on the feet of horses. However, sheep and goats can graze Leafy spurge as part of their diet, as a form of cultural control of the plant. Every summer for more than a quarter century, Merlin Leithold, executive secretary of the North Dakota Weed Control Association and Grant County weed control officer, has held a flea beetle field day along the south shore of Lake Tschida at the Boy Scout camp site. Some 100 landowners brought cloth nets in the shape of a cone to sweep back and forth through the fields of spurge plants, collecting tiny orange flea beetles to control leafy spurge at their ranches. It was still wet out from rain the night before, so net sweepers had to wait for the leaves to dry so sweeping could be successful. In addition, wet flea beetles usually do not survive. “We swept for and collected 545,000 flea beetles at this year’s field day. We put about 3,000 flea beetles in each paper bag and were able to hand out 185 bags for landowners to release on their properties,” he said. “They put the bags in their coolers and took them home to their ranches. It was a good day.” “Flea beetles only eat leafy spurge, nothing else, and leafy spurge continues to be one of North Dakota’s most difficult-to-control noxious weeds,” Leithold said. What is unusual about the Boy Scout camp site in Grant County is that it is the only site in the state that has been producing flea beetles every year for 26 years. “Most field days on a site have a duration of five years at the longest, but this site could be considered the longest running field day on the same site in the nation,” he said. “If records were kept, it would probably be a U.S. record.” Leithold is not sure why the Boy Scout camp site continues to produce flea beetles long after other sites have to be closed and moved to another leafy spurge area, but he suspects it has something to do with ants. Female flea beetles lay eggs in the spring, and ants are natural predators of the eggs. “I think there’s just enough ants there to keep the population of flea beetles down to where they don’t completely overtake the leafy spurge at the site,” he said. Using the flea beetles for biological control, as part of an integrated pest management plan, has proven to be an effective tool in combatting leafy spurge infestations, according to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. A few years ago, Boy Scout officials wanted to build a covered picnic table area at the camp for the boy scouts. When they found out that the area was used for a flea beetle field day, they built it where the county could utilize it for the field day. “It is really a nice area for a flea beetle field day,” Leithold said. Near the covered picnic area, Leithold builds a collection area with jars underneath so ranchers can dump the beetles out when their nets are full. Then, they can return to sweeping and gathering more flea beetles. At the end of the day, Leithold, along with Martin, and other sorters, take out the flea beetles and place them in paper bags with a bit of spurge to feed on and staple the top. More at sources: https://www.agupdate.com/farmandranchguide/news/crop/flea-beetle-field-day-offers-bio-control-solution-for-producers/article_cced0d20-15be-11ed-949a-5f8cead6338f.html https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/crops/integrated-management-of-leafy-spurge https://library.ndsu.edu/ir/bitstream/handle/10365/3098/1887th90.pdf?sequence=1 https://beef.unl.edu/beefwatch/2020/leafy-spurge-0

Though on this side of the pond we likely missed the Aug 1 date, IMHO this is a thrifty opportunity for marketing the Scouting Brand (from World Scouting Foundation) - Scout Scarf (Neckerchief) Day was Aug 1. The idea of "Scout Scarf Day" on August 1 is that all active and former scouts are requested to wear their scout scarfs in public to make the "Spirit of Scouting" visible: Once a Scout - Always a Scout! The date of the event commemorates the very first Scout Camp on Brownsea Island in 1907.  Of course, the scarf is only a symbol but a strong symbol for the scout promise and for our mission to leave the world as a bit better a place than we had found it.  http://www.scoutscarfday.com/?locale=en

Update Aug 8, 2022: Pfizer has started a late-stage clinical trial for a protein-based Lyme vaccine, VLA15. Vaccination will be a three-dose regimen, administered over a five-to-nine month period, followed by a booster dose 12 months later. It targets Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Pfizer has been co-developing the vaccine with French biotech firm Valneva since 2020. There are currently no vaccines approved in the United States for the tick-borne illness, which infects an estimated 476,000 people in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pfizer said it aims to enroll approximately 6,000 healthy adults and children 5 and older in the phase 3 trial, which will evaluate whether the vaccine is safe and effective. More at sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/lyme-disease-vaccine-pfizer-begins-late-stage-clinical-trial-rcna41740 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/08/08/pfizer-lyme-disease-vaccine-trial-valneva/10266892002/ Note: @scoutldr

Thoughts while waiting for town building inspector to show... Some see just saving money as being Thrifty. Some see just saving their time, as in selecting a pre-packaged program requiring little planning and preparation, as being Thrifty Some see just saving resources, as in not wasting or duplicating , as being Thrifty, Scouts strive to save money, time, and resources while getting tasks done. Thrifty. My $0.01,

Off-topic posts related to TCJC, LDS have been moved here.

From Environmental MB requirements: 3 (h) Invasive Species 2) Do research on two invasive plant or animal species in your com- munity or camp. Find out where the species originated, how they were transported to the United States, their life history, how they are spread, and the recommended means to eradicate or control their spread. Report your research orally or in writing to your counselor. The Domestic (free-ranging, feral) Cat. Up to 164 million cats reside in the United States, of which an estimated 30 to 80 million are unowned (Loss et al. 2013) (Figure 2). A large portion of owned cats are also free-ranging (Loss et al. 2013). The threat which free-ranging cats pose to native wildlife. Domestic cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they only eat animal tissue, organs, and bones. Plant material is eaten for emetic purposes (i.e., to cause nausea and vomiting). ... But while cats seem to have some success in keeping rats out of specific spots, studies have found that cats are better at making us think there are fewer rats than at actually eliminating them. When scientists observed cats and rats in a recycling plant in Brooklyn, they found that cats would make rats run for cover, but that they only managed to kill a grand total of two. ... Scientific studies estimate that free-ranging and feral cats kill 1.3 to 4.0 billion birds and 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals annually in the United States, and that the majority of diet items are native species (Loss et al. 2013). Domestic cats are invasive in all 50 states in the U.S. and in most countries, globally. Cats were likely domesticated in Middle Eastern faming villages. Population estimates are difficult to obtain due to the secretive nature of cats and lack of consistent census by local municipalities. Predators: coyotes, feral dogs, wolves, no mention of invasive Melmacians. Sources: Damage Management Technical Series/free-ranging-and-feral-cats.pdf (25 pages well documented, https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/cats-cute-furry-cuddly-invasive-alien-species-rcna41768

FYI: BSA Invasive Species Management Plan Template The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) National Camp Accreditation Program specifies that Scout camp properties need an invasive species management plan. Since BSA camps manage natural lands, an appropriate plan needs to be developed and implemented to manage invasive species. Invasive species can be defined as an alien (or non-native) species whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Like an invading army, invasive species can take over and degrade natural ecosystems. Invasives disrupt the intricate web of life for plants, animals, and microorganisms and compete for limited natural resources. Invasives can impact nature in many ways, including growing and spreading rapidly over large areas, displacing native plants including rare or endangered species, reducing food and shelter for native wildlife, eliminating host plants of native insects, and competing for native plant pollinators. Some invasives spread so rapidly that they muscle out most other native plants, changing a forest, meadow, wetland, or body of water into an invasive species–dominated landscape. The following example of an Invasive Species Management Plan (ISMP) is based on criteria established by the National Invasive Species Council. This template can be customized by a council to conform to the council’s resources and capabilities and to meet the local need for managing invasive species. Ideally, the Invasive Species Management Plan should be part of the overall Camp Conservation Plan, or at a minimum, it should be consistent with and complementary to the Camp Conservation Plan. Where practical, the camp ISMP should address key components including prevention, early detection and response, control and management, restoration, and organizational collaboration. These elements form the main structure of the National Invasive Species Management Plan that should serve as the basis for the development of any invasive species management plan. ... Source with examples of invasive species: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/designdevelop/doc/Invasive_Species_Management_Plan.doc

The Greater Niagara Frontier Council's Camp Schoellkopf sold to Thalveg LLC of East Aurora* for $2.6 million on May 20, according to records filed with the Wyoming County Clerk’s Office. Camp Schoellkopf is in the Town of Bennington in Wyoming County and includes 557 acres, multiple camp style buildings, two ponds, forests and oil, gas and mineral rights. A Council representative said in a written statement to The Buffalo News in April that the undisclosed buyer at the time planned to continue to use the property for environmentally friendly recreation activities. *Thalveg, LLC was incorporated on March 1, 2022, business address is a single-family home. https://buffalonews.com/news/boy-scout-council-unloads-two-of-its-three-camps-for-3-2m-to-help-pay/article_d57fbf0e-147a-11ed-86bb-9bed7f29cb79.html