The Promise - Buckeye Council

The Promise
A quarterly newsletter from the Outdoor Program Support Committee
of the Central Region, Boy Scouts of America
April 2014
Our Vision: To give every young person in Scouting the opportunity to obtain lasting values and a love for the
outdoors, and to do so with safety, good facilities, and strong leadership.
Our Mission: To provide every council with sufficient tools to build a quality outdoor experience for young people
in a safe and friendly environment, and to support the efforts of all councils to deliver the Promise of Scouting.
Welcome to “The Promise” newlsetter. It is the intent of the Central Region Outdoor Program Support Team
(CROPS) to provide councils with information and tools to improve local outdoor program and help them to
better deliver the Promise of Scouting. Look in this newsletter every quarter for news from National, highlights
from the program Task Forces and dates of upcoming events. Feel free to distribute this to any interested
scouter and we hope this will be beneficial to your work in the Scouting Movement.
Meet the CROPS Team!
Chairman: Jim Kern
National Staff: Curt Palmer
Newsletter: Dan Gille
Marketing: John Fenimore
National Camping Schools: Jim Forrest
Camping Task Force: Dan Gille
Fishing Task Force: Bill Pepito
Shooting Sports Task Force: Connie Elliott
Outdoor Ethics Task Force: Toby Green
COPE & Climbing Task Force: Todd Whitely
Aquatics Task Force: Steve Terrell
Conservation Task Force: Vacant
Member at Large: Bob Kapperman
jimkern.bsa@gmail.com
curt.palmer@scouting.org
dcgille@gmail.com
johnrfenimore@gmail.com
jcforrest@comcast.net
dcgille@gmail.com
billpepito@gmail.com
campconnie@aol.com
greentoby58@gmail.com
toddswhiteley@gmail.com
terrells@indy.rr.com
kappermanb@roadrunner.com
Central Region Fishing Report March, 2014
NATIONAL FISHING COMMITTEE MEETING AWARDS
March 2014 in Key Largo, FL
Michael Brand, Area 3 Advocate from Greater St. Louis Area Council, was awarded the
Service Award. A six-page article highlighting his efforts can be seen in BOY’S LIFE,
April 2014.
Bill Pepito, Central Region Fishing Chairman, was awarded the
Distinguished Service Award. Presenting the award to Bill was Ben
Jelsema, Chairman of the Fishing Committee and Bob Sousa, Vice
Chairman
Lord Baden –Powell believed that, “Every Scout ought to be able to fish in order to get food for himself.” He
believed that fishing, especially Fly-fishing, taught Scouts to be patient, conservation minded and to love
nature.
The Complete Angler Recognition was established by the BSA National Fishing Task
Force in October, 2013, for the purpose of training and recognizing a well-rounded
youth angler within the Boy Scouts of America. To receive this recognition, Scouts
must complete all three merit badges: Fishing Merit Badge, Fly Fishing Fish & Wildlife
Management. The patches will soon be issued to all Scouts Shops for purchase.
New logo for the Certified Angling Instructor’s Program
The Certified Angling Instructors Program was launched at the 2005 National Jamboree
where 22 were awarded the CAI from the International Game Fish Association. To date
approximately 340 have received this certification. The CAI program provides a cadre of
qualified youth and adult instructors who can assist or work as Merit Badge Counselors
as Scout Camps, Day Camps, High Adventure Programs to work with Packs, Troops and
Crews to teach the basic skills of Fishing, Fly-fishing and Fish and Wildlife Management.
Certified Angling Instructors must participate in a 2-3 day CAI, BSA sanctioned course and complete a 30
question test. To maintain certification the CAI must be actively involved in instruction or assist or coordinate a
fishing event or program.
Central Region Council Sponsored CAI Training for 2014

May 15-18
Great River Council, Lake of the Ozark Scout Reservation, MO
Central Region Area #3 CAI Program and one day Fishing/Fly-fishing Merit Badge Clinic.

June 6-9
Des Plaines Valley Council, Rochelle, IL
Central Region Area #7 CAI Program and one day Fishing/ Fly-Fishing Merit Badge Clinic

July 13-19
Northeast Illinois Council, Makajawan Scout Reservation, Pearson, WI
Complete Angler & CAI (1st National Program for youth) YOUTH Only (15-20 years of age)
Meet Your Fishing Area Advocates
All Area Advocates selected are Certified Angling Instructors
with extensive knowledge of the fishing program.
Area 1: John Woodhall
Area 2: Open
Area 3: Michael Brand
Area 4: David Ross
Area 5: John View
Area 6: Jeff Elliot
Area 7: Steve Klubertanz
jawiii@charter.net
michaelbrand314@gmail.com
david@donross.com
jview3@sbcglobal.net
jelliott14@yahoo.com
steveklubertanz@gmail.com
Closing Comments
Fishing is a very important component of the outdoor program in the BSA and Central Region. Ozark Trails
Council used fishing this last year as a recruiting tool--over 2,000 youth were in attendance. We will be running
our fist CAI Program in the Chicagoland area and hosting a Fishing Merit Badge Clinic June 6 -9 lead by Don
Emery. We will also have our first youth Complete Angler Program and CAI program hosted by Northeast
Illinois Council July 13-19. For more information about this program, go to www.makajawan.com.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Certified Angling Instructor Program,
Complete Angler Program or want to take advantage of our CAI training please feel free to contact me at
billpepito@gmail.com or 847-744-1238.
Fish ON!
Bill Pepito, Central Region Outdoor Program Fishing Chairman
NEW FIELDBOOK COMING SOON
Often described as "the best all-around guide to outdoor adventure on the
market today," Fieldbook is the go-to manual for everyone interested in
backcountry challenges—from hiking, camping, and canoeing to mountain travel,
ultralight backpacking, wilderness navigation, and whitewater kayaking.
Fieldbook, the fifth edition, will be arriving in Scout shops and bookstores in April
2014.
Scouting brings more than a century of outdoor experience and stewardship of
nature to this new edition. Its pages are enriched by the input of nationally
recognized experts in mountaineering, backpacking, Leave No Trace, and
environmental protection.
Plenty of great information on Outdoor Program opportunities for your council
can be found here:
http://www.scouting.org/Home/OutdoorProgram/WhatsNew.aspx
2013 CENTRAL REGION CAMPING REPORT
The 2013 Cub & Boy Scout Resident camping numbers were released at the recent Camping Task Force
meeting. Below are some of the highlights.
There are lots of lessons to be learned from these numbers. If your council is in the top 5 in one of these
categories, congratulations to you! You are obviously doing something right. Hopefully you can continue your
success. If you are not in the top 5, you might want to think about what you are doing and what can you do to
change your camping numbers.
“Best Practices” is a concept that we hear a lot about. Is your council using this idea to help guide your
camping program? Maybe getting in touch with councils who are successful in areas that your council could
improve on would be helpful.
Cub Camping
Out of 72 total councils:








10 had an increase in Cub membership
34 had an increase in total Cub Camping
44 had an increase in camping percentage
16 councils do not offer Cub Resident camp
10 councils do not offer Webelos Resident camp
15 councils do not offer Family Camp
No council in Area 2 (MI) had a camping percentage over 50%
No council in Area 3 had a camping percentage over 60%
Cub Scout Camping Top 5 Councils:
Total camping growth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
St. Louis Area
Crossroads of America
Great Lakes (MI)
Potawatomi Area
Ozark Trails
+1869
+1040
+1037
+968
+785
+1697 in Family Camp
+968 in Family Camp
+1251 in Day Camp
+456 in Day Camp
Day Camp growth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Great Lakes(MI)
Crossroads of America
Southern Shores(MI)
Chippewa Valley
Potawatomi
+1251
+645
+553
+489
+456
Resident camping growth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Twin Valley
Potawatomi
Lewis & Clark
Gateway
Rainbow
+277
+235
+224
+172
+169
Webelos Resident camping growth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Three Fires
Ozark Trails
La Salle
Gateway
Cornhusker
+188
+113
+93
+88
+77
Family Camp increase
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
St. Louis
Dan Beard
Crossroads of America
Muskingum Valley
Santa Fe Trail
+1697
+1084
+968
+578
+521
Percent camping increase
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Santa Fe Trail
Gateway Area
Muskingum Valley
Samoset
Potawatomi
+134.2%
+71.4%
+69.1
+35.4
+35.2
Family Camp
Family Camp
Boy Scout Resident Camping
Out of 72 total councils:






11 had an increase in total membership
38 had an increase in Boy Scout membership
51 had an increase in camping percentage
6 councils do not offer Boy Scout resident camp
Area 2 (MI) had the lowest camping % - - 59.6%
Area 1 had the highest camping % - - 75.2%
Boy Scout Camping Top 5 Councils:
Total Camping
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Northern Star
Heart of America
St. Louis
Crossroads of America
Great Lakes (MI)
9162
8665
6800
4972
4531
Total Camping Growth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Gateway Area
St. Louis
Southern Shores (MI)
Water & Woods (MI)
Dan Beard
+394
+306
+276
+272
+253
Growth in Camping %
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Gateway
Santa Fe
Ohio River Valley
Muskingum Valley
Twin Valley
+94.4%
+66.0%
+22.4%
+21.5%
+21.4%
In Council Growth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Great Lakes (MI)
St. Louis
Southern Shores (MI)
WD Boyce
Cleveland
+625
+500
+493
+225
+203
Out of Council Growth (Scouts from other councils camping at another council camp)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Southern Shores (MI)
Great Lakes (MI)
Three Fires
Bay Lakes
Cleveland
+559
+546
+409
+230
+201
NATIONAL CAMPING TASK FORCE
On February 3rd I had the opportunity to attend the National Camping Task Force
meeting in Dallas. This was my first meeting as the Central Region rep. It was great
to meet the other task force members and have a chance to see some other folks in
Dallas.
The agenda was updates and reports on items already under discussion. Here are
the highlights:






A discussion of updating the requirements for the National Outdoor Award
(http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/BoyScouts/Youth/Awards/NOA.aspx) in order to
generate more participation. The requirements will be updated to include some of the new merit
badges that have been added recently. There will more on this in the near future. This is a great
program with some cool recognitions that is underutilized and not well publicized.
The task force is leading an effort to update the Historic Trails program by contacting sponsoring
councils to review their trails and offer up to date information for scouts & troops interested in
participating.
A subcommittee of the task force is developing a handbook and guidelines for mountain biking at the
council level and council camps.
An update of the upcoming program changes was shared:
o The new Venture program will be rolled out in May with new awards and with a one year
overlap/transition period. A new youth handbook and adult leader handbook will available in
early June.
o The changes in the Cub rank program are being finalized with new handbooks hopefully
available by May of 2015. As with the Venture changes, there will be a transition period for the
rank changes. Cub Scouts will be adopting the current Scout Oath & Law, as will the Venture
program, so that there will be one Oath & Law across all Scouting programs.
o There will be some minor “tweaking” of Boy Scout rank requirements. Service projects will be
part of all ranks with a conservation project added to Life. The handbook will be updated at
some point in 2015/2016.
A “Build Your Adventure” component will be added to the BSA web site to assist units in
planning/customizing outings for all levels and unit sizes - - dens, packs, patrols, troops, crews, ships,
etc.
Camping statistics for each region and motional totals were shared. There will be further discussion at
the next task force meeting in May. I am taking a close look at the Central Region numbers.
On a regional level, the Regional Outdoor Program committee is looking to fill all our area advocate positions
in order to improve the communication of opportunities and program updates to the local councils. The region
is sponsoring four training opportunities for area advocates in the region. I will be sending out another email
with details soon.
Feel free to call or email if you have any questions or comments on camping or properties.
Regards,
Dan Gille
Central Region
National Camping Task Force
262-902-3836
Shooting Sports Report
Philmont Training Center
Fall Conference week, September 14-20st, 2014, will once again offer the
opportunity for everyone to attend a BSA Shooting Sports Conference.
Shooting sports is one of the most popular activities in the BSA. This
conference is for all Council Shooting Sports committee Chairmen and all
volunteers or professional Scouters who are interested in learning what it
takes to organize and operate a successful year-round shooting sports
program. Attendees will learn how to train qualified range supervisors, the
differences between resident camp programs and year-round programs, review the 2014 revisions to the BSA
National Shooting Sports Manual, learn how to apply for grants, plus much more. Attend this conference and
learn the best practices from Scouters from across the Country, and ensure that your Council has an exciting
program that will help you in recruiting and retaining Scouts of all ages.
NEW For 2014
National Camping School Shooting Sports Director Recertification
As a National Camping School program, the curriculum during this course will be the
same as what is delivered at the National Camping Schools. In addition, participants
will also receive the NRA Chief Range Safety Officer Training Certification. The
conference course is only available for individuals that are already NCS Shooting
Sports Directors and who need to be recertified. Participants must be approved by
their Scout Executive to participate in this course. Successful completion of the
course will result in an NCS Shooting Sports Directors recertification card.
Connie Elliott
Central Region Shooting Sports Representative
419-340-8022
Chairman’s Comments
jimkern.bsa@gmail.com
Spring is finally here! After a long and chilly winter here in the Midwest, we can begin to enjoy the outdoors
more and share Scouting’s message with others. In outings with youth, spring camporees, section conclaves
and other activities, we help to deliver Scouting’s promise of adventure and a great legacy of respect for
Nature. Embrace the world around you as it comes back to life!
Our efforts to establish an active Area Outdoor Program Advocate program is taking root. April 5 and 12 are
days that training will be offered to these selected scouters in 4 locations throughout our region. Thanks to
Connie Elliott, Dan Gille, Bill Pepito and Todd Whiteley for leading these 4 sessions and helping advocates
region wide to know and embrace their roles.
I also wish to thank our Area Vice Presidents for Outdoor Adventure for their assistance in establishing this
network of knowledge. Watch The Promise for future activities for our Area Advocates.
Dr. Van Anderson has represented the Central Region on our National Conservation and Environmental Task
Force for several years. Van is stepping away from the Task Force April 1 and we thank him for his leadership
and wish him well with his new role in the Mountaineer Area Council.
With spring comes NCAP Assessment training as well. If you (or someone you know) would like to participate
in this program, contact Rich Koch (Regional NCAP Assessment Coordinator) at: richard.a.koch@boeing.com.
Dr. Denis Ward (Regional NCAP Authorization Chairman) is looking for a few Scouters to assist with this facet of
NCAP. These folks work directly with local councils to establish and submit documentation for authorization to
operate a Resident Camp program. This work is rewarding and 90% done in your home. If interested, contact
Denis at: dward@danville.k12.in.us
Although it may be late for 2014, the 2015 NCAP program will encompass even more Central Region councils
and you can play a major role in building this nationwide camp improvement program.
Have a great Spring! See you in July!
Editor: Dan Gille dcgille@gmail.com
Special Thanks to Karen Gille for proofreading and layout
Future Publication Dates:
July 2014
September 2014