Quote of the Week

I must leave it as beautiful as I found it. Nothing must ever happen there that might detract in the slightest from what it now had. I would enjoy it and discover all that was to be found there and learn as time went on that here perhaps was all I ever.
- Sigurd Olson

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.
~Mohandas K. Gandhi

I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend? ~Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985

A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.
John Muir

Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.
John Muir

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
John Muir

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

World Scout Lunar Landing

Did you know that on July 20, 2009 was the 40th anniversary of the World Scouting Lunar Landing. During the 11th Apollo Mission that landed on the moon Neil Armstrong brought with him a World Scout badge.

Here is the full story:

July 20, 2009 marks the 40th Anniversary of the successful Apollo 11 moon landing. Amongst the treasured items that Crew Commander, Neil Armstrong, carried with him to the Moon and back was a World Scout Badge!

The former member of Boy Scouts of America presented this unique momento of his now legendary mission to World Scouting. The signed citation reads, "I certify that this World Scout Badge was carried to the moon on man's first lunar landing, Apollo XI, July 20, 1969."

The Scout emblem which features in the badge was created by Baden-Powell. The fleur-de-lys, which indicated ‘north’ on old maps, is a reminder that Scouts must be as reliable as a compass; they must respect Scouting’s ideals and help show others the way. A singularly appropriate symbol then to be carried by the first man to set foot on the Moon!

This historically important badge is kept on permanent display at the World Scout Bureau's central office in Geneva, Switzerland.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Arrowmen in Action

Most people have heard of a harmonica. Many Arrowmen have probably even played them while hiking or passing time at camp. But few are familiar with the type of harmonica that Arrowman Aidan Dougherty plays. Aidan, a member of Moswetuset Lodge from Cambridge, Massachusetts plays the glass harmonica to demonstrate the relationship of music and noise.

Aidan is so enthralled with the science behind this musical instrument that he applied to be a part of the Cambridge Science Festival that is sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Science Museum. The festival hosts science corporations from around the country and is open to thousands of visitors each year. At the event, Aidan “set up fourteen perfectly tuned water glasses, representing the notes starting from middle C on the piano keyboard,” said his dad, Gary. Once they’re set up, his dad explains, Aidan plays simple tunes on them.

In addition to the glasses, Aidan also set up a series of electronic kits to analyze the frequencies of the classes. “Benjamin Franklin had built a very special glass harmonica which many composers like Mozart wrote music for,” his dad said. Festival goers also got to participate with a set of glasses that Aidan set up for them to practice with.

According to Aidan’s dad, festival organizers and attendees were impressed with the young Scout’s display. But what impressed people even more was the fact that Aidan is only twelve years old. Experiments like this are an example of what you can do, at any age, when you use the Power of One.


Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Careless People

One of the things that I noticed from my summer job working at state parks is just how much people don't care about public facilities. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about in pictures:

The first Example I have is ATV abusing their privilage of using state parks by trampling veggetation that should not have be trampled.

The Second Example is a sign that got broke because either someone was made or just wanted to be destructive. State Parks was never able to get to the bottom of what the cause of damage was.

The third example is writing found on a door at johnson lake

My boys continually ask me why I care so much about Scouts cleaning up a campsite when they are leaving better than they found it. This is the reason why because if we do not instill pride in our next generation our planet and wonderful natural resources will become dmaged and not be able to be viewed by future generations.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Swanson River Trip Prep

T minus less than 40 hours before I will be departing for our Troops Trip down the the swanson river. The route we are taking is 24 miles long and we will be covering this distance in three days which will be really easy for the unit to complete. Most of our boys are fairly avid canoers so I am not worried about the skill level of the group. I hope the unit does well, it should be a very interesting trip for our troop to take.

I will hopefully decide to report back to you on how our trip went later. Also I will try to post a group shot.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Western Region DSA Class

Here is a description of the DSA or Distinguished Service Award:

The Distinguished Service Award was created in 1940 to honor those who rendered service to the Order beyond the lodge level. The award is presented to those Arrowmen who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, regional, or national basis. The award is presented every two years during NOAC. Since the time the first awards were presented, less than 750 Distinguished Service Awards have been presented.

Here are the people who earned the Awards this time around in the Western Region:

• Michael Bliss Mike has served as a Lodge and Section Adviser. Mike was serving as the Area 1 Region OA Vice Chairman before his appointment as the Western Region OA Chairman. Mike serves on the Region and Section Operations Sub- Committee. Mike is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor member of the Lo La’Qam Geela Lodge in the Central Point Council in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
• Toby Capps Toby has served as Lodge and Section Adviser. Toby has served as the Area 1 Region OA Vice Chairman. Toby serves on the National OA Committee and works with the Marketing Sub- Committee. Toby is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor member of the T’Kope Kwiswis Lodge in the Chief Seattle Council in Seattle, Washington.
• Evan Chaffee Evan has served as Lodge Vice Chief and Section Chief before his election as the 2007 National OA Chief. Evan represented the OA during the 2007 Annual Report to the Nation. Evan is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor member of the Wiatava Lodge in the Orange County Council in Costa Mesa, California.
• Tom Fitzgibbon Tom is the Western Region BSA Director. Tom oversees the operations and programs of the BSA in the Western Region. Tom has been serving as Regional Director since 2000. Tom is a member of the Direct Service Lodge and is a past Scout Executive of Denver Area Council
• Mark Hendricks Mark has served as a Lodge and Section Chief before his election as the 2008 Western Region Chief. Mark served on the ArrowCorps5 Icorps staff working and traveling to all five ArrowCorps5 sites. Mark is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor Member of the Wa-La-Moot-Kin Lodge in the Blue Mountain Council in Kennewick, Washington.
• Andrew Kuhlman Andrew has served as a Lodge officer and Section Chief. Andrew was the CVC of the Communications Committee at the 2004 NOAC. Andrew is a Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor member of the Kola Lodge in the Longs Peak Council in Greeley, Colorado.
• Bruce Mayfield Bruce has served as a Lodge and Section Adviser. Bruce currently serves as the Area 3 Region OA Vice Chairman and Council Commissioner for the Redwood Empire Council. Bruce is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor Member of the Orca Lodge in the Redwood Empire Council.
• Kieran Thompson Kieran has served as a Lodge and Section Chief before his election as the 2006 Western Region Chief. Kieran is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor of the Siwinis Lodge in the Los Angeles Area Council in California.
• Jake Wellman Jake has served as a Lodge and Section Chief before his election as the 2008 National OA Chief. Jake represented the OA in 2008 with the BSA Annual Report to the Nation. Jake is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor member of the Yah-Tah-Hey-Si-Kess Lodge in the Great Southwest Council in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Chad Wolver Chad has served as a Lodge and Section Chief before his election as the 2007
  Western Region Chief. Chad is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor member of the Wipala Wiki Lodge inthe Grand Canyon Council in Phoenix, Arizona.
  

Congratulations to all recipients of this prestigious award.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Quote of the Week- Time Management

Ordinary people think merely of spending time. Great people think of using it.
Author Unknown

Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year - and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!
Anthony Robbins

You’re writing the story of your life one moment at a time.
Doc Childre and Howard Martin

This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important, because
I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes,
this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place something
that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, not loss;
good not evil; success not failure;
in order that I shall not regret
the price I paid for it.
Author Unknown

One worthwhile task carried to a successful conclusion is worth half-a-hundred half-finished tasks.
Malcolm S. Forbes

Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.
Thomas Edison

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

World Scout loses a Regional Director

Gone home: Kinuthia Murugu, former Africa Regional Director

NAIROBI, 9 July 2009 - The Scout fraternity today woke up to the saddest news of the passing of the former Regional Director for the World Scout Bureau, Africa Regional Office. Maj. (Rtd) Kinuthia Murugu passed away at 3.35 am [GMT +3] at Nairobi Hospital. This untimely and shocking demise is the result of an armed carjacking incident that occurred on 19 June 2009.

Murugu diligently served as the Regional Director for Africa for the World Scout Bureau from 2001 to 2006. At the time of his death, he was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in the Government of Kenya. News of his passing comes as a shock to many who knew him. In a message to his friends, relatives and family Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka says that:

“Mr. Kinuthia had performed exemplarily well as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs and lately the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The country has lost a dedicated Public Servant.”The Vice President said he had worked with the late Permanent Secretary for many years in the Scout movement and knew him as a hardworking and focused young leader, who inspired the youth with his leadership qualities and mobilization skills.

As Regional Director, he was instrumental in crafting the landmark blueprint ''Ten Year Development Plan for Africa.'' In line with this plan, he set out to transform Africa into a Scout Region with self-sustaining National Scout Organizations able to contribute to the education of young people and the betterment of African society. In addition, he developed the Jacobs Leadership Project that aimed to equip Scouts with leadership skills. In the area of partnerships, his tenure saw an improvement in the collaboration with other Regions, NSOs and development partners. Projects with the Danish and Norwegian development agencies (DANIDA and NORAD) are a testimony to this observation.

Maj. (Rtd) Murugu had a long and varied engagement with youth organizations and was a major advocate for youth issues in his home country of Kenya. He started Scouting at the Starehe Boys Centre going on to achieve the highest badge for a young person, the Lion Scout Badge, in 1979. He then went on to become a Troop Leader and later a Rover Crew Leader at the University of Nairobi where he graduated with a Degree in Business Administration. Murugu had a strong personal experience and commitment in the development of young people. He also served in a voluntary capacity as an Executive Committee member of the President's Award Scheme, of which he was also a Gold Award holder.

His passing was received with great consternation by many with whom he served the Scout Movement. All in World Scouting grieve his loss and send their condoleances to his family and friends.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Please keep his family and friends in your prayers.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Its official

It is official I have just recently completed my adult leader basic training. Basic training was super easy for me because I have basically lived and breathed scouting for the past 12 years. Basic leader training for the position of Assistant Scoutmaster includes the following three courses:

New Leader Essentials or This is Scout Training

Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training

Introduction to outdoor leadership skills

In next couple of posts I will talk about what each course is for those of you who are not familiar with the courses.

I believe that getting trained was a essential part of the adult scouter journey even though I have been in a leadership role in the Boy Scouts since I was 13 years old.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Journey from JASM to ASM

Well just a little less than a week ago my Troop returned from summer camp on the fourth of july. Summer camp for my Troop was held at our councils primary summer camp facility for Boy Scouts known as Camp Gorsuch. Camp Gorsuch is basically 20 minutes of anchorage, alaska in a little place called chugiak alaska. This camp sits on the Rasmuson Scout Reservation right all Mirror Lake. The camp is relatively small when comparing it to lower 48 Boy Scout summer camps but it suits our council just fine. The Troop had a awesome time their and I think that every scout that went will want to come back next year. The one problem I had was getting the youth to understand that I am know a adult leader in the Troop and need to be treated in a adult like fashion. This is very hard for youth to understand especially when not very long ago I was just one of the boys. The boys really enjoy playful teasing and roughousing so it was sometimes hard for me to establish the boundaries of when it is and is not appropriate to mess around with me. This was hard not only for the boys but for me as well because I want the boys to like me but I also know that I need to grow up some more and take on a full fledged role as a respected adult leader in the Troop.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

2010 Updates

It has been confirmed the price per scout for annual registration exlcuding Boy's Life will be raised to 15 dollars with Boys life the fees required from council will end up be $25 which in truth really is that bad of a price when people compare it to prices of other activities that kids participate in. I know that it comes at a time when the economy is a little unsteady, okay that is a understatement but really is 5 more dollars that much to ask. I want some opinions so lets hear them.

Next lets list the 2010 Rank advancement changes for Boy Scouts which will take effect on January 1, 2010.

2010 Rank Requirement Changes

The centennial edition of the Boy Scout Handbook will soon be available, and with the new handbook come several rank requirement changes that will be in effect as of January 1, 2010.

Tenderfoot

• A Scout must teach another person how to tie a square knot using the EDGE model (explain, demonstrate, guide, and enable). He must also be able to discuss four specific examples of how he lived the points of the Scout Law in his daily life.

Second Class

• A Scout must discuss the principles of Leave No Trace and explain the factors to consider when choosing a patrol site and where to pitch a tent.
• He must explain what respect is due the flag of the United States.
• He must again discuss four examples of how he lived four different points of the Scout Law in his daily life.
• He must earn an amount of money agreed upon by the Scout and his parents and save at least 50 percent of it.

First Class

• An additional requirement to the 10 separate troop/patrol activities states he must demonstrate the principles of Leave No Trace on these outings.
• He must discuss four more examples of how he lived the remaining four points of the Scout Law in his daily life.

Life

• A Scout must use the EDGE model to teach a younger Scout a specified skill.

Star, Life, and Eagle

• Troop Webmaster and Leave No Trace trainer are two new leadership positions.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Quote of the Week- Strength

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
-- Christopher Reeve

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more 'manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.
-- Alex Karras

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
-- Maya Angelou

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.
-- Tao Te Ching

trength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.
-- Arnold Schwarzenegger

The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.
-- Robert Kiyosaki

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.
-- Eleanor Roosevelt

Without the strength to endure the crisis, one will not see the opportunity within. It is within the process of endurance that opportunity reveals itself.
Chin-Ning Chu

There are many qualities that make a great leader. But having strong beliefs, being able to stick with them through popular and unpopular times, is the most important characteristic of a great leader.
Rudy Giuliani

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Arrowmen in Action

Arrowmen In Action: Living Life To The Fullest

What started out as a great father-son adventure one August morning turned into a quick lesson in emergency preparedness for two Arrowmen last year. Charlie and Hap Stokes, Brotherhood members from Lakeview, Minnesota, were hiking up the 14,259-foot Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado last August when they had to put their Scout skills to use. The two had just completed two weeks at Philmont and were ready to take on a mountain that Hap had wanted to climb since he was a boy. They brought plenty of water, extra clothes and rain gear and even started early enough in the day to reach the peak before the daily thunderstorms hit. “We did everything right,” said Hap of his and his son’s preparations. “But, in this case, it didn’t matter,” he said.

The walk up the mountain was as leisurely as it could be. They stopped to take pictures and admired the well-known scenery along the way. But when they reached to summit of the mountain, the pair noticed dark storm clouds quickly making their way towards the mountain. One of the reasons for making the climb that day was to spread Hap’s dad’s ashes, so they quickly did that, took a few pictures and began their descent back down the mountain. After hiking a little over a mile down the mountain the decided to stop and put rain gear on, something that many of the other hikers on the trail that day chose not to do. A few hundred feet later, they were being pelted by hail and surrounded by lightening. At one point, the hail was hitting so hard that the pair decided to stop with a group of others and seek shelter. "It was hail," Hap told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I'm bald. It hurt, man. I was getting pelted."

After a while, the father-son pair decided they had to continue down the mountain or risk being sitting ducks in a lightening storm. They led a group of several people down to a shelter and collected other stranded hikers along the way. Once they got to the shelter Charlie and Hap sprang into action, using the skills they had learned in Scouts to help their fellow hikers. “[Scouting] trained us to help those who were less prepared than we were,” said Hap. They emptied their backpacks of the extra clothes and distributed their water. Eventually someone was able to call for help and handed the phone to Hap. The rangers told him that those who could walk down should do so. While Hap encouraged others to leave, he and Charlie stayed behind to help those who couldn’t leave until more help had arrived. Eventually another group of hikers, including two physicians, arrived at the shelter where Hap and Charlie had huddled with others to escape the storm.

The physicians arrived just in time, because Charlie noticed that his dad was starting to experience hypothermia. “He was so busy helping other people he didn’t help himself,” Charlie told the Pioneer Press. Hap credits his son’s leadership abilities with helping to keep him safe. “It was just natural for Charlie to pick up the leadership role,” he said. Charlie immediately ordered his dad off the mountain and the two made it back safely.

For their heroism and actions that day, the pair was awarded the National Medal of Merit at a surprise Court of Honor held by their troop. The honor meant a lot to Hap and Charlie, whose family’s Scouting heritage goes back several generations. Still, Hap credits his action to the training he received as a Scout. “Any number of people are trained to provide service. The real motivation is to just execute that training.”

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08

Order of the Arrow HA 2010

What is OA HA you may be wondering? It is Order of the Arrow High Adventure which is a opportunity for arrowmen across the country to visit the National High adventure basess, participate at that base, and then do a service project for that base. So here is the information release statement about the 2010 program:

2010 HIGH ADVENTURE DATES ANNOUNCED – APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE NOW

We are pleased to announce that the 2010 applications for OA Trail Crew, OA Wilderness Voyage and OAWV: Canadian Odyssey, have been posted to the national high adventure website (http://adventure.oa-bsa.org). There will be 9 sessions of each program, including the new Canadian Odyssey Voyage, running from early June through mid-August. The OA Ocean Adventure program is currently in revision to give Arrowmen the opportunity to leave an even greater impact on the areas Sea Base serves, at a lower cost to the participants. Details about the program, as well as the application, will be available later this summer.

Each year the OA's High Adventure programs continue to grow in popularity and have been filled to capacity for four straight years. As such we encourage Arrowmen to apply as soon as possible. For more program information including promotional flyers, videos, participant testimonials, newsletter articles, scholarship form templates, website banners, training syllabi and more, visit the resources section of our website. Past participants can share their OAHA experiences by emailing them to OAHighAdventurePromotions@gmail.com.

For those Arrowmen attending NOAC, we hope to see all past participants and staff members at the OA High Adventure Gathering on Monday August 3rd from 9:30 pm until 10:30 pm at the IU Tennis Center. OA High Adventure will also have informational areas at the Experience, TOAP, and during Founders Day. We look forward to seeing you there.

• OATC: http://adventure.oa-bsa.org/files/applications/2010oatcapp.pdf
• OAWV: http://adventure.oa-bsa.org/files/applications/2010oawvapp.pdf
• OAWV:CO: http://adventure.oa-bsa.org/files/applications/2010oacoapp.pdf
• Resources: http://adventure.oa-bsa.org/index.php?p=resources

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08