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Tragedy At Scout Camp

The nation's Scouting community continues to keep in thought and prayer the friends and families of those Scouts killed or injured during an F3 tornado on June 11 at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in Iowa.

Families of the deceased Scouts established memorial funds. Information on contributing to them is available at the Mid-America Council's website, www.mac-bsa.org. 

Many stories were published on this event, but one of the best commentaries was on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition. Below is a link where you can listen to the story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91514659

Click here to read stories from the Omaha World-Herald that profile the Scouts who lost their lives.

Boy Scouts of America Seeks Permanent Home for National Jamboree

DALLAS, June 3 -- The Boy Scouts of America announced today it is expanding its search to find a permanent home for one of America's great traditions -- the Boy Scouts National Scout Jamboree.

Securing a permanent home for the National Scout Jamboree, beginning with the 2013 event, is one of several initiatives launched in celebration of the BSA's 100th Anniversary.

Boy Scouts of America Names New President

John Gottschalk to help lead organization into the next 100 years

SAN DIEGO, May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boy Scouts of America has selected
John Gottschalk, chairman of the Omaha World-Herald Company, as president at
the organization's National Annual Meeting in San Diego on May 23.

During his two-year term as the BSA's top volunteer, Gottschalk will
direct the National Executive Board, which guides the national youth-service
organization. One of his top priorities will be to assist Chief Scout
Executive Bob Mazzuca in moving the organization toward the BSA's 100th
Anniversary Celebration in 2010.

Boy Scouts hold camporee

The following article appeared in the North Adams Transcript:

Tuesday, May 20
CLARKSBURG -- Boy Scouts converged on Clarksburg State Park on Friday for the start of their annual Spring Camporee.

The theme for this year's event was Back To Basics. Over 130 Boy Scouts and leaders from Berkshire County and southern Vermont participated. Events featured traditional Scouting skills including fire building, cooking, first aid, knot tying, and compass reading.

Scouts began arriving at camporee headquarters in the park on Friday afternoon. Competitions and activities took place all day Saturday and were capped off with a campfire Saturday night.

Scout leaders put their culinary reputations on the line with a Dutch oven dessert competition. Scouts were the judge of their leaders' cooking skills. Scoutmaster Bill Meranti of Troop 88 North Adams had the winning entry a -- a deep-dish, homemade apple pie.

Judged the top troop at the camporee and receiving the Commissioner's Award was Troop 28 from Sheffield. The Pyro Patrol from Troop 70 in Williamstown was rated the top patrol by their performance during the day's competitions.

The camporee was held by the Appalachian Trail District of the Great Trails Council.

Kid Rock comes to Boy Scouts' aid

Kid Rock 's heart is as big as his wallet, reports the OrlandoSentinel .com. Some meanie last week stole a $5,600 trailer belonging to Troop 631 of the Oviedo, Fla., Boy Scouts. The trailer contained $4,000 in camping gear that the troop planned to use on a summer camping trip. Kid (born Robert Ritchie), along with many others, donated money and goodies to the troop. "I will cut them a check for the difference and hopefully will allow the boys to make their trip," Kid Rock wrote in an e-mail to the Sentinel.

Cub Family Weekend

Entire families, not just Scouts and parents, bring along grandparents, older and younger siblings, and other relatives who enjoy the great outdoors.
The weekend will be at Chesterfield Scout Reservation. This is a 500 acre camp owned by the Great Trails Council. It features 15 campsites, a dining hall, program buildings, playing fields, a 40 acre lake and much more!
This is an overnight camping experience happening Saturday June 14th till Sunday June 15th. It runs 9am Saturday through 10am Sunday.
More Information ...

Great Trails Earns Quality Awards

The Great Trails Council recently received a 2007 Centennial Quality Council Award plaque. Pictured above (L-R) are Rick Stritzinger, Scout Executive; Joe Case, Council Commissioner; Bill Johnson, Area 1 representative; and Rich O'Brien, Council President. The Appalachian Trail District was also recognized as a 2007 Centennial Quality District.

Council Executive Board Votes On Cosolidation

The Great Trails Council Executive Board voted on April 29 in favor of the consolidation of the Great Trails Council and the Pioneer Valley Council.  The Pioneer Valley Council had previously voted to consolidate.  The next steps are information meetings for voting members of the Councils (notably, Chartered Organization Representatives) and the scheduling of a final vote.

Read more about the consolidation Study

Volunteers and Background Checks

Important Information: Some dedicated volunteers who have been consistently registered prior to April 2003 in the same position may not have ever had a criminal background check (CBC) conducted by the BSA. In the continued efforts for youth protection, the National Council will address this situation by providing a vehicle for having a CBC conducted on those volunteers. Please read the information sent to Scout Executives across the nation. The Great Trails Council and the National Council are dedicated to making this as easy as possible for everyone involved. If you have questions, please contact your D.E. or the council service center.

Richards Credits Scouts With Making Him A Leader

ROLLING STONES rocker KEITH RICHARDS has credited a stint in the Boy Scouts as a child with nurturing his leadership skills.
The guitarist quickly moved up through the ranks in the youth organization, and insists the experience honed his ability to guide others.
He tells British magazine Esquire, "I got to be patrol leader within six weeks - I just shot to the top. That was the first time I realized I might have that (leadership) possibility. I'm like, 'Hey, I'm just going to duck and dive.' "Once I had a bunch of guys together, it doesn't matter if it was the Scouts or a band, I could see my way clear to pull all their various talents together."

The above article appeared on PR-inside.com.

Participate In Our Poll

We are currently conducting a poll on the Great Trails web site to find out how our scouters feel about the possible consolidation between the Great Trails and Pioneer Valley Councils.  You can get more information by reading the Consolidation Committee reports and minutes. 
You will find these at: http://www.greattrailsbsa.org/consolidation/consolidationinfo.htm
Be sure and vote.

Not Just Another Toolbar

Maybe you've noticed the "Stay in Touch, Download Our Toolbar" link on the Great Trails web site.  There are a lot of toolbars out there on the net, but the Great Trails Toolbar is customized especially for Great Trails Scouts and Scouters.  If you are not a current user of our toolbar you are missing out on a simple tool that packs a big wallop.  Features include:

• Direct link to greattrailsbsa.org
• A Google search box that allows you search the web or just Great Trails sites
• A special 'Scout Links' menu just for Great Trails
• A special tools section with useful gadgets
• A weather link
• An Online Radio Player
• Pop-up Blocker
• A special 'Council News' link and more ...
  

Unlike many toolbars, the Great Trails toolbar has no irritating advertising and it's virus free.  It's easily removed and  easily customized  to suit your purposes, If you don't like or need a particular feature, simply remove it using toolbar options.
Download and try the Great Trails toolbar today! 

"MyScouting"

Have you created your "MyScouting" account?
Do you know what it is?

"MyScouting" is the portal for our members to access to the following resources:

• E-Learning (BSA Online Training)
• Online Advancement
• Online Re-charter

Visit MyScouting.org

Governor Patrick Will Recognize Eagle Scouts

Governor Patrick is happy to recognize the achievements of young people, especially those who have reached Eagle Scout or are the recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award. Please e-mail the recipient’s name, troop number, date of event and where to send the letter to constituent.services@state.ma.us, by fax 617-727-9725, by U.S. Mail to Governor Deval Patrick, State House, Boston, MA 02133, or call 617-725-4005 to speak with a member of Governor Patrick’s staff.

Local BSA Unit Federal Reporting Requirement Regarding IRS Form 990-N

In August of last year, the IRS released new filing requirements for small tax-exempt organizations. In summary, the filing requirement states that any small tax-exempt organization that has annual gross revenues of $25,000 or less may be required to file an electronic notice Form 990-N with the IRS.

If you feel your unit may be affected or if you just want more information, be sure and read the following two documents:

Letter To Units Re IRS Form 990-N                 Local BSA Unit Federal Reporting