 |
The Troop 1954
Wednesday Newsletter
|
|
Wednesday, August 18,
2004
|
Hi Folks,
Welcome Back! I hope everyone has had a good and relaxing summer
break.
Thanks to everyone who helped with last night's meeting. It's
nice to see everyone after a couple months break. Special welcome to
Gabriel Garcia and his son who joined Pack 1954 as a Webelos 2 over the
summer and joined us at last night's meeting.
We have an exciting scouting schedule coming up this fall and it starts
almost immediately. The first thing on the schedule is Scout-O-Rama
this Saturday from 9:00 to 2:00 at the Little League fields in San Marcos.
This is an event put on by the District to promote interest in Scouting.
A lot of groups are pledged to be there. We'll be there doing
various cooking demonstrations. Mz. Patty has promised burgers on
cabbage leaves and biscuits in a reflector oven. Mr. Dillon has
promised a gourmet one pot meal (I'm really looking forward to that one
myself). And I have promised.... well, I'll come up with something
tomorrow. We'd like to have as many Scouts and parents as possible.
Scouts, tell your friends to drop by!
We're also doing the background work for our trip to Galveston on
September 10-12. We're making that trip in conjunction with work on
the Oceanography Merit Badge. Scouts who attend meetings between now
and then, go on the trip (and complete a 500 word essay...not as long as
it sounds, believe me, I know) will be able to get that badge. Dr.
J. is acting as Merit Badge Counselor.
This fall, I want to focus more on merit badges. Many scouts are
now First Class and above and merit badges are critical for their further
advancement. At meetings this fall we will be doing Oceanography and
Salesmanship (in conjunction with popcorn sales [oh joy]).
Additionally, each scout should be working on merit badges on their own.
To this end, last night I gave each scout a sheet with all BSA merit
badges listed on it. Scouts should choose one merit badge to work on
by next week. I will match each scout with a Merit Badge Counselor
and give them a blue merit badge card and workbook to be completed. ADULTS
ON THIS LIST: that also means that you're likely to get a call or email
asking you to be a counselor.
Of course we will continue to provide our younger scouts instruction in
basic scouting skills.
Generally good behavior and participation all around last night.
This week's patrol contest winners: The Highly Flammable Piffs.
As always, the Troop
1954 events calendar, this and all back newsletters, and all sorts
of other useful information is available on our website at
www.sanmarcos1954.org
| Attendance |
| SPL
Zach Painton presiding, assisted by acting ASPL Daniel Kurtz |
| |
|
| Vicious Badgers |
Jaimie
John
Mason
David |
|
| |
| Biohazards
Patrol Leader, Mason R-K.
Coached by Mr. Painton |
Alexey
Ben
Philip |
|
| |
|
| Crimson Fromage
Patrol Leader, Joshua Rose.
Coached by Dr. J. |
Sean
Josh
Ben |
| |
| Highly
Flammable Piffs
Patrol Leader, Dane Rasmussen.
Coached by Ms. Patty |
Corey
Dane
Daniel
Kirkland
Lee
Zach
|
Patrol |
Attend. |
Uniform |
Behavior |
Spirit |
Meeting |
6 Mo |
| V. Badgers |
3 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
18 |
220 |
| Biohazards |
2 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
17 |
216 |
| Fromage |
3 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
13 |
190 |
| Piffs |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
19 |
220 |
|
Behavior, subtract for each incident.
Fails to come to order when scout sign given
-1
Fighting with each other -1 per incident
Bad language -1 per incident
Failure to treat others with respect -1
Asked repeatedly to do any task -1
Fails to clean up -1
Shows poor sportsmanship -1 |
Participation: Add for each, highest score is
a five.
All members cooperate with game +1
Members make progress on meeting’s task +1
Members show enthusiasm for tasks +1
Members show good organization (listen to PL and Coach) +1
Members exemplify Scout Law +1
|
|
|
|
Announcements |
| |
|
1) This Saturday is Scout-O-Rama from 9 until 2 at the little
league fields in San Marcos. We’ll be participating in this event. We
are supposed to do a cooking demonstration.
2) We need to have a Patrol Leaders Retreat in the very near
future. Watch your email for further information about that.
3) There are numerous opportunities to earn merit badges
coming up this fall. There will be two “Hornaday Awards Weekends” at
Lost Pines (one in August and one in September) where you’ll be able
to earn Eagle related merit badges. There is also a chance to earn the
geology merit badge in one day coming up in October. If you are
interested in these opportunities, speak to Mr. Warms.
|
| |
| Essay |
|
Why Good Leadership and Fire Safety are Important:
Feds, Utah sue Boy Scouts over $14
million East Fork Fire
By PATTY HENETZ, Associated Press Writer
June 29, 2004, Salt Lake City
The Justice Department and the Utah Attorney General
on Tuesday sued the Boy Scouts of America for nearly $14 million to
recover the costs of the 2002 East Fork Fire which began at a Boy
Scout camp in the Uinta Mountains.
U.S. Attorney for Utah Paul Warner said the complaint seeks redress
for federal taxpayers to the tune of $13.3 million for the costs of
fighting the fire and reclamation of the charred land.
The state attorney general's office is asking for more than $606,000
to cover the state's firefighting expenses.
"These lawsuits are the result of failed negotiations," Warner said in
a statement. "The United States and the state of Utah have made every
attempt to resolve this matter through negotiation over a significant
period of time."
Utah law requires the people who start fires to pay for the cost of
fighting them. Michael Johnson, the assistant attorney general
handling the state case, said the lawsuit was "simply the last resort"
in defending taxpayers against getting stuck with the bill.
The June 28, 2002, fire started inside or near the East Fork of the
Bear River Boy Scout Camp, about 35 miles south of Evanston, Wyo. The
fire blackened 14,200 acres of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and
caused an estimated $150,000 in damage within the Scout camp to 12
camping sites, a rifle range, climbing towers, some latrines and
several thousand feet of water lines.
Flames forced evacuation of the Scout camp, nearby campgrounds and
summer homes, and prompted officials to close most of the north slope
of the Uinta Mountains to the public.
The Boy Scouts have not admitted responsibility for the fire. Rob
Wallace, a BSA attorney, said Tuesday questions remain about how the
fire started.
Wallace has said it was possible people using all-terrain vehicles
were responsible.
The U.S. Attorney's office, however, says the Forest Service reported
no ATVs were in the area at the time the fire started.
Wallace said he last talked with state attorneys about six months ago
and with federal representatives about a month ago. No one has
discussed settlement offers or counteroffers, he said, though he was
informed that a legal complaint likely would be filed by the end of
June.
"As far as I know there haven't been negotiations as I understand the
term," Wallace said. "There were some discussions about who may be
responsible for the fire."
According to the court documents, fire restrictions were in place and
had been made public in the week before the fire started, and that Boy
Scout employees at the East Fork of the Bear Scout Reservation summer
camp had been made aware of the campfire ban.
The lawsuits claim the Boy Scouts, who were there to earn wilderness
survival merit badges, didn't comply with its own rules on "two-deep"
adult supervision of overnight campouts. Instead, about 20 boys aged
11 to 14 were left without any adult supervision for the night outside
an approved campground.
The documents state five scouts from Boy Scout Troop 149, sponsored by
the Peoa Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
built fires on a thick layer of dead and decaying evergreen duff and
that neither adequate water nor firefighting tools were available to
put out the fire.
Two 15-year-old counselors or counselors-in-training observed the
younger boys set the fires, but left them alone for the night, the
complaint says.
A subsequent investigation determined the fire smoldered after the
scouts left the area and grew into the East Fork Fire, which burned
more than 14,000 acres of federal, state and private lands, the
documents state.
The lawsuits name an adult, John White, and give the initials of the
two 15-year-olds. Because the three had an employee-employer
relationship with the Boy Scouts' Great Salt Lake Council, the council
is liable for all negligence and damages, the complaints state.
|
| Upcoming Events |
|
Scout-O-Rama, Saturday August 21 The Scout-O-Rama will be
August 21st here in San Marcos at a little known and lightly used part
of the San Marcos Park north of the ball fields at CM Allen and I-35.
The Scout-O-Rama is a recruiting opportunity where people from all
over the District will be invited to come and see what scouting is up
to. As such, each Pack and Troop is being invited to attend and have
an activity they will demonstrate to the attendees. Activities
mentioned last night included: Troop-Cooking, Knot Tying, Hiking, etc.
(food handler permit required if giving away food) Pack-Pine Wood
Derby, Rain gutter Regatta, etc. The District wants to have a
list of participating units and activities they will demonstrate as
soon as possible, but not later than 31 July. So, now is the time to
start planning and identify an activity. Get our names in early and we
can pretty much demonstrate anything we want. If you have any
questions, call Tom Heathman. Otherwise, Rex Hunt, District
Commissioner and Steve Marlow, Event Chair, will be the points of
contact for the event
Galveston Trip, September 10-12
We'll be headed to Galveston to enjoy the beach and the seafood and do
work on the oceanography merit badge. The trip will be led by
Dr. J. |
| |
|