With the release of the Healthy Washington plan from the Governor’s office, we are pleased to share the following guidelines for the re-opening of Fire Mountain for Unit activities.
Camp is located in the North Region of the Healthy Washington Plan, and will follow the Phase Restrictions of that region.
Please note that groups using camp must always follow general COVID safety guidelines applicable to all Scouting activities.
While Fire Mountain is in Phase 1, please contact Emily in the Scout Office to make a reservation – she will provide an access code for the online system.
[email protected] | 425-338-0380 ext. 100
OA Unit Elections
Recognizing Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law, the Order of the Arrow has a history of over 100 years, encouraging others to live those same ideals. Even during these challenging times, Scouts and Scouters have continued to endure and set the example for others. It is time once again to recognize those individuals worthy of this great honor.
Sikhs Mox Lamonti Lodge of the Order of the Arrow is now setting up unit elections. While we are in these COVID restrictions, the Order of the Arrow has adjusted the requirements for membership:
During these COVID restrictions, the Lodge will be conducting unit elections virtually. Units can schedule their unit elections for youth members by filling out this Unit Election Request form. There the unit leader can request an election date (provide up to three optional dates) and list those youth that meet the criteria above. Your Lodge election team will contact the unit leader to schedule the meeting and answer any questions or concerns.
Adult leaders at the unit, district or council level are nominated by their units or peers and must have an application filled out and approved by the Lodge Adviser and Scout Executive. Adult leaders should meet the camping requirement above, but exceptions can be made with approval of the Lodge Adviser and Scout Executive. You can find the form at the Lodge website here.
We look forward to a great year and look forward to helping you recognize those who are deserving of Scouting’s National Honor Society.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to Steven Glenn, the Associate Lodge Adviser – Inductions at [email protected].
The Scouting @ Home Committee has been hard at work creating fun activities and ideas to help our Scouts “Scout On”. The Mount Baker Council website has many resources to help your unit be successful.
Check out the Monthly Scouting @ Home Themes for recommended monthly themes. From monthly meeting resources to awards and merit badges, there are many ideas and opportunities for scouts of all ages. Visit Scouting@Home Themes to spice up your calendar.
We also have information on Virtual Merit Badges, Virtual Meeting activities, Virtual Games and Advancement Resources for every rank from Lion through Eagle. Be sure to check out the Mount Baker Council Scouting at Home Resources.
Beginning in December, we will be having weekly instructional webinars called “Scout Bytes”. Each webinar will be on Wednesdays at 5:00pm and will be approximately 15 minutes long. Most of these webinars will be recorded and uploaded to the Mount Baker Council website for viewing at a later time if you aren’t able to make the scheduled call. We hope you are able to attend these informative webinars to help our youth Scout @ Home. Here is a schedule for the next 5 webinars (registration for each webinar will be sent out via email):
Many Scouts attended the Tougher Scout Challenge on Nov. 6th and 7th, and it was a great success. We had many Scouts throughout the Council putting their skills to good use, and the finished products that were shared were nothing less than spectacular!
I would like to share a story with you about a couple of Scouts that were involved with this event – one that attended the event, and one that helped run the event. Kai Schley, a Star Scout, is the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 4007 in North Cascades District. Kai was responsible for running all the Kahoot Challenges for the event. One of the challenges was a First Aid challenge. Andrew Stauffer, a Scout in Troop 4026 in North Cascades District, took the Kahoot challenge, and loved it. He learned many things from the challenge, which he shared with his family. A few days later, while his parents were at work, Andrew choked on some food and was unable to speak or breathe. The information he shared with his family a few days before was instrumental in what happened next: His older brother saw what was happening, yelled to his other siblings that Andrew was choking, and his sister was able to perform the Heimlich maneuver on him, clearing his airway, and allowing him to breathe once again. The quick thinking of each and every one of them saved his life.
If you ever wonder if what we do makes a difference, this is proof that we do. This is leadership and life skills at its finest. I am so proud to be part of this amazing organization that teaches our youth invaluable lessons and help prepare them for a lifetime of success.
Are you familiar with Scouting’s Order of the Arrow? For over 100 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA), Scouting’s national honor society, has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live by these ideals as well, and advances the OA’s purpose of promoting responsible outdoor adventure, developing young leaders, and crystallizing the Scout habit of helpfulness into lifelong leadership in cheerful service to others. The OA emphasizes service to the unit—Arrowmen give back to their troops through the leadership skills and values of service learned through the Order.
The Mount Baker Council BSA is served by the OA’s Sikhs Mox Lamonti Lodge #338, which marks its 25th anniversary as a lodge this year. In a typical year, Lodge members contribute thousands of hours of service at Fire Mountain Scout Camp and in their communities across the Mount Baker Council, including organizing district camporees; visiting units across the Council to promote camping; and convening for fun-filled gatherings, high adventure, and leadership development training at the council, regional, and national levels.
During 2020 Sikhs Mox Lamonti Lodge has continued building momentum, even amid the significant challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was among the first wave of lodges nationwide to conduct Virtual Inductions for Scouts and Scouters selected by their peers to become OA members. During October and November, 30 new members across the Council were inducted into the Order, completing collectively more than 200 hours of service in their communities. Additionally, seven Lodge members were inducted as Vigil Honor members—the highest honor the OA can bestow upon its members for service to lodge, council, and Scouting: Matthew B., Mary Jo Brentari, Gary Garstin, Ryean H., Jacob J., Logan K., Blue L.
Calling All Arrowmen: Get Involved!
Sikhs Mox Lamonti Lodge is looking ahead to an exciting year of programs and service in 2021, including officially commemorating the Lodge’s 25th Anniversary, supporting units across the Council, and hosting the 2021 Section W-1N Conclave including all lodges from western Washington and Alaska. To do this, we need your involvement!
Update your Membership Information: If you are an OA member, please click on the below link to share with us your updated contact information, so we can be sure to keep you updated on all Lodge news and activities!
Sikhs Mox Lamonti Lodge #338 Member Registration Form
Troops, Ships, and Posts: We look forward to visiting you in 2021, including to support your units’ camping programs and to conduct OA elections. We will be contacting your units in early 2021 to arrange these visits.
We would love to see you at our upcoming OA Chapter meetings and other Lodge activities. For more information on the Lodge and opportunities to get involved, please contact Lodge Adviser Sean Connell at [email protected].
The Mount Baker Council Trading Post is having a Year-End Clearance sale in the Trading Post! Find that perfect gift for the Scouting person in your life.
Download the flyer
Dear Scouting Family —
As the national organization reaches a significant moment in its bankruptcy case, the Mount Baker Council wants our Scouting community to know that we share in the Boy Scouts of America’s heartfelt support for victims of past abuse in Scouting.
Tens of thousands of individuals submitted claims in advance of the November 16th deadline set by the court in the national organization’s Chapter 11 case. We are moved by their bravery. Millions of youth across our country have benefited from Scouting for more than 100 years, but the number of individuals who have been affected by past abuse is devastating.
Now that all claims have been filed, the next step will be for third-party advisors to review the claims in order to uphold the integrity of the process, while the national organization works to develop a plan of reorganization to fund the proposed Trust.
It is important to note that while any instance of abuse is one too many, the overwhelming majority of abuse claims filed in the national organization’s bankruptcy case relate to allegations of abuse that occurred before our modern youth protection policies were put in place more than three decades ago. We want to underscore what many of you already know: The safety and protection of the children in our programs is our absolute top priority. The BSA has multi-layered safeguards in place, all of which act as barriers to abuse, and we can assure you that our volunteers and staff members take these measures extremely seriously. We encourage you to review our safety policies and procedures to better understand our commitment to youth safety and ask that you share this information with friends, neighbors, and family members who ask about this topic. Some helpful resources include our Youth Safety Infographic and Video.
he Mount Baker Council remains committed to delivering Scouting’s unparalleled experiences to young people throughout our communities, and we thank you for your continued support.
If you have any other questions about the policies in place to keep kids safe in Scouting today, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
If you have questions about the recent news regarding the national organization’s bankruptcy case, please reference this FAQ.
Yours in Scouting,
Steven Davis
Council President
Ed Reger
Council Commissioner
Kevin Nichols
Scout Executive
Charter Renewal 2020
By: Ed Reger, Council Commissioner
I look back at articles I wrote in December 2019 and February 2020 and where we are now in Mount Baker and Scouting throughout the Country. It is nothing like we expected it to be. It has been, and still is, a year of significant impacts and has required a great deal of creativity, flexibility and stamina. Now that we at the time to renew Unit Charters we will be completing the process in a different manner, with minimal contact. Due to the pandemic “contactless” has become the way we do most everything. We are separate and remote in most meeting, doing “drive-bys” with limited contact for Courts of Honor and even with a completely virtual Annual Auction.
Not only will we be completing our charter renewals in contactless manner, but we are also changing our Council’s charter year. The decision to change was made prior to the impact of COVID-19 and with a great deal of consideration. The early Fall is the time of the year when we see the largest number of youths, and adults, joining our program. And with our old Charter Year we found ourselves working to renew charters during the “holiday season”, from Halloween through Christmas. The decision was to change to a Charter Year from November 1 thru October 31. This year we are doing a 10-month charter, which has also contributed to the confusion.
Our Registrar, our VP of Marketing, council professionals, our District Commissioners and the Commissioner staffs have worked hard to create a process to allow for charter renewal, with limited paper and minimal contact, including a new website and all Unit Key Three members should have received instructions and a specific units access codes from your District Directors.
This year has had many challenges, and this will be another, but I have watched you, our volunteer leaders step up to the challenges and maintain an active and vital program for our youth. Thank you for what you have done in the past, what you are doing now and what you will do for Scouting in the future (stealing the closing from our Council Executive, Kevin Nichols!)
Let’s start at the very basics! Do you know where to find up-to-the-minute safety information for Scouts and Scouters? The scouting.org website. Take time to become familiar with all the safety information under Scouting Safely to help all of us keep Scouts safe.
GENERAL INFORMATION – Check out these sections of the Scouting Safely page:
While many Scout units have a desire to return to Scouting activities, they have questions about how to do so safely during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During the recent webinar on how to hold meetings safely during COVID-19, attendees received tips on the key steps they can be taking right now to find a safe way to return to their meeting activities.
Step 1: Check your local requirements to see if you can meet. The safety requirements vary greatly around the nation, so it’s vital to check on what your local government requires and abide by those regulations. The BSA SAFE Restart Scouting Checklist has been specifically created to help you guide you through this as you build a framework for getting back to your Scouting activities.
Step 2: Call the families in your Scout unit to see how they’re doing. Check in by phone to connect personally with these families. Listen to their responses and gauge their readiness to return to Scouting activities. If laws in your community permit meeting, and you’ve met the other requirements of the SAFE Restart Scouting Checklist, spend some time talking about your process and the intention to return to Scouting activities safely.
Step 3: Connect with other leaders and families to find solutions for ways the unit can meet safely.Currently, some traditional meeting places for Scout units are not available because of the pandemic, but there may be other viable, safe options for meeting that can be discussed. Some of these options may be outdoors using social distancing. Other options may be virtual. Be sure to use the guidance for Digital Safety and Online Scouting Activities when meeting virtually.
Step 4: Engage your chartered organization.Especially if you’re having difficulty finding a meeting place, talk with your chartered organization to see what other options they might be able to provide. While a meeting room might not be available, perhaps the parking lot, a field, or a park could be a safe alternative. Whatever the proposed location, the chartered organization should be made aware of the issue and brought into the discussion.
Step 5: Reach out to the school in your community. If you’re used to working with your local school for a recruiting night, meeting space or otherwise, connect with them to talk about ways your Scout unit could be of service and assist them during this time.
Step 6: Make sure you’ve updated your BeAScout pin and are using all of the available easy-to-use online registration tools. As you get back to Scouting, help new families find and join your unit without ever needing any paper to change hands.
Though the times remain uncertain, Scouts and Scouters are resilient, and following the above steps can help you to Be Prepared and ease the process of getting back to Scouting quickly and safely whenever local requirements allow it.
In response to the needs of Youth Leaders in Troops and Crews, Scouting U has released two new virtual training programs for Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST), and Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews(ILSC). These new temporary instructional training programs are available by logging onto https://my.scouting.org and launching the BSA Learn Center. When the Learn Center opens you can select the Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST) or Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews (ILSC) from Programs as applicable to you. In the Programs are 2 Learning Plans – Introduction and Tools of Leadership – you will need to complete both. When selecting a Learning Plan, it will open with a description and course listing – click the Enroll Button to record your completion progress. For courses within the Learning Plan simply click the Start button and take the course until you complete it. Both the Learning Plans and Course will show your percentage of completion.
Module 1 is a brief five-minute introduction to the organizational structure of the unit. In Module 2 participants will spend approximately 36 minutes learning about the Tools of Leadership. Designed to help Scouts and Crew members develop their leadership, knowledge, skills, and abilities. Specific topics include Creating a Vision, Goal Setting, Communication, Planning and Delegation, and the Stages of Team Development. Upon completion of these two modules, a certificate of completion will be available, and should be printed for their Unit Leader. The completion certificate allows Scouts an opportunity to complete the third and final module in a virtual online environment.
Using a Zoom or similar online video conferencing program, Module 3 provides Scouts an opportunity to virtually interact with their fellow Scouts and leaders to expand and integrate their leadership expertise. Topics covered in the final one-hour module, includes Team Development and Characteristics, Group Decisions, Leadership Styles and Tools, Ethics and Values and the EDGE method.
Unit leaders interested in offering this new Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops and Crews can contact [email protected] to request the directions, PowerPoint, and Script for Module 3.
