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Late seasonal weather can make planning activities a bit challenging. Be Prepared for more Scouting adventures ahead this Spring with all the wonderful programs on the growing calendar! Our monthly newsletter describes many ways you can be involved in fun and exciting opportunities for Scouts and leaders in the coming months. Reminder: please forward this monthly newsletter to other people in your unit who may not be receiving it, or suggest they visit our website, or sign-up for a subscription here!
If you are reading the Dispatch, you may be a winner . . . Beginning this month a few random names of some of our leaders or parents will be dropped into the middle of articles throughout the Dispatch. If you spot your name, congratulations, you are one of our winners for the month and can swing by the Council office for a prize!!! Names of this month’s winners will be placed in brackets to distinguish them from individuals who are otherwise named in articles. For example: “… from each unit [John Smith] who will be recognized during the awards ceremony…” To be eligible to win, individuals must be receiving and reading the Dispatch . . . hint, hint – encourage all your leaders and parents to subscribe.
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General
Volunteer Recognition Dinner
What's New at the Trading Post?
Range & Target Activities Training
Spring Leader Training Events
Scouts' Day at the Warriors
Special Thanks to our Council Donors
Scouts' Trash the Trash Day
Health & Medical Form Reminder
Fall WoodBadge Training
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Cub Scouts:
Tamarancho Summer Day Camp Weeks
Family Fiesta Weekend
Scouts BSA:
Klondike Derby Winter Camporee
A Gathering of Eagles Night
National Youth Leadership Training
Marin-Sierra 75th-Anniversary
Talako Lodge, Order of the Arrow
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Council Roundtable Meeting --- 7:30pm Thursday, March 6 | |
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Unit leaders, please remember to assign an adult from your Pack, Troop or Crew to attend this important monthly Roundtable meeting! This is a great opportunity to receive Council news for the 2025 calendar events, plus camaraderie and fellowship with experienced Scouting leaders in Marin!
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This gathering via ZOOM will start at 7:30pm sharp with opening ceremony and brief announcements for all program volunteers together. Please forward this ZOOM link invitation to other Scouters and parents in your local packs, troops and crews to make sure every unit is represented!
Join Marin Council Roundtable Commissioners
Roger Dickerson (Cubs) & Mike Blum (Scouts)!
ZOOM Meeting ID# 415 454 1081
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Iron Springs Road Construction Update . . . | |
The Council is in the final stages of our Iron Springs Road slide repair project which consists of some erosion control and runoff mitigation measures. Those tasks will be completed during the coming weeks at which point we will be back to full access to Camp Tamarancho.
In the meantime, we are providing some limited vehicle access under Council controls for certain events and camp use. Groups with reservations will be forwarded detailed information about road use. [John Malloy] We anticipate that as we move into late March those limitations will be lifted.
We look forward to returning in the Spring and Summer months to our full range of Tamarancho activities with Range & Target Activities training days, Family Fiesta Weekend, Cub Scout Day Camp, and a calendar packed with unit campouts as well as NYLT for Scouts BSA. Those wishing to help with the final push to close our funding gap, we welcome your donations to this ongoing project; please click here!
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Klondike Derby Winter Camporee --- March 7-9 at Marin-Sierra | |
Beautiful Camp Marin-Sierra continues to receive weekly additions of Wintery white, so join us this Saturday for a fun weekend in the snow with your Scouts BSA patrol and test your Winter survival skills! OA Talako Lodge arrowmen are preparing now for our annual Klondike Derby Winter Camporee which was a huge success the past two years! A registration link, updated winter camping info, and other details are available NOW; check it out here!
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Annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet --- Monday, March 31 | |
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Join Marin Scouting families together at our beautiful new location at the Jonas Center on the Indian Valley Campus of the College of Marin in Novato. Following a catered banquet, we will honor our Scout youth and adult volunteers "Of The Year" from each unit who will be recognized during the awards ceremony. This is a great opportunity to see all the successes of the Scouting program throughout Marin County! For more information, download this flyer and pass along to your Scouting families. Register early at this link!
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What's New at the Marin Council Trading Post? | |
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Is it time to replace your old Scout uniform or get your growing youth into a larger shirt to be prepared for the Council Dinner, fun Spring programs or Summer Camp? Then now is the time to come into the Marin Council Trading Post and get a new shirt or pants, or update your patches. The new Scouting America Uniform Strips are available for just $1.99 each. These fabric strips are used to cover the BSA logo with the updated Scouting America name on your uniform shirt. Let's be proud of our new name as supported by our own Council leaders!
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Range & Target Activities Training this Spring! | |
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With our Iron Springs Road access becoming available again, our Council Range & Target Activities Committee has been busy planning for our return to Shooting Sports fun. Help our Scouts enjoy this great outdoor program by becoming certified to operate Archery, BB-Gun, Slingshot and Tomahawk events for your unit or Marin Council. For more information, or to register, please click on the links below!
Tamarancho Ranges Clean-up Day --- 9:30am to 3:30pm, Saturday, March 15 . . . Let's get our ranges ready again!
BSA Rangemaster Training --- 9:30am to 3:30pm, Saturday, March 22 at Tamarancho
(Archery/BBgun/Slingshot/Tomahawk)
NRA Range Safety Officer (RSO) Training --- 9am to 5pm, Sunday, April 13
(Marin Council Scout Service Center)
BSA Rangemaster Training --- 9:30am to 3:30pm, Sunday, May 11 at Tamarancho
(Archery/BBgun/Slingshot/Tomahawk)
Family Fiesta Spring Camp-out --- Saturday, May 18, see details below.
We'll need certified Range Staff volunteers for this fun weekend at Tamarancho!
BSA Rangemaster Training --- 9:30am to 3:30pm, Saturday, May 31 at Tamarancho
(Archery/BBgun/Slingshot/Tomahawk)
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Spring Leadership Training for All! | |
A Gathering of Eagles Celebration --- Wednesday, April 9 | |
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We are calling on all Eagle Scouts in Marin! The Marin Council invites any Eagle Scouts age 21 and older to join us for a special celebration of their achievements, to reminisce, share Scouting stories and meet new people! Save the date for 6:30pm, Wednesday, April 9 at Trek Winery in Novato. If you would like to attend, an RSVP is required so please email District Director Trish Ferenz. To make a donation and join other Eagle Scout alumni in support of Scouting in Marin, please click here! We look forward to seeing you at this special event!
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Scouts' Day with the Warriors --- Sunday, April 13 | |
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Gather your family, friends and Scouts to join us for an exciting Scouts' Day at Chase Center when your Golden State Warriors take on the Los Angeles Clippers! A limited number of tickets are available for Scouting units, and enjoy exclusive savings and pay NO taxes, surcharges, or fees when securing your tickets through this offer. There will be a Scout Day T-shirt given for FREE to all those who purchase tickets through the special link below.
Flyer with ticket options and purchase link
Questions? Email Andrew Sheets, Warriors Group Sales.
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With Special Thanks to our Generous Supporters | |
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In late April, the Marin Council, Scouting America will be recognizing our major donors from 2024 with a special reception at the San Francisco Yacht Club in Tiburon. Supporters who contributed over $500 in last year will receive an invitation in mid-March. Recognition gifts will be presented at the reception for donors who contributed over $1,000. For more information, please email our Council Scout Executive Michael Dybeck.
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Scouts' "Trash the Trash" Day --- Saturday, May 3 | |
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"Scouts Trash the Trash" Day is an annual international Messengers of Peace project for Scouts around the world on the first Saturday in May, where each Scout is challenged to bring a friend or family member along and pick up at least one Kilo (2.2 pounds) of trash and litter per person. Scouts are asked to bring a non-Scout friend or family member with them to this day of community service in order to double the impact of their trash cleaning efforts! [Dave Digioia] Scouts Trash the Trash Day is about more than just cleaning our planet, it is a day to show our local communities what Scouting is about, educate the public about Scouting's outdoor program and recruit new boys, girls and adults into the Scouting movement.
Sign up your unit (free) here
Patches available for order
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Family Fiesta Weekend Returns to Tamarancho in May! | |
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With Iron Springs Road reopening, we'll kick off the camping season at Tamarancho once again for all Marin Scouting families together celebrating the 80th-anniversary of this wonderful property on Fairfax Ridge! Join this fun family camping weekend where Scouts BSA Troops put on exciting outdoor activities for the Cub Scout families. Find out more details here!
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BSA Annual Health & Medical Record Forms
Plan Ahead for the Camping Season
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A friendly reminder to complete your BSA Annual Health & Medical Record (AHMR) soon before partaking in Summer adventures. To participate in any Scouting activities and campouts, all Scout youth and adult Scouters must complete the AHMR; parts A&B for day or wknd events (for youth it must be signed by a parent), OR parts A/B/C (must be reviewed by a physician with approval signature) for any events longer than 72 hrs including all Summer Camp weeks and high-adventure treks. Don't delay scheduling an appointment with your physician! Find out more details or download a fillable.pdf version here.
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Marin Cub Scout Day Camp Weeks
July 7-11 and July 21-25 at Camp Tamarancho!
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A fun, five-day program held at Camp Tamarancho in the Fairfax hills for all Scout youth entering 2nd through 5th grade during the Fall of 2025. Campers will participate in age-related activities and be grouped in dens by school grade and gender. The dens rotate daily through various fun activities that may differ each day. The den group size is 6-9 youths led by an older teenage Den Chief.
Activity areas may include Archery, BB Gun, Cooking, Field Sports, handicrafts, Nature, Outdoor Skills, Scout Skills, Waterfront (water play, swimming, canoes), and more! The last day of each camp concludes with an afternoon campfire program filled with songs and skits, which the parents are welcome to join. Registration opened on Saturday, February 1; please click here!
Day Camp Staff Needed: we are looking for teenagers and young adults for our Camp Staff to join in all the fun and provide a quality program for our Day Camp Cubs up at scenic Camp Tamarancho. Anyone 14 years or older, please email Camp Director Trish Ferenz.
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National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) --- June 15-21 | |
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National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is an intensive week-long BSA leadership training course conducted in an outdoor setting. As members of an NYLT patrol, Scouts BSA and Venturing youth learn the tools of leadership, communication, problem solving, ethical decision-making and much more --- [Christina Whippen] experiencing the Patrol Method of Scouting first-hand while they camp, cook, eat, work and learn together.
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Wood Badge 2025 --- The Ultimate Scout Leader Training! | |
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Want to take your Troop/Pack/Crew and your leadership to the next level? Don’t just leave the world a better place for your kids, leave better kids for your world! Get trained!
WOOD BADGE is the ultimate leadership and Scout program training for volunteers involved in all levels of Scouting. No matter if you are a Den Leader, Troop Leader, Pack Committee Member, or any other registered Scouter, Wood Badge is right for you! For more information:
email Course Director Roger Dickerson.
SAVE THE DATES FOR WOOD BADGE! September 5 - 7 & September 27 - 28, 2025
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Scouts BSA Summer Resident Camp 75th-Anniversary! | |
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We are excited by the opportunities awaiting us as we celebrate Camp Marin-Sierra's 75th anniversary in 2025! The Marin-Sierra webpage has all the exciting details to plan your best week ever at Scouts BSA resident camp! This annual Summer tradition is critical to the delivering the promise of adventure to our youth . . . Celebrate with us in July!
Click here to download a job application
for more Summer fun on our Camp Staff team!
#MayTheForestBeWithYou #AdventureOn #ScoutMeIn
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Monthly News Bulletin for OA Lodge Members | |
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Talako Lodge has been enjoying the first couple of months of the year with a super successful Pinewood Derby "Champ Camp" workshop on at beautiful Camp Tamarancho on a sunny Saturday, and an awesome lodge meeting in February!
In the coming weeks our arrowmen are looking forward to serving Marin Council Scouts at the annual "Klondike Derby" Winter Camporee, March 7-9 at Camp Marin Sierra. This year the event is themed “Scoutopoly”, and is sure to be a blast. We also can’t wait for our next monthly Lodge meeting on Tuesday, March 11 at the San Rafael Elks Lodge, and further ahead our Spring Induction will be held on Easter Weekend April 18-19.
There is a large selection of Lodge Flaps and other memorabilia available to order online when completing your annual registration and dues payment here. If you have any questions about the National Order of the Arrow organization, or the local Talako Lodge in Marin, please contact by email Talako’s new Lodge Chief: Mason Chiu.
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Scouting, we are . . .
Prepared. For Life.
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At the Marin Council, we will continue to do our best to keep you informed of updates to our program calendar. We will also strive to highlight new ways for your family continue to enjoy and benefit from Scouting both at home and outdoors during these promising times.
Please check our Council website homepage regularly for the most current information and event calendar, and the frequent social media activity on our Facebook and Instagram pages linked below, as well as those for Camps Tamarancho & Marin-Sierra.
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