January 2026

Volume 19, Issue 1

Greetings!

Best wishes for a happy new year to all our Marin Scouting families and supporters! The Winter season is a great time to reflect on the past year's Scouting adventures, and to plan ahead for all the wonderful activities on the coming months' calendar. Look through our monthly newsletter and find out how you can be involved in fun programs and exciting opportunities for Scouts and leaders in the coming months; you'll find more event information below or on our new Council Advance Planning Calendar.

As a reminder, please forward this e-broadcast 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!

Featured in This Issue:

General

Roundtable Thursday 1/08 on ZOOM

Commissioner Service - YOU Can Help

2025 "Of the Year" Nominations due

Adult Leader Trainings - Save the Date

Cub Scouts

"Champ Camp" Pinewood Workshop

Summer Day Camp Registration Opens

Scouts BSA & Venturing

Tamarancho Broom Pull - Saturday 1/10

Code RED First-Aid Competition - 1/31

2026 Summer Camp at Marin-Sierra

Council Roundtable --- 7:30pm Thursday, January 8

Unit leaders, please remember to assign an adult from your Pack, Troop or Crew to attend our monthly Roundtable meeting! This important monthly meeting is a great way to receive Council news for the 2026 calendar events, plus camaraderie with experienced Scouting leaders around Marin! Thanks for your participation and support!

Forward this ZOOM link invitation to other Scouters and parents to make sure every local unit is represented for all the information sharing and Scouting fellowship!

Join Marin Council Roundtable Commissioners

Roger Dickerson (Cubs) and Mike Blum (Scouts)!

Click on this ZOOM Meeting link (ID#415 454 1081)

Unit Commissioner Service --- How Can YOU Help?

The Council commissioner service is looking for adult volunteers who would like to serve Scouting In Marin by sharing their knowledge and experiences with other Scouters in local units. If you’d like to learn more – click here.

Pull French Broom @ Tamarancho --- Saturday, January 10

French broom is an invasive weed that thrives all around the Bay Area, especially at Camp Tamarancho. It is a rapid-growing nuisance and a wildfire fuel concern for our property. Please volunteer to join Marin County Fire in our efforts to manage this environmental problem around the Twin Cities Group Campground at Tamarancho on Saturday morning, January 10, 2026. See information flyer attached and register your Scouts BSA youth and adlt volunteers to participate via the QR code. This event will take place rain or shine, and lunch will be served for all registered volunteers!

2025 "Of The Year" (OTY) Award Nominations

for Scouting Youth & Adult Volunteers due Friday, January 30

One of our favorite Marin Council events each year is the Volunteer Recognition Dinner,

held annually in the Spring, and currently scheduled for Monday, March 30, 2026). The reason this family gathering is so popular is that we recognize dozens of outstanding Scout youth and adult leaders at that time. Scouts, Explorers, and adult volunteers from all over the county attend this wonderful event at the beautiful Jonas Center, Indian Valley Campus, College of Marin in Novato.

Now is the time to begin to consider individuals for those 2025 OTY nominations from your unit. Please see attached summary flyer and note the following important dates in this process, and don't miss this excellent opportunity for recognition!

Friday, January 30 --- All Scouting youth and adult volunteer nomination forms are due at the Council Service Center.

Wednesday, February 25 --- all Scouting youth nominees will be interviewed in-person by a panel of Marin Council adult volunteer leaders at the Council Service Center.

The OTY volunteers from each unit will all be recognized with certificates. For all the other

Adults awards, the honorees are selected from all the nominations by the Council Recognition

committee. All Scout youth & adult nominees will be recognized at the Marin Council

Recognition Dinner on Monday, March 30, 2026. This is a great opportunity to see the

successes of the Scouting program throughout Marin County! Updated "Of the Year"

nomination forms were emailed to all unit leaders in early December, and are available to download from the Council website here: Documents & Forms.

Scouts BSA "Code RED" First-Aid & E-Prep Patrol Competition

Saturday, January 31 at San Rafael LDS Church

Our annual Marin Council Code RED First-Aid competition is returning to the San Rafael LDS Church on Saturday, January 31, 2026. Participating Troops and Crews throughout the Marin Council will work together in patrols to evaluate and resolve the various outdoor first-aid scenarios with agam variety of High Adventure situations. Patrols can register NOW (max of 2 per troop with 5-8 Scouts each), so brush up on those First-Aid and Emergency Preparedness skills! For more information, download this flyer.

More details will be sent upon registration of your patrol, but don't delay because spaces are limited! The patrol participation fee ($120) is used to defray the facility cost, bathrooms and janitorial services, program supplies, patches and LUNCH for all participants. This exciting Scout Skills event is sponsored by the Scouts and adult volunteers of Troops 15/1015 from San Anselmo! If you would like to help by sponsoring a Code RED scenario, please contact by email Scoutmaster Huw Roberts or SPL Kate Wentzell.

"Champ Camp" Pinewood Derby Winter Workshop

Saturday, February 14 at Camp Tamarancho

This fun Saturday activity helps Cub Scouts and their parents who need assistance designing, cutting and building a Pinewood Derby car. It has been held for many years at the Camp Tamarancho wood shop as shown in the photo below. Bring your own car kit purchased from our Marin Council Trading Post, and have a design in mind before arrival (suggestions will be emailed to all registrants).

Council adult volunteers and OA Talako Lodge members will be on-hand to assist with directing traffic and parking, managing check-in, and working with power tools and other equipment to help you rough out the shape of your imagination on wheels! We will offer a small Trading Post with Pinewood Derby car kits and accessories, so don't forget to bring some small change! For more details, or to register your Cub Scout, please click here. And thanks for your support!

Save the Date for these Critical Outdoor Leader Trainings!

The Weekend of

May 2-3, 2026

at Camp Tamarancho

BALOO for Cub Scout Leaders

IOLS for Scouts BSA Leaders

Cub Scout Summer Day Camp Registration is now OPEN!

Choose your week of Summer adventure up at Camp Tamarancho from the two sessions listed below. Our funtastic theme this year is "The Knights of Tamarancho!" Just click on the dates you want to register NOW!

Week #1: July 6-10

Week #2: July 20-24

Reserve your Scouts BSA Summer Resident Camp Week

After another successful Summer reviving the excellent Scout programs and Camp traditions at Marin-Sierra, we were excited to celebrate the camp's 75th anniversary in August! Many of our camp forms have already been updated and the Marin-Sierra webpage has all the exciting details to plan your best week ever at Scouts BSA resident camp! This annual Summer experience is critical to delivering the promise of adventure and the mission of Scouting America to our youth!

Choose your unit session from:

Week #1: June 28 - July 4

Week #2: July 5 - 11

Week #3: July 12 - 18

Week #4: July 19 - 25

Click here to place your unit reservation at the best alpine Summer camp in California!

#MayTheForestBeWithYou #AdventureOn #ScoutMeIn

Click here to submit an application for the most Summer fun on our Camp Staff team!

Scouting, we are . . .

Prepared. For Life.

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.

Marin Council #035 | www.boyscouts-marin.org | 415-454-1081

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