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Happy New Year! We are now experiencing the seasonal storm cycles bringing much needed rains to our region. As the days are lengthening, enjoy the warm afternoon sunshine and get outdoors for fresh air and recreation! Read through this monthly newsletter to find out how you can be involved in fun programs and great opportunities in the coming months for Scout youth and adult leaders alike.
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As a reminder, the BSA was founded on February 8, 1910 and we recognize this day to celebrate the history and traditions of our great youth movement which has benefitted millions of families across the country! Please forward this monthly newsletter to other people in your unit who may not be receiving it. Or suggest they go to our website and sign-up for a subscription!
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Code RED First-Aid Competition Results | |
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Our annual Marin Council Code RED First-Aid competition last Saturday, January 27 at the San Rafael LDS Church was a huge success! 13 Patrols from from 11 participating Troops throughout Marin worked together to evaluate and resolve the various Pacific Coast "Megalodon" scenarios! This exciting Scout Skills event was well-organized thanks to our hosts Troop & Crew 73 from Novato with support assistance by OA Talako Lodge volunteers, and the adult leaders who knocked out a hot dog lunch for 180 people!
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Congratulations to the following unit Scouts:
Best Scenario: Troop 1
Special Mention: the OA FOG bank!
Most Patrol Spirit: Troop 48
Third-place finish: Troop 101
Second-place finish: Troop 48 (2nd year in a row!)
First-place winner: Troop 1G (2nd year running!)
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Council Roundtable Meeting --- 7:30pm Thursday, February 1 | |
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Unit leaders, don't forget to assign someone from your Pack, Troop or Crew to attend this regular Council Roundtable meeting. This monthly gathering via ZOOM will start at 7:30pm sharp with opening ceremony and brief announcements for all program volunteers together. The Scouts BSA group will then go into their own break-out session.
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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 for all the information sharing and Scouting fellowship!
Join Marin Council Roundtable with
Commissioners Roger Dickerson (Cubs) and Mike Blum (Scouts)!
ZOOM Meeting ID# 415 454 1081
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Volunteers Needed at Tamarancho --- Saturday, February 3 | |
Join Marin County Fire, Access4Bikes volunteers and the Friends of Tamarancho 10am-3pm this Saturday with eradicating the invasive French broom plants for fire prevention and habitat restoration. If you haven't been up to Tamarancho lately, the amount of brush clearing and wildfire fuel reduction by Marin County Fire crews along Fairfax Ridge is truly impressive! More information is attached here, and Lunch is included for all who register in advance!
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What's Happening at our Marin Council Trading Post? | |
Winter is traditionally Pinewood Derby season! Our Trading Post has new Pinewood Derby tools and accessories available. Check out our display of decals, colored wheels, weights, accessory kits, lights and sound. Prices range from $2.49 to $19.99. Stock up now before attending our Pinewood Derby "Champ Camp" Workshop on Saturday, February 10, 2024! | |
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Pinewood Derby "Champ Camp" Workshop
Saturday, February 10 at the San Rafael Elks Lodge
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This fun day activity helps Cub Scouts and their parents who need assistance designing, cutting and building a Pinewood Derby car. Due to the Iron Springs landslide, this annual camp event has been relocated down to the Elks Lodge back parking lot at 1312 Mission Blvd in San Rafael. Bring your own car kit purchased from our Marin Council Trading Post, and have a design in mind before arrival (suggestions will be sent out by email).
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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 present 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. Thanks for your support with this fun local event!
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Pond Turtle Observer Training --- Saturday, February 10 | Looking for a cool nature experience or service project? Join the Marin Water District biologists for this two-part training on Saturday, February 10, then have the choice to visit several locations at any time you want to participate during the Spring. Western pond turtles are special because they are the only freshwater species of turtle in California, and they tell us important things about the health of our lakes. By becoming a Turtle Observer, you can turn your interest into action by contributing to conservation efforts through data collection, observation and using cool tools like spotting scopes. This is a family-friendly project! |  | The online ZOOM training (9-11am) will cover the importance of wildlife conservation, how to identify the various turtle species in Marin, monitoring protocols and the benefits of becoming a community scientist. In the afternoon (1-3pm), we will gather Pacheco Pond in Indian Valley to meet other volunteers in person, practice using spotting scopes and binoculars, and put identification skills into practice. From the free parking at the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus, take the trail to the left of the organic farm to get to Pacheco Pond. Register NOW for this fun activity! | |
A Gathering of Eagles Celebration --- Wednesday, February 28 | |
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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, February 28 at Trek Winery, 1026 Machin Ave, Novato. Further details are outlined in this flyer. If you would like to attend, an RSVP is required so please contact District Director Trish Ferenz by email. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Klondike Derby Winter Camporee --- March 8-10 | |
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Looking for a fun weekend in the snow with your Scouts BSA patrol at beautiful Camp Marin-Sierra? OA Talako Lodge arrowmen are taking advantage of our deep winter snowpack by preparing for our annual Klondike Derby that was cancelled last year. The theme is "Raiders of the Lost Patrol Box", and a registration link, updated Sourdough guide to winter camping techniques, and other information are available NOW; see further details here!
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Annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet --- Monday, April 1 | |
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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 the successes of the Scouting program throughout Marin County! For more information, download this flyer and pass along to your Scouting families. Don't forget to register early at this link!
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With Thanks to Our Supporters | |
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In late April, the Marin Council, BSA will be recognizing our major donors with a special reception at the SF Yacht Club. Supporters who contributed over $500 in 2023 will receive an invitation in late February. Recognition gifts will be presented at the reception for donors who contributed over $1,000. For more information please contact our Scout Executive Michael Dybeck by email.
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Shooting Sports Committee Training for Future Needs | |
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In Scouting, our Shooting Sports programs are designed to teach safety in the use of firearms while having fun at the range and improve marksmanship skills. We offer shooting opportunities in Archery, BB Gun, Rifle, Slingshot & Tomahawk. In order to maintain these opportunities for our youth to improve marksmanship skills and learn firearm safety, we need adult volunteers to operate the ranges.
Due to the Tamarancho road damage, the Council Shooting Sports program has been on hiatus. We may be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with Tamarancho access coming back this Summer. We will be restarting our shooting programs definitely next Fall and need to be prepared. We are looking for adults that may be interested in helping run shooting programs such as BB, archery and slingshot for Cub Scouts. Additionally, .22 rifle and tomahawk throwing is offered for Scouts BSA youth. Like everything in BSA, a certification is required. If you or anyone in your unit may be interested in helping out, contact Keith Angerman by email and you will be notified when we offer the certification programs.
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BSA Annual Health & Medical Record Forms --- Plan Ahead! | |
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This is 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 with approval signature by a physician) for any events longer than 72 hrs including all Summer Camp weeks and high-adventure treks. Download a fillable.pdf version, and don't delay scheduling an appointment with your physician as these can take several weeks to arrange!
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Cub Scout Summer Day Camp Weeks in July! | |
For our annual Cub Scout Summer Day Camp Weeks, July 8-12 and July 22-26, we hope to return to Camp Tamarancho depending on the reconstruction progress along Iron Springs Road. However, we may relocate to another local park property in central Marin while repairs continue into this Summer. In either case, these will be fun and exciting weeks for your Cub Scout! Register NOW by clicking on either of the weekly dates above!
We are accepting applications for all Staff positions! For any questions, contact Camp Director Trish Ferenz by email!
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National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)
June 16-22 at Camp Tamarancho
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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 --- experiencing the Patrol Method of Scouting first-hand while they camp, cook, eat, work and learn together.
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NYLT is a six-day course held June 16-22, 2024 at Camp Tamarancho. It is recommended that all youth have participated in Scout camping at least one year. NYLT is not an outdoor skills course specifically, so it is important that each participant have basic camping and outdoor cooking experience. Click here for more information and to register your Scout, or contact NYLT Course Director Erik Masterson by email!
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Reserve your Scouts BSA Summer Resident Camp Week NOW! | |
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After another successful Summer reviving the excellent Scout programs and Camp traditions at Marin-Sierra, we are excited by the opportunities awaiting us in 2024! All of our camp forms are 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 the delivering the promise of adventure and the mission of the BSA to our youth! Choose your unit session from:
Week #1: June 30 - July 6
Week #2: July 7-13 is already full!
Week #3: July 14-20
Week #4: July 21-27
Click here to place your unit reservation at the best Summer camp in the Sierra!
#MayTheForestBeWithYou #AdventureOn #ScoutMeIn
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A Monthly News Bulletin for OA Lodge Members | |
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Following the Lodge Leadership Development training at Camp Tamarancho in mid-January, we are thrilled about the many great events lined up for the coming months! In February, mark your calendars for the Pinewood Derby "Champ Camp" Workshop set to take place at the Elks Lodge on Saturday 02/10/24. The next week, our monthly Lodge meeting is also scheduled at the Elks Lodge at 7pm, Tuesday 02/13/24. Looking ahead to March, the Klondike Derby Winter Camporee will take place over the weekend of 03/08-10. We can't wait to see you all at these exciting events!
Don't forget to complete your 2024 OA Talako Lodge Annual Registration & Dues
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Currently, we have available the black Lodge flap shown at the right. These can be ordered online when you are completing your annual registration and dues payment. Also, there another link for the Lodge Trading Post where you can order other OA and Talako memorabilia!
OA Talako Lodge Trading Post
If you have any questions about the National Order of the Arrow organization, NOAC or the local Talako Lodge in Marin, please contact Lodge Chief Helen Perry.
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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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