2022 Articles Edition
2022 Articles Edition
Camping
Ask Pop is a monthly column in the Trail to Adventure Blog focused on answering questions submitted by you! Each month we will highlight a few of the questions submitted. Do you have a question you need answered? Do you have a perplexing challenge you want to ask the larger BSA properties and outdoor program community? Submit your questions to outdoorprograms@scouting.org and even if they are not featured in the blog, you will get an answer!
What’s Pop? “Property and Outdoor Program” of course!
This month we will answer a series of questions related to Cub Scout participation at Scouts BSA short-term camps like a camporee.
Q: Can my Webelos den attend the Scouts BSA Short-term camp like a Spring Camporee?
A: Yes – with some limitation.
Scouts BSA Spring camporees that are overnight are short-term camps and as stated in the Age Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities Webelos can attend a camporee (short-term camp) as a day visitor only.
Q: So can they participate in the events of the Camporee?
A: It depends but probably not.
Each short-term camp has been designed to meet the needs of the participants. If the camp has been designed to have stations for Webelos to participate (separate from the Scouts BSA participants) it may be appropriate. However, if the camp is designed for Scouts BSA then it would not be appropriate for Webelos youth to participate even if they are attending as visitors. It would not be appropriate for Webelos dens to follow the same schedule or event rotations as the Scouts BSA patrols.
Q: If I am a leader in the Scouts BSA troop, can I bring my Webelos Scout along with me to the Camporee?
A: No. As stated in the Guide to Safe Scouting “Youth who are not registered in the unit may not accompany parents or siblings in camping programs of Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scouting.” We would encourage you to help the den attend as day visitors and develop age-appropriate program for them to participate in.
Thanks for these great questions and keep them coming.
A few more words on overnight camping:
As always follow the BSA SAFE plan and use the SAFE checklist to determine if this is an appropriate activity for your youth. With any BSA activity or event, follow the BSA Youth Protection Guidelines and the BSA Barriers to Abuse to ensure that you have proper supervision for the activity and the program level.
Camping
Ask Pop is a monthly column in the Trail to Adventure Blog focused on answering questions submitted by you! Each month we will highlight a few of the questions submitted. Do you have a question you need answered? Do you have a perplexing challenge you want to ask the larger BSA properties and outdoor program community? Submit your questions to outdoorprograms@scouting.org and even if they are not featured in the blog, you will get an answer!
What’s Pop? “Property and Outdoor Program” of course!
April is Child Abuse Prevention month, making this an appropriate time to answer a series of questions related to Youth Protection in the BSA.
Q: Our Scout BSA troop wants to camp with the Scouts BSA troop from across town. Is that OK and how do we go about it?
A: The BSA program is organized through Chartered Organizations who have the responsibility to make sure the unit has an active outdoor program. Units who wish to camp or participate in activities with units outside their charter organization must have permission from the local council to do so.
- From the Guide to Safe Scouting: Local council approval is needed for unit-coordinated overnight camping activities involving other units not chartered by the same organization. Units that wish to host events involving other units that do not share the same charter partner must have approval from their council. This includes events for packs, troops, crews, and ships from the same council; neighboring councils; the same territory; or other territory.
Q: When my unit is camping with another unit, can we share leadership if one unit does not have enough adults?
A: From the Guide to Safe Scouting, each unit must provide its own chartered organization approved, adequate adult supervision to meet the BSA guidelines for leadership which includes two adult leaders over the age of 21. A registered female adult leader 21 years of age or over must be present for any activity involving female youth.
Q: Our unit is going camping, and we are worried about restroom and shower house use. Do you have any advice?
A: First it is important to intentionally be prepared to have this critical Scouting Barrier to Abuse in place. This could include:
- Be sure the facilities are well marked. Gender? Age? Single person room?
- Communicate this information to your Scouts and adult leaders.
- Be prepared for any additional needs you may need to meet near aquatics programs for changing areas, both for youth and adults and all genders.
- Consider where individuals may charge their electronic devices such as phones. You may need additional charging stations/areas at other locations so campers do not charge or use their phones in or around restroom and shower house facilities. As a reminder “The use of smartphones, cameras, mirrors, drones, etc., in places or situations where privacy is expected is prohibited.”
- Finally, it is always a great idea to review the details of Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse. Check them out here.
Q: Can a Scouts BSA parent share a tent with their Scout at a Scouts BSA event?
A: This is a frequent question! Here are key reminders from the BSA’s Youth Protection’s Barriers to Abuse:
- In Cub Scouting, parents and guardians may share a tent with their family.
- In all other programs, youth and adults tent separately.
So why do youth tent separately from parents outside of Cub Scouting?
- Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, and Venturing are youth led programs. The Cub Scout program is family oriented.
- Finally – don’t forget that youth sharing tents must be no more than two years apart in age.
View the Scouting Barriers to Abuse website for more information. For more information about the BSA policies related to camping always view the BSA Guide to Safe Scouting before each activity as well as following the four points of SAFE before any BSA activity.
Camping
There’s nothing like enjoying the great outdoors in Scouting with a roaring fire, gooey s’mores, and a night sky full of sparkling stars. It’s essential to learn how to provide a SAFE experience with a campfire. Let’s review the safety considerations you should ask yourself before your next campfire.
What are the environmental conditions?
Before your camping trip, monitor the weather for changing conditions. And don’t forget to understand the local campfire regulations or requirements for your campout location. Always check for any active burn ban. And remember, do not build a campfire in hazardous, dry conditions. As a precaution take wind, and its direction, into account when choosing the site. Choose a spot that is protected from gusts.
Is your campsite being maintained?
When preparing your campfire, always use an established campfire ring, and keep your size appropriate for your campsite. Keep the fire a minimum of 15 feet from tents, shrubs, trees, or other flammable objects. Don’t forget to look out for low-hanging branches above the fire. A secure waterproof box or bag outside your tent is the perfect way to store matches, lighters, and items used as fire starters.
Do you know additives in Scouting are Prohibited?
We all love a big campfire but using additives to a fire in Scouting is prohibited. This includes chemicals, accelerants, color-changers, explosives, and other flame-enhancing products like Magical Flames™. Be sure to extinguish your campfires properly. Try a campfire cold-out test; look at your campfire ash for any sign of heat before you consider the fire extinguished. But remember if your campfire is too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.
Are we cooking on our campfire?
If you plan on cooking at your campsite, ensure all Scouts maintain a safe distance from the campfire. If you plan on using a skewer, make sure it is long enough to keep your body outside the fire ring or containment area. Also, when using a skewer, they might be sharper than expected. In the dark, others may not see the skewer, so remember to always point your skewer in the safe direction.
What’s your emergency response plan?
This is a critical part of planning a SAFE experience; identify your emergency response plan before your trip. In Scouting, use the Scout Motto; Be Prepared. So, Be Prepared with a plan. Communicate with all participants that a campfire should never be left unattended. Always bring a shovel or rake and water or other extinguishing materials handy. Be prepared to respond to burns or someone on fire with “Stop, drop, and roll.”
RESOURCES
Camping
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning from the use of portable camping heaters, lanterns, or stoves inside tents, campers, and vehicles. Scouters often use many devices that can produce carbon monoxide. This includes trying to stay warm and overlooking the danger of bringing heating devices into enclosures or tents. As such, it’s essential to know about this hazard and what steps to take to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in outdoor settings.
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a non-irritant, colorless, and odorless gas produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels. In Scouting, CO is often found in the fumes of portable camping heaters, lanterns, or stoves. Your Scout camp facility likely has additional sources too.
Why is CO such a risk?
When breathed in, CO will bind to your blood’s hemoglobin with an affinity 200-250 times greater than that of oxygen. This means your blood cannot deliver the oxygen needed by your organs and tissues. Like choking, you deprive your body of the necessary oxygen you need to survive.
What are the symptoms of CO Poisoning?
Symptoms resemble the flu and include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pains, and confusion. People sleeping can die from breathing in large amounts of CO before they even have symptoms.
How can I prevent CO poisoning?
Fuel-burning equipment such as camping stoves, camping heaters, lanterns, and charcoal grills should never be used inside a tent, cabin, or other enclosed shelter. During winter camping, be particularly careful if you create enclosed structures, such as wrapping outdoor pavilions or pop-up tents with plastic. Opening tent windows/doors or having small openings in enclosed areas is insufficient to prevent the build-up of CO concentrations from these devices.
What to do if you experience symptoms of CO poisoning?
Get outside to fresh air immediately! Also, contact a doctor immediately for a proper diagnosis.
No Flames in Tents
The Boy Scouts of America and other camping organizations have long adopted a policy of “No Flames in Tents.” Other than the apparent fire danger this action prevents, most don’t think of the CO poisoning risk it eliminates. Since CO poisoning provides no visual, sellable, or auditory clues, the “No Flame in Tents” policy can easily be extrapolated to no propane-powered heaters in tents or enclosures.
Conservation & Environment
This will be a continuing series of articles on various aspects of the properties we own, lease, care for, and look to make better. As we all know, the program of Scouting is valuable to the growth of youth in this country and around the world. Where we deliver that program needs to convey that value and the coming articles are intended to assist us all in making that conveyance to our current users, as well as all of our future users and their families.
For most of us we use on a daily basis an item we take for granted being available for us to purchase 24/7 all year long. Until we couldn’t. What? Think back to the early days of Covid-19. What disappeared off grocery shelves faster than anyone thought possible? And many of us thought, why are people buying this one product over anything else?! I mean really!!! Toilet paper. Who would’ve thunkit?
We all expect toilet paper to be ever present in our stores, until it isn’t, and wasn’t! And why did this occur? It’s not like we lost the source. Where does toilet paper originate? If you’re a Charmin user you may think a little cabin in the woods with a bear population that happily makes toilet paper for us to use, but… that’s crazy thinking! Or is it?
So, this month’s article is not about toilet paper, I’m sure you’re happy to know. Its not about the bears either. It is about the ‘woods’ this material comes from.
We are blessed with some of the most awesome ‘dirt’ on this satellite we ride on! And on that ‘dirt’ for most of us, we have an abundance of trees. Of all shapes, sizes, and species. And, quite frankly, some of us manage our forests better than others. We should all have forestry plans in our quiver of tools to use in managing the properties we own of course, but also for those we lease, which many of us would find surprising in the high percentage of properties we operate our program upon, that we do.
In particular a component of that forestry plan needs to address how we harvest the God given resource available to us. Depending on your acreage of trees, what quantity could be harvested regularly? To some degree, this is a market driven resource, but given the growth of many parts of the country, the need to harvest some of our forests is always present. In addition to how you manage the harvesting, notably contract inclusions addressing access roads installed to remove those trees harvested from an area, what materials are used and how are they maintained over time, what happens to the slash created from the harvesting process, and how is the acreage harvested replanted for a future crop. All of these questions, and more, need to be addressed with a logger prior to any harvest being initiated.
What we’ll address this month is the last part of those inclusions just mentioned, replanting. In review of several forestry plans for those that have one, this issue is rarely addressed, but should be so future harvests, and their revenue, are managed in perpetuity. Additionally, as forests are sometimes referred to as the “lungs of the world” we all should manage the health of our “lungs” more directly as they take care of our atmosphere, or more directly, the air we all breath. Given that climate change is very real and is happening right before our very eyes, this is a serious subject becoming all the more so with each passing day. We cannot afford to look the other way any longer!
What would you say if the question was posed to you concerning the rate of what we’re losing in forested areas every year? Are you aware of the loss? From the Arbor Day Foundation the amount of deforestation of the worlds rain forests alone is “roughly 81,000 square miles each year.” Of those who’ve been to our crown jewel, Philmont, we know the ranch is comprised of roughly 300 square miles. The amount of rain forest alone each year we’re losing is equivalent to about 270 Philmont’s!
Think about that for a minute. Notably, think about the fire this organization experienced at Philmont a couple years back. That was what? Figure heard most was about 33,000 acres were burned. That equates to about 52 square miles. To put this in another perspective, the amount of rain forest alone we lose every year is equal to 1558 Philmont burns every year! Think about that! And that doesn’t include the fires in California, in Canada, Indonesia, Russia, Europe, or Africa! We are losing this precious resource at an extremely alarming rate!
So, what can we do about it?
First, let’s all start by generating a forestry plan for the properties you manage if you haven’t already. And if you need guidance on what to include don’t be shy about reaching out and asking for the help! Working with a local forester and/or a representative of the US Forest Service would be a good first step. Consulting with loggers who are more conscious about what their operation does to a tract of land than those who are blind to the damage these companies can cause is a good second step.
Second, as part of the replanting component, where can you go to acquire seedlings? Where can you acquire very young trees, in a cross-section of species that will grow in your area and soil types? In a quantity that will translate to a good survival percentage of the area replanted. As a tree doesn’t become the 40’ to 80’ beauty they will grow to overnight, what is the expected survival rate and what thinning measures if any, need to take place while the forest matures? This is where having your local forester as a member of the team that helps you manage your property is invaluable. Your Ranger for your property needs to be versed in more than just how to take down a diseased tree safely, but also how they can contribute to the success of a harvested area being replanted and grow into a future area to be harvested.
Sources for tree seedlings include your county extension service. Many of the states, especially those that are heavily forested, have state and county departments that offer varying species of trees. Many offer fast growing species to the agricultural community to help protect fields and act as wind breaks to minimize wind erosion. Others offer the species most commonly harvested for the lumber and pulp industries. Other sources include the lumber industry and mills as they rely on a continuous supply of product to generate what they sell to other industries. Arbor Day Foundation can supply varying species of trees. Nice thing to know is they are capable of supplying large quantities of seedlings to cover acres. Some cities, especially those designated as Tree Cities, have tree farms which may offer seedlings in trade for time helping on the tree farm itself. Toilet paper was mentioned back in the beginning of this edition of Let’s Do It! with some of those manufacturers implementing their own tree planting initiatives so they have a steady supply of pulp from which to generate their product lines. Quilted Northern is a brand that replaces 2 trees for every tree they harvest. In fact, since 2020 they’ve already funded the planting more than 3.5 million trees. Now we’re not on that scale, but at this point every little bit helps.
Looking on the internet other sources for seedlings are – Walmart, Etsy, Gurney’s, many nursery’s are good sources for obtaining quantities of tree seedlings. Bestseeds, Willis Orchards, Stark Brothers, and certainly Amazon are among many who offer seedlings. So, it’s not like you can’t obtain these locally and by wholesalers throughout the country. The only caution is to obtain seedlings of species more native to your area and soils.
Another option may be 8billion trees. This is a company that was formed to offset the deforestation taking place in the Amazon rain forest in particular. While they don’t distribute seedlings, by purchasing their products, making donations, and membership you are contributing to the carbon offset initiative which is vital to the health of our planet.
Trees. Large and small, big and tall, colorful and fruitful, trees are a common sight on our properties. And while they can be majestic and provide us numerous resource they can also present us with all sorts of issues we need to be much more aware of. But, let’s get to where we manage better what we have already first. Then we can dive deeper into all approaches to managing the trees on your properties.
Generate the plan and put the plan in motion so future generations of Scouts and their families, and quite frankly, their communities can enjoy the woods as much as we do!
See you next issue!
Dave Cornell
Architect
The Outdoor Programs / Properties Team is ready to assist and guide in any respect to making the program of Scouting the best youth program! Reach out to any member of the team and we’ll endeavor to provide quality answers to any issue you may have and/or facing. We look forward to working together to make the program the best ever!
Camping
If there is one thing with which every Scout I talk to these days can agree, it is this—just how much we are all looking forward to getting back to camp this summer. After two years of spending too much time indoors and away from friends, the 2022 camping season calls to us with promises of adventure, fun, personal growth, and friends—both old and new.
With so many Scouts counting down the days to their summer camp adventure, I want to encourage each of us to ask, “Is your favorite camp ready to provide a mountaintop experience to the girls and women who will attend?”
Consider this: We go to the places we are invited, but we return to the places where we feel welcome. In too many instances, we have invited the girls and women in our community to join us in Scouting programs, but we haven’t done all the necessary work to make them feel welcome — to ensure that they will want to keep coming back.
Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, said, “Deal with the world as it is, not how you’d like it to be.” How does this relate to summer camp? It begins with getting truthful about what the readiness level of your camp REALLY is. We don’t solve anything by simply saying, “let’s just build single-gender bathrooms.” We must take a hard and honest look at where we are, or aren’t, regarding our camp structure, and consider where we need to be. Yes, I do understand cost is a factor but there are still ways to make improvements.
Start by pausing and asking what is working well and what is not? How can your camp work to make things better, to be more inclusive and welcoming to all who come and spend time on your properties and in your campsites?
So, let’s get practical and tactical! Here are my 12 tips to make 2022 the best camp experience that our Scouts have ever had.
Awesome Camp Tip #1: Words Matter. Let’s not differentiate between boys and girls; instead let’s just call them Scouts.
Awesome Camp Tip #2: Sell feminine hygiene products in your trading post.
Awesome Camp Tip #3: Put trash cans with liners in every bathroom stall. This is both welcoming and sanitary.
Awesome Camp Tip #4: Mark the gender of every bathroom, including gender-neutral facilities.
Although we could call these first four tips the “small things matter” section; in fact, they matter a lot. Why? Because attending to the small things makes the girls and the women in your camp feel welcome. If a female can’t properly dispose of a feminine product, or purchase one if she is in need, I can tell you from personal experience, she is not going to feel welcome.
Awesome Camp Tip # 5: Avoid terms such as “Smother mother” and “helicopter mom. At your camp, are adult females encouraged to attend along with their youth, or “to cut the umbilical cord?” When you hear these terms being used by staff, by Scouts, or by adult leaders, take a moment and explain why speaking about women in camp this way perpetuates a stereotype that says women complicate the camp environment, rather than contribute to it.
Awesome Camp Tip # 5: Re-evaluate your application process for staff.
Are leadership experiences that youth gain outside of Scouting valued, or do you base your assessment purely on Scout experience? There is a long list of experiences that prepare a young person to be a great camp staffer. Quality camp programs have a lot to do with a focus on customer service, and youth get that experience in various ways.
Awesome Camp Tip # 6: Take the feedback forms you get each week seriously.
We’ve all read a feedback form that is overly harsh and unfair. Those are easy to disregard, but does your camp have a practice of looking honestly at the feedback you receive, or are you rationalizing why you can disregard what you’re reading? Are you willing to pivot and adjust throughout your camp season to ensure that one person’s challenging experience this week does not become someone else’s challenging experience next week?
Awesome Camp Tip #7: Set behavior expectations prior to arrival for all units.
Share behavior expectations with unit leaders as part of pre-camp orientation information. Emphasize the expectations in staff training and review with campers during orientation each week. Provide a reporting example and make it clear that reporting of unacceptable behavior is mandatory. Everyone in camp is responsible for ensuring a healthy and welcoming environment for all campers! It is NOT our job to decide whether a situation merits being reported; it is our job to report issues and allow camp leadership to assess the situation and decide what action to take.
Awesome Camp Tip #8: Make sure all units know what to expect each day of camp, prior to arriving. Don’t assume legacy knowledge from any unit or leader. Offer a pre-camp Q&A session.
Awesome Camp Tip #9: Swimwear — stop using the word MODEST.
From the National BSA Aquatics Subcommittee; “We recommend that swimwear should be comfortable, functional, and appropriate for the specific aquatic activity. As always, we remind everyone that Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse state, ‘Appropriate attire is required for all activities’. Policies should reflect the BSA’s statement and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Awesome Camp Tip #10: Establish an Upstander culture in your camp.
Create a see-something, say-something expectation among staff, campers, and adult leaders. Make public statements to of expectations. Ensure it’s clear to everyone in camp that certain behaviors are not appropriate and will be addressed quickly if they occur.
I ran a camp for youth and adults with disabilities for 10 years. Trust me when I tell you that everyone knows when something has “happened” in camp. Often the details are not appropriate to share with everyone, but your transparency in sharing that there’s been an incident and it is being handled, and then using this as a teachable moment to remind everyone about rules and expectations, is an example of your leadership!
Awesome Camp Tip #11: Stop making exceptions or excuses for bad behavior by anyone in camp, especially when it is displayed by adults.
The notion that we don’t want to make Scouter X upset because he or she has given 25 years or even 50 to Scouting is not acceptable. . We need to treat everyone equitably.
Awesome Camp Tip #12: It takes all of us working together to impact change. Find and focus on your allies and let them help influence others
Find the people at your camp, and in your council, who want to make Scouting an equal and fair space for all youth to thrive. Align yourselves with them. Ask for their help. Get to know the other women in your council. Introduce yourself to other women in camp. Work together. Find the leaders already in place in your Scouting community who want to help you and let them! Often those leaders already in place are men. They may be men who are equally passionate about our camps being a safe and welcoming place for girls and women to enjoy Scouting. Look for them. They can teach you a lot, and you can teach them too!
I’ll leave you with this vision for the future of Scouting:
Let’s make sure every Scout camp in our country embraces the opportunity to provide a welcoming place for all girls and women, so that they can contribute to a thriving Scouting movement. All of us can help improve Scouting for each young person. Please share with us via outdoorprograms@scouting.org ways that you helped provide an even more welcoming environment for your campers.
Now let’s go camping, see you on the Scouting Trail!
Camping
This will be a continuing series of articles on various aspects of the properties we own, lease, care for, and look to make better. As we all know, the program of Scouting is valuable to the growth of youth in this country and around the world. Where we deliver that program needs to convey that value and the coming articles are intended to assist us all in making that conveyance to our current users, as well as all our future users and their families.
In the last edition of Let’s Do Better, we discussed forests and the trees that make up those wonderful places folks in this organization like to spend quality time in! And while we talked about replanting and harvesting the various species that grow within those forests we didn’t talk very much about protecting them. Sure, we could talk about cutting break lines in case of fire. Installing roads through the forests so there’s access should fire occur (these can be minimal and combined with a break line is ideal). Maintaining a forest stand is a whole lot more than just cutting out the dead wood! But, how else can we protect this precious asset? Property Insurance.
Little thought was given to how complex and involved the topic of insurance was going to be. Like many, we know it’s a good idea to ‘carry’ insurance. Yes, we do pay for it. Why? No, not why do we pay for it. Why do we ‘carry’ it? Why do we pursue having insurance in the first place?
“Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss.”
That’s a line from the Wikipedia article on insurance much of this month’s article is based upon. A means of protection from financial loss.
The idea of insurance if you will, is quite old. In fact, similar “transferring or distributing risk” was practiced in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. Traders in that day spread their goods across several transport vehicles with the expectation that one or more of the transports would not make the journey. The vehicles at the time were vessels on the rivers and streams by which traders moved their goods to a market. A few factors could possibly overturn a vessel and the cargo was lost. In this way, the trader insured at least some of his goods made it to market, if not all.
“The law of general average constitutes the fundamental principle that underlies all insurance.”
Tablets from the dynasty of Nerva-Antonine in the ruins of the Temple of Antinous in Aegyptus (Egypt) in approximately 133 AD during the reign of Hadrian of the Roman Empire prescribed rules and membership dues of a burial society. In essence, early burial insurance. Other concepts of insurance have been found in 3rd century BC Hindu scriptures. In ancient Greece they developed marine loans in order to ensure their cargo was delivered in order to receive payment in full. The idea of a separate contract to insure something was invented in the 14th century in Genoa. Life insurance to cover a person was not created until 1583, in London. Property insurance can be traced to the Great Fire of London in 1666 which consumed more than 13,000 homes. In fact, in the 1680s the first fire insurance company was established at the back of the Royal Exchange, the very place the first life insurance policy was written. As London grew as a center for trade the demand for marine insurance increased. Edward Lloyd saw the opportunity, opened a “coffee house” whereby shippers would meet with folks who were willing to underwrite a shipment thus creating Lloyd’s of London as an insurance market.
So, even though insurance has been around for centuries, most of the varying types of insurance we know today have really been developed since the late 18th century. Even today new types of policies are created in response to world events.
But the question remains, why? Insurance is basically a pooling of funds from many, to pay for losses incurred by a few. Most of us have car insurance. We pay monthly premiums, the pool, and file a claim when we encounter an accident. If the claim meets the terms of the policy, we’re paying premiums on, the insurance company pulls from that pool of funds we’ve been contributing to along with many other drivers and pays us, or the company repairing the damage, what’s required to fix, or “make whole again” what we possess. Then we can drive our newly repaired vehicle down the road again. Easy enough, right? The line, “If the claim meets…” is loaded with a lot of subjects to be dissected a bit to better understand the purpose of this month’s article for Let’s Do Better when looking at our property insurance!
You all know that numerous insurance companies exist. We do have a choice when it comes to the purchase of insurance in whatever form we’re looking to acquire. And to say there’s a choice is a big understatement! Insurance companies exist because they make money. In 2020, insurance companies in the US of A had $2.5 trillion in direct premiums written. Yes, that’s trillion with a ’T’! That’s a bunch of billions, and a whole lot more millions. You all also know that when you file a claim the expectation is one of apprehension as to the effort it’s going to take to get something out of the insurance company to help you pay for your loss. But yet, they have trillions!
Also remember you entered into this contract, the policy, with the insurance company. You pay premiums for the coverage which should be stipulated in that contract. The insurance company when you file a claim has to examine the terms of your contract with them, see that it meets the terms of paying you for your loss, and then distributing funds. This all takes time as you are not the only person insured. As all of the contracts, policies, are not the same clarifying the loss and how it meets the terms of it may be more involved than a simple “I was in an accident. I need to repair my car. Please pay me so I can repair my car and get on with my life” scenario. Why is that?
Again, you are one of many paying into a pool of funds by which claims are drawn from.
Given some of the catastrophic events that have occurred, the insurance companies cannot just pay every claim as each needs to be vetted and shown to be accurate and true. Some insurance companies have gone out of business as they exceeded the funds to pay claims on. Not a good scenario for you in that one! So, again, why mention this?
You need to pay attention to several items when purchasing property insurance. Plain and simple.
Are you purchasing the correct type of insurance contract (policy) for what it is your
insuring? What’s the value of the item your insuring? The value today and if it’s an item that appreciates, the value in the coming years. This is what you are protecting! This is the potential loss item. What are the parameters that you and the insurance company agree to for your potential loss? This would be the terms under which the insurance company will reimburse you for the loss of the item insured.
And that is where a lot of folks get confused and where the unhappy circumstances of trying to get that reimbursement come from. You simply don’t understand the terms you agreed to! And you wouldn’t be alone in that! More than likely, you wanted a low premium. But, from the insurance company side you’re contributing to the pool a little, but when you make a claim, the expectation is the company will pay you fully for your loss. From their side you haven’t contributed enough to the pool to be compensated that way and if you looked at your contract that’s probably what it says. That’s where all the data the companies collect nowadays is crunched over and over again so they know practically to the penny what an accident like you’ve experienced should cost them. That’s how they figured your contract to protect the item you’re insuring and the terms of that protection.
So, next time you’re in the market for insurance, what are you going to look at? What questions will you ask and how closely are you going to examine the contract/policy? Yes, you want protection, but you want it fairly and to where it will adequately cover your loss.
Several councils in the organization have experienced devastating fires on their properties in recent years. They’ve lost buildings. They’ve lost the forests which grew on the property. They’ve lost the business side of the operation which has affected their financial position. Hopefully, we’ve all learned that some were better insured than others and have made appropriate adjustments to what our property insurance contracts cover. Pay attention to the terms of those contracts and what can be expected in the “to make whole again” process. Are you paying for simple coverage, or are you paying for replacement cost coverage? With the cost of materials and labor rising the way they are today, pay that extra so you can get your property back up and running more completely! Be sure to obtain the contract that best protects you and what your insuring. Insurance is not necessarily all that complex, but in many ways it helps all of us manage our property assets so we are minimally exposed to a substantial loss. And that protects us all!
See you next issue!
Dave Cornell
Architect
Mar ’22
The Outdoor Programs / Properties Team is ready to assist and guide in any respect to making the program of Scouting the best youth program! Reach out to any member of the team and we’ll endeavor to provide quality answers to any issue you may have and/or facing. We look forward to working together to make the program the best ever!
NCAP
The National Camp Accreditation Program (NCAP) national committee has been reorganized to meet the needs of the BSA after the recent change from Regions and Areas to National Service Territories (NST). The National NCAP committee has taken this opportunity to restructure its entire committee and reporting structure. These changes are also reflected in the applicable standards and process required by the 2022 NCAP standards (you can check out the 2022 standards online here).
National NCAP Chair Carl Nicolaysen
National NCAP Authorization Team
Let’s start with the authorization process! Each local council completes the authorization process every five years. This authorization gives each local council the ability to operate Camp Properties, Day Camps, Short-term Camps and Long-term camps. The national NCAP committee authorization team will work with local councils who are scheduled to go through the authorization process each year. A council will be assigned a reviewer from then national authorization team and their reviewers.
Chair Steve Phillips
Vice Chair Bob Hemmerly
Team Leads John Young, Larry Healey, Don Dare, Bob Longoria, Ken Estes
National High Adventure Bases Doug McDonald
Standards and Governance
You may not know that there is group of key volunteers who support the development and implementation of our national NCAP standards. This team is responsible for the management of the development of the standards, and interpretation of the standards if questions arise. They work with all BSA Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in the review and development of these standards. They also coordinate all waivers, equivalency determinations, and variance requests.
Chair Eric Hiser
Assistant Chair Rich Koch
Assistant Chair Chrystene Speed
Assessment Team
Likely the most visible part of the NCAP process and national committee, the assessment coordination process has also adjusted with the national NCAP committee’s restructuring. The NCAP assessment team leaders are assigned to a geographical zone. We utilize the term “zone” to avoid confusion with the NST volunteer structure. The NCAP zones align geographically with the NSTs. For example, zone 1 is national service territory 1, and so on. The NCAP assessments are coordinated overall by the following individuals nationally.
Chair Jack Hess
Vice Chair Barry Simays
Assessment Lead for Zones 1-8 Bob Miller
Assessment Lead for Zones 9-16 Jason Kasiorek
In addition, there are 16 Zone Assessment Coordinators who will coordinate the nationally led assessments for all long-term camps.
Zone 1 Mary Ann and Randy Price Zone 9 David Ehrlich
Zone 2 Don Paul Zone 10 Randy DeFrank
Zone 3 Cap Casperson Zone 11 John Willemain
Zone 4 Chuck Gitzen Zone 12 David Carlson
Zone 5 Brent Worley Zone 13 Jim Korcienski
Zone 6 Peter Erdely Zone 14 Bobby Bloodworth
Zone 7 Fritz Maxwell Zone 15 Jeff Irving
Zone 8 Jay Cash Zone 16 Bill Guglielmi
We are grateful for the thousands of volunteers from across the BSA that support the NCAP process in their local council and at the national level. Questions regarding the new NCAP national committee structure? Email ncap@scouting.org.
NCAP
In 2013, the Boy Scouts of America implemented the National Camp Accreditation Program (NCAP) which was established to help councils elevate camps to new levels of excellence in delivering Scouting’s promise to youth. At this time, Councils became engaged in rigorous reviews of their camps and properties, challenged to have continuous improvement plans, while also reviewing their programs to eliminate any substandard practices.
The Outdoor Programs & Properties Team sat down with Carl Nicolaysen, the National NCAP Chair to talk about NCAP and what it is all about as we reflect on nine years of NCAP!
Outdoor Programs & Properties: What is the main purpose of the National Camp Accreditation Program?
Carl: To help councils elevate camps to new levels of excellence in delivering Scouting’s promise to youth. This is done through promoting top quality programs, health, safety, and the well-being of every camper, leaders, visitors, and staff.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: What do you mean by your comment “delivering Scouting’s promise to youth?
Carl: Every time a youth is recruited to join Scouting, we promise that they will have the best outdoor experience available – NCAP was designed to help councils to meet the promises that were made. The BSA is known as experts in camping and NCAP helps councils meet the minimum requirements, or standards, to deliver the level of Scouting that the youth, and their parents want them to have.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: Each and every council seems to have a lot of different types of camps, how do they know what standards they must follow?
Carl: There are a set of standards that the different classifications of camps must attain, and it also is determined what programs they are offering. These standards are reviewed each year by subject matter experts to make certain that they are still relevant, and they are helping to guide the councils to success. We continually take a look at these classifications, and they have changed quite a bit over the last nine years.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: So, all a council must do it follow the standards?
Carl: Not quite. The standards are set up to follow the three parts of NCAP – The Authorization, the Assessment, and the Accreditation. Councils apply to be authorized to operate the different camping properties and programs that they operate. Part of this process is designed to make certain that the council not only operates a safe and quality program, but they do it in a quality facility while being financially sound. When the council operates one of the properties or one of the camps, they are assessed to make certain that they follow the specific standards that they must operate under. Once this is done and it is found that they are meeting all the required standards, the council’s program is accredited through the BSA’s National Camp Accreditation Program.
All of this is described in the standards.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: This sounds like a huge undertaking – who coordinates all of this?
Carl: The BSA is blessed to have a phenomenal group of volunteers and staff that cover the various aspects of NCAP. The National NCAP Committee oversees the whole process, but there are teams developed for each part.
Authorizations – A team of volunteers work with councils to complete the authorization process. The councils’ complete various documents to help them review their program and to how it effects their council.
The Standards and Governance team leads the review every year of the standards with the subject matter experts in each of the areas and recommends changes needed to the committee. They also handle any waiver, variance, or equivalency determination request that are requested.
The Assessment team is the largest team because they must assess every long-term camp that is operated by the councils. Approximately 2,000 volunteers get training and then visit one or more long-term camp to determine if all the required standards are being met, and that there is a quality program being offered. Councils also self-assess day camps and short-term camps.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: Thanks Carl, we look forward to talking with your team over the next few issues to learn more about what exactly they do.
Carl: We are glad to answer any question to help everyone understand the importance of this program and how we can help council. Continuing to improve the NCAP process and the support/tools it provides local councils is a constant goal for our committee. NCAP is the strongest when it is a collaboration between all of us.
Shooting Sports
From BB gun shooting, archery, and sling shots at Cub Scouts to pistols and long rifles in Venturing, shooting sports can be an exciting experience for all Scouts in the BSA. So how do you implement these programs, who can do what and what resources are available?
First one of the best resources for you to use when planning a shooting sports program is the BSA National Shooting Sports manual posted on the BSA shooting sports website. Newly revised in 2022, the National Shooting Sports Manual is the go-to location and one stop for all things BSA shooting sports related. The manual includes information about:
- Shooting sports programs by rank
- Required training and supervision
- Unit program
- District and council programs
- Specialty programs
The National Shooting Sports Manual contains information about all approved shooting sports of the BSA. As stated in the Guide to Safe Scouting, if it is not listed in the shooting sports manual or our program literature, it is not an approved shooting activity. When there is a question, use this new resource as your guide.
In addition, the BSA age appropriate guidelines can be found in the Guide to Safe Scouting. On this chart you will be able to determine the kinds of programs that are appropriate for your Scouts to enjoy. BSA shooting sports program offer a diverse group of options based on age and ability levels. Remember: Cub Scouts can only participate in shooting programs as a part of a district or council event. Shooting sports are not a unit activity in Cub Scouting.
Shooting sports can add adventure and fun to your unit program (for Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting) or your district or council events and activities. Following the guidance in the updated BSA National Shooting Sports manual will ensure you are “on target” with your programs and that they will meet the standards of the BSA. If you have questions about shooting sports, refer to the shooting sports manual or reach out to shooting.sports@scouting.org.
NCAP
In 2013, the Boy Scouts of America implemented the National Camp Accreditation Program (NCAP). NCAP was established to help councils elevate camps to new levels of excellence in delivering Scouting’s promise to youth. Since then, Councils have engaged in rigorous reviews of their camps and properties, challenged to have continuous improvement plans, while also reviewing their facilities and programs to eliminate any substandard practices.
The Outdoor Programs & Properties Team sat down with Steve Phillips, the National NCAP Committee Authorization Chair to talk about NCAP, explain the authorization process and why this first step may be the hardest but how it helps the council.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: So, what does “authorization” really mean to a local council?
Steve: Well, first let’s try to clear up a confusing word – and that word is camp. In the Boy Scouts of America, camp can refer to a property, or to the program that is being conducted. So, because of this, the BSA states that for a BSA Council to operate a camp, meaning the property or the program, they must be authorized to do this. When a council completes the NCAP Authorization, they are given authority to use the BSA brand, operate BSA programs, and use the BSA insurance for official BSA programs.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: So, are you saying the NCAP authorization gives a council the ability to operate all camps and programs?
Steve: Each council’s NCAP authorization will list the camp properties that they operate, and what types of camp programs they offer at that property. The property will then specifically be authorized to operate unit camping, day camps, short-term camps, and long-term camps on each camp property.
Through the national NCPA authorization, a council will also be authorized to locally “authorize” their council’s day camps and short-term camps throughout the council.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: What is all involved in the authorization and what are you looking for?
Steve: The actual authorization process starts with the “Analysis” step. During this step, the council will complete numerous documents looking at their properties and camp(s) through various lenses. They will gather the attendance and financial information on both the council, and the specific camp properties. They will also look at the facilities and the programs, which will assist them in creating plans for improvement. This planning stage is a key component to the overall authorization process by assisting the council in creating a year-by-year plan of improvement.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: Once the council gathers this information, what is the next step?
Steve: The next step is to share the data with their council’s leadership. By this I mean that the information that is gathered is only as good as what it is used for. The gathering of this data helps “paint a picture” of the property, its camps and how they effect the council. The board members may not always be able to get to the camp, this is an important way to bring camp to the board! Share the pictures of the camps, let them see what they have so that when the camp needs support or improvements, they have a better picture of why.
Also show how the camp(s) are doing financially. A lot of councils have found that they were subsidizing some of their camps, or all of them by a lot more than they realized. Once the board knows the true picture, then they can help solve the challenges. The final step of an authorization process is to have the board approve the authorization application. The application is then submitted to the National NCAP Committee.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: After the application is turned in, then what happens?
Steve: The National NCAP Authorization team has a team of trained volunteers, called authorization reviewers, that review the applications, evaluate the information provided and then write up the official “Authorization to Operate”. This authorization will include what types of camp programs are approved, while also identifying if there are any items that are needing to be looked at or done by the council. Then the documents are reviewed by a national staff member a final time to make certain that the reviewer did not miss anything and to make certain that it is a fair evaluation. The council is then sent the documents for them to sign and agree too.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: How many councils go through this process yearly?
Steve: The BSA has about 250 councils and there are about 50 councils a year that complete this process. The authorizations are for 5 years so we try to level out the numbers to keep the process running smoothly.
Outdoor Programs & Properties: Is there anything else you would like everyone to know?
Steve: The NCAP Team realizes that there is a lot of time and energy that is put into the authorization, but we hope that everyone understands that the process is designed to benefit the council and their strategic planning. There are a lot of councils that have looked at their data and realized that they were not doing as well as they thought they were doing. There were expenses that they never took into consideration when looking at the bottom line. Through seeing these “challenges”, some councils have changed the way that they were doing things to make camp at least balance financially if not creating a revenue. They also started looked at the facilities with a different set of eyes. The authorization process is a crucial tool in the NCAP toolbox!
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