Announcement from Capital Area Council
Event Can Apply to Citizenship in the World
Boy Scout leaders: Apologies for the last-minute notice, but we got the call only yesterday... If you have Scouts working on the Citizenship in the World merit badge, there is a program happening this Saturday that can satisfy requirement 7e (Participate in or attend an international event in your area, such as an ethnic festival, concert, or play).
The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center is hosting a special series of programs called, "Celebrate Me", which will spotlight different nations and cultures. The first of these programs focuses on Japan, and is co-hosted by the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin. It's happening this Saturday, January 10 from 1pm-4pm. CLICK HERE for more information.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Service Hours Opportunity at Pease Park.
Dear Gentlemen:
My name is Richard Craig and I am a volunteer with the Austin Parks Foundation. I am heading up an effort to plant 100 trees in Pease Park (along with the Austin Parks Dept. and Old Enfield Neighborhood) on Saturday, February 21, 2009. We would like to respectfully request the help of the Boy Scouts of Troop 9, Troop 5 and Troop 399 in this very big project.
Sunne and Jeff Wiginton were kind enough to share e-mail addresses with me. Please forgive this impersonal means of requesting your troops' assistance.
Here is some information on the tree planting project itself:
The City's Urban Forestry personnel at PARD will dig the holes for these trees by mechanical means prior to the Feb. 21st planting date. Volunteers will simply need to get the trees out of their containers, plant them in the pre-dug holes at the correct depth, backfill the hole with existing soil and organic amendments, mulch the surface around the tree and water them in well.
The trees will be 15 gallons or larger and at least six or seven feet tall. There will be a variety of species, from larger shade trees to smaller spring flowering ornamentals. They will be placed according to a plan developed by a landscape architect working with the Foundation and the City's Urban Forester, Walter Passmore. Each tree will be attached to a bubbler hose running off of a one inch irrigation line and timer to ensure that they have adequate watering to survive their first several years.
The huge number of trees to be planted in one day makes this a very challenging project. We believe we will have a number of volunteers from the neighborhood and other interested stakeholders. But, few groups can offer the manpower and enthusiasm that the Boy Scouts of America can. Therefore, it seemed natural to turn to your three nearby Troops, the future citizens of Austin and custodians of Pease, for help.
Pease Park is in very bad shape, having lost 40 trees in the severe wind and hail storm of May 15, 2008. This was just the latest blow to a park that has been steadily been losing its tree canopy for years as the existing old cedar elms die. New trees have not been planted at a rate to arrest this creeping de-forestation. The Austin Parks Foundation and the City hope to plant an additional 300 trees over the next several years in a campaign we have called "Trees for Pease." This year's planting is just the first phase.
I have attached an article on Pease Park that has appeared in several neighborhood association newsletters and a fundraising letter we have used to provide you more information on the park and the project.
You can also learn more about the "Trees for Pease" campaign on the Austin Parks Foundation's website: www.austinparks.org
It is listed under coming "Volunteer Opportunities."
We hope to have the media present to publicize the event. The West Austin News is working on a story now. We plan to have t-shirts to pass out to volunteers as a token of our appreciation for their assistance.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 477-0737 or Charlie McCabe, The Executive Director of the Parks Foundation, or Rosie Weaver, the Foundation's volunteer coordinator, at 477-1566.
We would sincerely appreciate any help you can provide on February 21st and in the future. Pease Park is in need of a lot of work that might fit in well with individual Eagle Scout projects such as erosion control, groundcover/ soil restoration, gardening projects, invasives (non-native plant) removal and irrigation. We would welcome any interest in this regard and could put you in touch with the relevant Parks Dept. officials to coordinate with on such Eagle projects.
I am sorry for the length of this e-mail. But, as you can tell, we are very enthusiastic about "Trees for Pease" and hope you all will be too. Again, many thanks for your consideration and for all you do with scouting in Austin.
Sincerely,
Richard Craig
1419 Preston Ave.
Austin, Texas 78703
477-0737 (home)
925-5306 (cell)
My name is Richard Craig and I am a volunteer with the Austin Parks Foundation. I am heading up an effort to plant 100 trees in Pease Park (along with the Austin Parks Dept. and Old Enfield Neighborhood) on Saturday, February 21, 2009. We would like to respectfully request the help of the Boy Scouts of Troop 9, Troop 5 and Troop 399 in this very big project.
Sunne and Jeff Wiginton were kind enough to share e-mail addresses with me. Please forgive this impersonal means of requesting your troops' assistance.
Here is some information on the tree planting project itself:
The City's Urban Forestry personnel at PARD will dig the holes for these trees by mechanical means prior to the Feb. 21st planting date. Volunteers will simply need to get the trees out of their containers, plant them in the pre-dug holes at the correct depth, backfill the hole with existing soil and organic amendments, mulch the surface around the tree and water them in well.
The trees will be 15 gallons or larger and at least six or seven feet tall. There will be a variety of species, from larger shade trees to smaller spring flowering ornamentals. They will be placed according to a plan developed by a landscape architect working with the Foundation and the City's Urban Forester, Walter Passmore. Each tree will be attached to a bubbler hose running off of a one inch irrigation line and timer to ensure that they have adequate watering to survive their first several years.
The huge number of trees to be planted in one day makes this a very challenging project. We believe we will have a number of volunteers from the neighborhood and other interested stakeholders. But, few groups can offer the manpower and enthusiasm that the Boy Scouts of America can. Therefore, it seemed natural to turn to your three nearby Troops, the future citizens of Austin and custodians of Pease, for help.
Pease Park is in very bad shape, having lost 40 trees in the severe wind and hail storm of May 15, 2008. This was just the latest blow to a park that has been steadily been losing its tree canopy for years as the existing old cedar elms die. New trees have not been planted at a rate to arrest this creeping de-forestation. The Austin Parks Foundation and the City hope to plant an additional 300 trees over the next several years in a campaign we have called "Trees for Pease." This year's planting is just the first phase.
I have attached an article on Pease Park that has appeared in several neighborhood association newsletters and a fundraising letter we have used to provide you more information on the park and the project.
You can also learn more about the "Trees for Pease" campaign on the Austin Parks Foundation's website: www.austinparks.org
It is listed under coming "Volunteer Opportunities."
We hope to have the media present to publicize the event. The West Austin News is working on a story now. We plan to have t-shirts to pass out to volunteers as a token of our appreciation for their assistance.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 477-0737 or Charlie McCabe, The Executive Director of the Parks Foundation, or Rosie Weaver, the Foundation's volunteer coordinator, at 477-1566.
We would sincerely appreciate any help you can provide on February 21st and in the future. Pease Park is in need of a lot of work that might fit in well with individual Eagle Scout projects such as erosion control, groundcover/ soil restoration, gardening projects, invasives (non-native plant) removal and irrigation. We would welcome any interest in this regard and could put you in touch with the relevant Parks Dept. officials to coordinate with on such Eagle projects.
I am sorry for the length of this e-mail. But, as you can tell, we are very enthusiastic about "Trees for Pease" and hope you all will be too. Again, many thanks for your consideration and for all you do with scouting in Austin.
Sincerely,
Richard Craig
1419 Preston Ave.
Austin, Texas 78703
477-0737 (home)
925-5306 (cell)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Black Eye for Boy Scouts
On December 26, 2008 J.T. Dabbs III, CEO of the Capital Area Council wrote a letter to the editor of the Austin American-Statesman concerning the conviction and sentencing of Martin Turner, a former Boy Scout leader, to five years in prison for molesting boys. Mr. Dabbs of the Boys Scouts wrote "I am truly sorry for the pain Turner caused his victims and their families and (I) will continue to work to strengthen and enforce Scouting policies. These policies provide several barriers to protect young people from abusers, including: "two-deep" leadership, no one-on-one contact, youth protection training for adults and parents, criminal background checks for all adult leaders plus teaching our youth members to "recognize, resist and report." We encourage all our parents to review youth protection guidelines and renew their vigilance against sexual predators."
Martin Turner, a trusted Scoutmaster, was able to ruin so many young men's lives because he was trusted by parents and the Boy Scout protection rules were not followed by his Troop. Not following the rules in this particular case, had severe consequences.
At Troop 399 we follow the rules. We require "two-deep" leadership at all times, and this means that we need four or more parents at most events. We do not allow one-on-one contact. We continue to ask all our parents to become registered Adult Volunteers and to take Youth Protection training. I have been nick-named "Danger Ranger" because I repeat these requirements at every meeting; my diligence is solely to ensure the safety of our Scouts. The consequences of slack rule following has been displayed here in our own hometown of Austin, in a Troop that is a "neighbor" troop. Martin Turner would not have been able take advantage of boys if his Troop had followed the Boy Scouts requirements. I encourage you to register and become educated on Scouting rules and please review and discuss these Youth Protection guidelines with your son so he can become better educated as well.
At the next parent meeting I will once again call for registration of Adult Volunteers and I will ask each parent to please take the time to go on-line and take the Youth Protection training course. Please contact Leslie Benitez if you are able to serve in the capacity of our Adult Volunteer Coordinator to facilitate training for T399 parents.
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Martin Turner, a trusted Scoutmaster, was able to ruin so many young men's lives because he was trusted by parents and the Boy Scout protection rules were not followed by his Troop. Not following the rules in this particular case, had severe consequences.
At Troop 399 we follow the rules. We require "two-deep" leadership at all times, and this means that we need four or more parents at most events. We do not allow one-on-one contact. We continue to ask all our parents to become registered Adult Volunteers and to take Youth Protection training. I have been nick-named "Danger Ranger" because I repeat these requirements at every meeting; my diligence is solely to ensure the safety of our Scouts. The consequences of slack rule following has been displayed here in our own hometown of Austin, in a Troop that is a "neighbor" troop. Martin Turner would not have been able take advantage of boys if his Troop had followed the Boy Scouts requirements. I encourage you to register and become educated on Scouting rules and please review and discuss these Youth Protection guidelines with your son so he can become better educated as well.
At the next parent meeting I will once again call for registration of Adult Volunteers and I will ask each parent to please take the time to go on-line and take the Youth Protection training course. Please contact Leslie Benitez if you are able to serve in the capacity of our Adult Volunteer Coordinator to facilitate training for T399 parents.
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Weather Hazard Trained adults required for all campouts
Starting on January 1st, 2009, each unit Tour Permit submitted to the Council will require the inclusion of the name of at least one adult who is trained and current in the new “Weather Hazard” Training program. All leaders and youth thirteen years of age or older are encouraged to take the online course. The course is presented in a multimedia format with many interactive features. Planning for weather and the sources of weather information available is a large part of the presentation. Many topics are discussed including: lightning, thunderstorms, hail, cold and hot weather, floods, tornados, wind and hurricanes. Of the top causes for injuries nationwide, lightning continues to hurt our Scouts.
ps. Happy New Year!
ps. Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
T399 Parent Meeting Highlights
T399 Parents:
Highlights from our meeting last night:
Communication Changes:
Jan 1, 2009, I will no longer send individual emails. All my communications will be conducted via our website via the Committee Chair Blog. In order to continue staying informed about T399 activities, you must go to www.troop399.org and register. At the meeting we walked through the steps of subscribing; it is a very simple three-step process. Please contact me if you have trouble registering.
Camp-outs:
#1 Winter Camp: Detailed hand-outs were given and we discussed camp-out details. If you have a Scout attending Winter Camp and you did not attend the meeting last night, contact Nick Fox for details. email address. Thanks to Nick and Phil Condra for organizing our Winter Camp-out. T399 has 25 Scouts attending.
#2 Jan Camp-out: NASA & Camp Strake. Jan 23, 24, 25, two nights at Camp Strake and a Saturday trip to NASA.
#3 Feb Camp-out: Location change: Now the camp-out is a backpacking weekend at El Rancho Cima on Feb 6, 7, 8.
Important Dates:
#1 Spaghetti Supper is Sunday, Feb 8th (at the end of our backpacking weekend). We will need many parent volunteers. Julian Fontana is the Chair.
#2 Court of Honor, Tuesday, Jan 27th 7:00 pm TUMC Fellowship Hall. This ceremony will also include passing of leadership from Mark Marshall to Dirk Heinen. Please plan on coming to this important Court of Honor.
#3 Friends of Scouting: Nick Fox is spearheading the FOS effort and he is encouraging anyone who wants a tax write-off this year, they can make a contribution now that will count for T399 in 2009. You can make contributions on-line and be sure to put Troop 399.
Count down: 14 days to Blog only communications. Are you registered and ready?
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Highlights from our meeting last night:
Communication Changes:
Jan 1, 2009, I will no longer send individual emails. All my communications will be conducted via our website via the Committee Chair Blog. In order to continue staying informed about T399 activities, you must go to www.troop399.org and register. At the meeting we walked through the steps of subscribing; it is a very simple three-step process. Please contact me if you have trouble registering.
Camp-outs:
#1 Winter Camp: Detailed hand-outs were given and we discussed camp-out details. If you have a Scout attending Winter Camp and you did not attend the meeting last night, contact Nick Fox for details. email address. Thanks to Nick and Phil Condra for organizing our Winter Camp-out. T399 has 25 Scouts attending.
#2 Jan Camp-out: NASA & Camp Strake. Jan 23, 24, 25, two nights at Camp Strake and a Saturday trip to NASA.
#3 Feb Camp-out: Location change: Now the camp-out is a backpacking weekend at El Rancho Cima on Feb 6, 7, 8.
Important Dates:
#1 Spaghetti Supper is Sunday, Feb 8th (at the end of our backpacking weekend). We will need many parent volunteers. Julian Fontana is the Chair.
#2 Court of Honor, Tuesday, Jan 27th 7:00 pm TUMC Fellowship Hall. This ceremony will also include passing of leadership from Mark Marshall to Dirk Heinen. Please plan on coming to this important Court of Honor.
#3 Friends of Scouting: Nick Fox is spearheading the FOS effort and he is encouraging anyone who wants a tax write-off this year, they can make a contribution now that will count for T399 in 2009. You can make contributions on-line and be sure to put Troop 399.
Count down: 14 days to Blog only communications. Are you registered and ready?
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Monday, December 15, 2008
T399 Parent Meeting 12/16, 7pm @ TUMC
T399 Parents,
Please join us tomorrow night for a T399 Parent meeting at 7 pm, TUMC.
Parents with Scouts attending Winter Camp should consider this an important meeting to attend. Nick Fox (the Dad) will be at the meeting to discuss the logistics. Bring your questions and notepad for the details.
We also have three Boards of Review scheduled for tomorrow. If you are able to participate in a Board of Review please e-mail me to let me know. If nine parents volunteer this should only take 15 minutes. We will also assist parents who haven't signed up for our Blog at this upcoming meeting by taking the process step-by-step.
Attention** important email communication warning: On Jan 1, 2009 I will
be communicating with T399 parents via our website Blog site, and only via our Blog site. Have you signed up yet for our Blog? If not, starting in the New year you will no longer be receiving critical T399 information via
email from me. To date, 30 T399 families have registered on our Blog. So
there are remaining families/parents that have yet to register. Now is the
time (it only takes a few minutes). How do you know if you have
registered? This email will be sent via the Blog, so if you don't receive
it again from the Blog, then you are NOT registered. Need help? Attend
the Parent meeting tonight and we will do it together. www.troop399.org
Count down of 16 days until Blog only communications from Committee Chair
Don. Are you ready?
Hope you are enjoying this holiday season & hope to see you tomorrow night,
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Please join us tomorrow night for a T399 Parent meeting at 7 pm, TUMC.
Parents with Scouts attending Winter Camp should consider this an important meeting to attend. Nick Fox (the Dad) will be at the meeting to discuss the logistics. Bring your questions and notepad for the details.
We also have three Boards of Review scheduled for tomorrow. If you are able to participate in a Board of Review please e-mail me to let me know. If nine parents volunteer this should only take 15 minutes. We will also assist parents who haven't signed up for our Blog at this upcoming meeting by taking the process step-by-step.
Attention** important email communication warning: On Jan 1, 2009 I will
be communicating with T399 parents via our website Blog site, and only via our Blog site. Have you signed up yet for our Blog? If not, starting in the New year you will no longer be receiving critical T399 information via
email from me. To date, 30 T399 families have registered on our Blog. So
there are remaining families/parents that have yet to register. Now is the
time (it only takes a few minutes). How do you know if you have
registered? This email will be sent via the Blog, so if you don't receive
it again from the Blog, then you are NOT registered. Need help? Attend
the Parent meeting tonight and we will do it together. www.troop399.org
Count down of 16 days until Blog only communications from Committee Chair
Don. Are you ready?
Hope you are enjoying this holiday season & hope to see you tomorrow night,
Don B. Mauro
dmauro21@gmail.com
512/657-0195
"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping them to install values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.
The values we strive to install are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law."
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
T-399 Merit Badge University Eagle Merit Badges
T399 Parents:
Last night a number of parents asked me if Troop 399 Scouts could get credit for Eagle required merit badge work at Merit Badge University.
The Answer: Troop 399 does not allow credit for Eagle required merit badge work completed at Merit Badge University. These merit badges can be worked on during summer camp and winter camp and through a Troop 399 Merit Badge Counselor during the year.
This has been a long standing rule in T399. Please follow-up with Mark or Dirk for further explanation.
Last night a number of parents asked me if Troop 399 Scouts could get credit for Eagle required merit badge work at Merit Badge University.
The Answer: Troop 399 does not allow credit for Eagle required merit badge work completed at Merit Badge University. These merit badges can be worked on during summer camp and winter camp and through a Troop 399 Merit Badge Counselor during the year.
This has been a long standing rule in T399. Please follow-up with Mark or Dirk for further explanation.
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