Dear Friends,
Since being invited in June to join the Council as your next Scout Executive, I have had the honor of meeting many members of our Scouting family. Through these conversations I have gained a great appreciation for your passion and enthusiasm for Scouting and our outdoor programs. Thank you!
As a former Scouts BSA Camp Director and 8-season camper, I share your love for the magic our Scouts are missing at Camp Sunrise and Mt. Norris right now. We’ve made some tough choices this spring. Choices that have remained bitter and hard to square with other state parks and organizations that are beginning to reopen in limited capacities. Nonetheless, the decision to suspend our summer resident camping opportunities has safeguarded our families and volunteers which remains our top responsibility and priority.
Permit me to reach out on behalf of our Council Camping and Risk Management Committees to clarify present restrictions on both camping and visiting our properties. While we remain committed to identifying a safe and prudent path to providing access to Camp Sunrise and Mt. Norris, both properties remain currently closed to all youth. This includes district activities that have not been properly preauthorized. Work projects remain limited to adults only and may proceed under the following conditions.
Preapproval Checklist for Service Opportunities at Camp (July 21, 2020)
These steps are being taken because we cannot adequately staff the properties to ensure everyone's safety at this time. We are also working to address the challenges we anticipate in ensuring sufficient pre-screening protocols for all occupants of the property are followed and logged. We are working on overcoming that challenge and remain hopeful we can pull together as a council family to make that happen before the fall.
Council leadership and I will be sharing more information as we work through important and practical solutions to ensure we can honor our duty of care for our families and support state and local public health guidelines and practices.
In the meantime, I welcome you to direct any questions or ideas you might have to Dave Sem, Dave McAllister or me and refer to https://www.scouting.org/coronavirus for general information.
I appreciate your understanding and commitment to supporting our top priority of keeping families safe.
Yours in Scouting,
Mark Saxon
Since being invited in June to join the Council as your next Scout Executive, I have had the honor of meeting many members of our Scouting family. Through these conversations I have gained a great appreciation for your passion and enthusiasm for Scouting and our outdoor programs. Thank you!
As a former Scouts BSA Camp Director and 8-season camper, I share your love for the magic our Scouts are missing at Camp Sunrise and Mt. Norris right now. We’ve made some tough choices this spring. Choices that have remained bitter and hard to square with other state parks and organizations that are beginning to reopen in limited capacities. Nonetheless, the decision to suspend our summer resident camping opportunities has safeguarded our families and volunteers which remains our top responsibility and priority.
Permit me to reach out on behalf of our Council Camping and Risk Management Committees to clarify present restrictions on both camping and visiting our properties. While we remain committed to identifying a safe and prudent path to providing access to Camp Sunrise and Mt. Norris, both properties remain currently closed to all youth. This includes district activities that have not been properly preauthorized. Work projects remain limited to adults only and may proceed under the following conditions.
Preapproval Checklist for Service Opportunities at Camp (July 21, 2020)
- All participants must be adults
- All participants must help ensure the wellbeing of others by observing CDC social distance guidelines and wearing masks when distancing is not possible. A Scout is Obedient, and no exceptions can be granted.
- Council President Dan Richardson will coordinate all requests through the Properties/Camping Committees. Please email Dan at drichardson@tarrantgillies.com with a description of the project including the timeframe and location, number of adults who are expected and the name and contact of project coordinator who will be responsible for overseeing service and safety on site.
These steps are being taken because we cannot adequately staff the properties to ensure everyone's safety at this time. We are also working to address the challenges we anticipate in ensuring sufficient pre-screening protocols for all occupants of the property are followed and logged. We are working on overcoming that challenge and remain hopeful we can pull together as a council family to make that happen before the fall.
Council leadership and I will be sharing more information as we work through important and practical solutions to ensure we can honor our duty of care for our families and support state and local public health guidelines and practices.
In the meantime, I welcome you to direct any questions or ideas you might have to Dave Sem, Dave McAllister or me and refer to https://www.scouting.org/coronavirus for general information.
I appreciate your understanding and commitment to supporting our top priority of keeping families safe.
Yours in Scouting,
Mark Saxon
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