Yo Ho Ho and a Bucket of Fun

Pirates of the Carabiner was the theme for the recently held Raritan Valley District Cub Family Camporee. The event was held June 8-10^th at Camp Akelaland (Minsi Trails BSA Council) in Pennsylvania. Over 470 scouts, siblings and parents from 15 packs gathered for a weekend of fun. Scouts and their families participated in BB shooting, archery, sling shots, ropes and knot tying, swashbuckling pirate skills, a fishing derby, canoeing, gaga ball and pirate crafts. 23 Boy Scouts from 7 troops across the RV District served as staff support, helping make this a truly memorable weekend.

The weekend included a campfire show put on by “Captain Jack Sparrow” and his first mate. During the show the cub scouts learned how to talk like a pirate and a scout from each pack was taught pirate swordsmanship. In the end, all the scouts were made honorary pirates.

Thanks to all the volunteers who planned, supported and led stations for the weekend: Jake Hardin, Brent Cheshire, George Bicking, Carmine DeSan, Chris Lakatos, Kristen Lakatos, Brandon Griswold, Gene Schafer, Harry Buttito, Ryan Maziel, Frank Zatika, Victor Haddad, and Larry Prezioso.   Thanks to our EMT team, led by Mike Richards for the support and advice in helping make this a safer event.  An extra special thanks to Dave Dey and Troop 41 for coordinating and feeding the staff.

Journey To Excellence Information

Raritan Valley District Calendar 2018 – Click Link to Access

Giant Hogweed

Do Not Touch This Plant!

Giant hogweed can grow to 14 feet or more

Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a Federally listed noxious weed. Its sap, in combination with moisture and sunlight, can cause severe skin and eye irritation, painful blistering, permanent scarring and blindness. Contact between the skin and the sap of this plant occurs either through brushing against the bristles on the stem or breaking the stem or leaves.

What to do if you come in contact with giant hogweed:

Immediately wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and keep the area away from sunlight for 48 hours. This plant poses a serious health threat; see your physician if you think you have been burned by giant hogweed. If you think you have giant hogweed on your property, do NOT touch it. Please refer to our Health Hazards & Safety Instructions for Giant Hogweed for more information.

How do you identify giant hogweed?

Giant hogweed is a biennial or perennial herb in the carrot family (Apiaceae) which can grow to 14 feet or more. Its hollow, ridged stems grow 2-4 inches in diameter and have dark reddish-purple blotches. Its large compound leaves can grow up to 5 feet wide. Its white flower heads can grow up to 2 1/2 feet in diameter. Please refer to the Giant Hogweed Identification page for further help. Some other plants look very similar.

With the upcoming changes in Youth Protection, Unit Leadership and Training a good place to start with would be reviewing the Guide To Safe Scouting, please see below.

Guide to Safe Scouting

All participants in official Scouting activities should become familiar with the Guide to Safe Scouting, applicable program literature or manuals, and be aware of state or local government regulations that supersede Boy Scouts of America practices, policies, and guidelines. The Guide to Safe Scouting is an overview of Scouting policies and procedures gleaned from a variety of sources. For some items, the policy statements are complete. Unit leaders are expected to review the additional reference material cited prior to conducting such activities.

In situations not specifically covered in this guide, activity planners should evaluate the risk or potential risk of harm, and respond with action plans based on common sense, community standards, the Boy Scout motto, and safety policies and practices commonly prescribed for the activity by experienced providers and practitioners.

Perhaps this quote by Sir Robert Baden-Powell from his 1914 book Quick Training for War is appropriate to include here:  “… The books lay down definite principles and examples which serve to guide the leaders when applying their common sense to the situation before them. No two situations are ever precisely the same, and it is therefore impossible to lay down exact rules that should guide in every case, but a man who carries precedents and principles in his head has no difficulty in applying their teaching in supreme moments of sudden emergency …”

Download the print-friendly version here. 

 This is the full PDF version that contains updates as of May 2018.  Please refer to the online version for the most updated information.

Viewing the online Guide

The online version of Guide to Safe Scouting is available here.

ONLINE RESOURCES RELATED TO SAFE SCOUTING

BSA Guide to Safe Scouting (a must read for all adult leaders to learn what activities are permitted or not permitted, as well as to learn safe operating procedures for a number of activities) at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS

In the continuing effort to protect participants in Scout activity, the BSA National Health and Safety Committee has developed 16 points that embody good judgment and common sense for all activities. Go to http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/Resources/sweet16.aspx to learn more about the Sweet 16 of Scout Safety.

The national BSA Scouting Safety website can be found at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety

BSA Safety Thoughts @ http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/SafetyThoughts

BSA On-line training modules (Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, Climbing Safely, Hazardous Weather, Trek Safely, etc.) can be completed online at http://www.myscouting.org

On-line health, safety and risk management on scouting official site at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/healthandsafety/resources

Scouting Safety Begins with Leadership BSA video (an informative video highlighting the hazards of driving, swimming and boating, hiking, and climbing) at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/Video.

BSA Health and Safety Training Course Syllabus can be found at http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/19-100A.pdf

“Managing Risk” from Chapter 6 of the Boy Scout Fieldbook can be found available online at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/Resources

GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING FOOD ALLERGIES

Millions of children and adults in the United States have been diagnosed with specific food allergies that can be life-threatening. Initial food allergy reactions can occur at any time, even in previously undiagnosed individuals. The Health and Safety team has become aware of these risks and has developed food allergy prevention guidelines that can be useful in helping people with food allergies be prepared at all types of Scouting events.

The guidelines include information for Scouts and their families, adult leaders, and camps to plan ahead for many types of events and trips. Although the document is not intended to be all-inclusive, it does identify many common experiences and is meant to begin a dialogue regarding food allergy prevention.

The guidelines for managing food allergies can be found at:

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/2013Guidelines_Managing_Food_Allergies.pdf.

The document also links to several reputable websites that will educate and inform you about food allergy prevention.

 IT CAN WAIT!

Never text and drive and do everything you can to convince your driving-age Scouts to do the same.Take the pledge at http://www.itcanwait.com not to text and drive and put that promise into action by:

• Store your phone in the glove box or trunk.
• Use “X” or #X as a signal that you’re driving. By ending a text conversation with the letter ―X‖ or tweeting with #X, you’ve just told your friends and family that it’s time to stop messaging and start driving. Train them to know that signal.
• Give your phone to someone else. If you’re driving with others, let them keep you focused on the road.
• Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and face down in the passenger seat so you won’t see the screen.
• Draw X’s on your thumbs as a visual reminder to stop typing and start driving.
• Let technology help keep you honest. Use an app that blocks texting while driving and let others know you’re on the road.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO REGISTER FOR ALL TRAININGS

For trainings see the Council Calendar

The following is a listing of requested Eagle Projects

Contact: Audrey Hertzberg, CTRS, Life Enrichment Director, ABINGDON CARE & REHABILITATION CENTER

303 Rock Avenue, Green Brook, NJ 08812  732-968-5500 Ext. 45216

1. A  4 x 6 foot table that is wheelchair height (36”) so that we could build a slot car race track on it.  I have a Hobby Shop near me and identified the track that I want, but I need an appropriate space to build it on.
2. Recreate a gardening area on our back patio.  In addition to disassembling the current raised garden beds, where the wood is rotting, I want to have it raked out and have wheelchair height garden boxes built along the patio area, which would be more functional.

Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage, 71 Somerset Street, Somerville, NJ 08876  908-725-1015

Contact: Hillary Murtha, Ph.D   e-mail:  [email protected]

Project:

The curator, who recently left, designed a Colonial garden space behind the 1751 Old Dutch Parsonage historic site; unfortunately, it was a very ambitious project that never reached its potential. The space is now seriously overgrown with weeds, and a handful of saplings are springing up, too. Would need to have someone dig out the saplings before they mature further. Eventually the entire space needs to be cleared, but I think this would require repeated efforts. I’d love to hear if there is a scout troop, or more than one scout troop, interested in taking the project on (that is, just clearing the space, not actually planting or maintaining the garden). Besides the garden area, there is a very small graveyard on the site (only about 6′ square, at a guess) that also needs clearing. I can provide an educational element to any scout project by explaining the features of colonial gardens, and why this one is designed to look the way it does (minus wild undergrowth!)

Please contact our RV WebMaster to remove listing as needed

Spring Cub Family Camping – June 8-10, 2018

Raritan Valley District Recognition Breakfast Photos – June 2, 2018

Raritan Valley District Recognition Breakfast Photos – May 13, 2017