June 9, 2023

Last Chance to register for Council Recognition Dinner

Join us as we recognize this year's Silver Beaver Award recipients. To be held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Woburn, MA from 6:30pm-9:00pm.

Kristen Ellis

Jeff Keeton

Mark Maurice

Erik Schneider

Phil Weinberger

Martin Von Tersch

Northern Light District Kickoff

June 12 - 7pm-8:30pm - Groveland Congregational Church, 4 King St., Groveland

Camp Improvements

Camps need continuous improvement. These improvements are carefully prioritized, budgeted, and then implemented. Over the course of the past twelve months, these are just some of the upgrades to New England Base Camp and Tl Storer.

New England Base Camp-

Magee Maker Space- repurposing an underutilized building into a modern Maker Space
100% new latrines- All latrines were updated from the ground up
Sound and lights at the new amphitheater- Our beautiful amphitheater now has sound and lighting for units to book and use
Upgrade in the heating system at the Egan Center- our continued improvement to make our heating more sustainable
Solar powered lights at the bb and archery range- an opportunity to provide nighttime activities
NECO Room upgrades- Our Nature Ecology Room is teaching native ecology
New heating and air purifiers in all cabins- cleaner air, and more sustainable heating and air

TL Storer

New roofing at the Dining Hall- The original roof, from 1958, has been replaced
Year round water at the parade field- our winter campers have toilets and water year round!
Winterizing of Fox lodge- making more opportunities for winter camping and winter fun at Storer
Revitalization of the Westwood Lodge- This building was on the verge of being torn down, and now it has two individual winterized cabins, with restrooms!
Removing of unsafe canopy from campsites- An outdated forest manage plan has been updated and action has been taken
New heating and air purifiers in several cabins- cleaner air, and more sustainable heating and air
New lights in the dining hall- Our dining hall has energy efficient lighting, making the dining hall brighter and better for the environment!

These are just a few of the improvements that have been made in the past 12 months. Our goal is to continue to make our camps more appealing, more assessable, and safer for all campers.

Book a Campsite at NEBC

Book a Campsite at T.L. Storer

Fee Increase

At the BSA’s National Meeting last week it was announced that effective August 1, youth registration fees will increase $5 to $80/year and adult registration fees will increase $15 to $60/year. Please refer to the announcement below which includes FAQ’s. For the full article, CLICK HERE.

Family Dens Formally Approved

For the past year, the Spirit of Adventure Council has been participating in a pilot program that tested having Family Dens. Family Dens are dens that have blended male and females in the same den. At the National Meeting last week, this program was formally approved.

Effective immediately, packs may form Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos dens with boys and girls in them. Arrow of Light dens to prepare them for Scouts BSA are to remain single-gender dens (this requirement is not optional).

Benefits of this include:

Having the whole family participate - many indicated this increased engagement in the pack and den meetings and activities
Holding more pack and den activities - specifically they mentioned holding more frequent family campouts that were better attended, larger pinewood derby events, and attending more council level events for the family
Female siblings being able to participate with their brother
Having more Scouts in the pack
Boys and girls being able to work cooperatively and learn greater respect for the skills and abilities of both genders, reducing gender stereotypes

Units that were participants in the pilot program will automatically continue to be designated as such. Units that wish to begin to have family dens should send an email to membership@scoutspirit.org. Please include your pack number and town when requesting to be included.