Westchester-Putnam Council, BSA

Serving: Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Chappaqua, Cold Spring, Continental Village, Cortlandt, Crompond, Croton, Crugers, Furnace Woods, Garrison, Jefferson Valley, Kitchawan, Millwood, Mohegan Lake, Montrose, North Highland, Nelsonville, Ossining, Peekskill, Phillipstown, Putnam Valley, Scarborough, Shrub Oak, Toddville, Van Cortlandtville, Verplanck, Yorktown, and Yorktown Heights

Pinewood Derby “Run-offs”
On Sunday March 30, 2008, the Manitoga District Program Committee held the District Pinewood Derby Run-offs. The recommencement of this event comes after many years and has been highly anticipated by many of our Cub Scouts.

The race was run at the Putnam Valley Volunteer Ambulance Corp, an excellent location chosen by volunteer Barbara Conciatori. The Cubmaster of Pack 31 Garrison, Sandy Bohl, provided an electronic six-lane Racetrack that was able to display the racer’s names, times, and the standings of each heat. With an attendance of over 50 scouts, the competition was fierce. Everyone had fun taking part in the Derby and looked forward to their turn to race their cars. If measured solely on all the smiles and laughter of the Scouts, the event proved to be a great success.

Congratulations are in order to all of the Cub Scouts that participated in their Pack Pinewood Derby races. Everyone did a great job!

Special congratulations to the top five members of each Pack that were invited to race in the “2008 Manitoga District Pinewood Derby Run-offs.”
Our top three cars were:
• 1st place - Anthony L. from Pack 137 Philipstown
• 2nd place - Joseph M. from Pack 53 Putnam Valley
• 3rd place - Ryan P. Pack 6 Briarcliff

1. Congratulations to Pack 235 Yorktown our first place team in the Webelos Klondike.

2. Round of applause is in order to Pack 251 Yorktown who place 2nd place in the Webelos Klondike.

Thank you to all of the Packs in the Manitoga District whom made if for a pleasant day.

Boy Scout Klondike
On Saturday January 26, 2008 the Manitoga District held its Annual Klondike Derby at FDR State Park in Yorktown. 183 Scouts from 18 different Troops participated. A total of 24 Patrols competed at 8 different stations. Each station tested the Scouts knowledge of various Winter Survival Skills and the day ended with exciting Sled races.

The winners for the Overall Skills Competition were:
1) - T 173 Yorktown - Red Flames
2) - T 49 Ossining - Hawks
3) - T 28 Croton - Sharks and T 73 White Plains - Carbonated Wood Chucks (a tie).

The winners of the Sled Race were:
1) - T 173 Yorktown - Red Flames
2) – T 235 Yorktown-Flaming Duct Tape Patrol
3) - T 2 Chappaqua - Flaming Christmas Trees.

I'd like to thank everyone who helped make this day happen....the Troops who manned the stations, those who took care of check-in and registration, our District Commissioner, Ernie Wieting, who fed us and kept the hot cocoa and coffee flowing, our official scorer Frank Doherty, a special thanks to Pete Gardner for being my right hand, and of course to everyone who participated. Hope you all had fun and remember to save April 25-27 for our next District Event!

Manitoga Fall Olympic Weekend
Over 200 Boy Scouts, Webelos Scouts, and adult leaders enjoyed an action packed "Olympic" weekend at Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill.
Boy Scouts competed for Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals in the following events: Scout Skills Relay: First aid, Compass point relay, Merit Badge Jeopardy, Knot tying challenge, Fire building, Obstacle course and the grand daddy Scout Biathlon.

Roundtables, District Commissioners, and District Committee Meetings
Manitoga Roundtable meets on the first Tuesday of each month that School is in session; at Van Cortlandtville Elementary School in Mohegan Lake. The school driveway is called Constitution Drive and it is opposite the middle entrance to the Cortlandt Town Center shopping center on Route 6 between Peekskill and "downtown" Mohegan Lake. (There are 3 entrances to the shopping center, each controlled by a traffic light. For map orientation, the westerly entrance is opposite Westbrook Drive.) The school sits on the north side of Route 6, on a hill with its long side facing the road. As you face the front (Route 6 side) of the building, you enter the property at the westerly end of the building. Drive east through the main parking area, and park up the hill near the easterly side of the building. We start at 8:00pm and finish at about 10pm. We meet in a room near the middle of the right (easterly) side of the building. Cub Scout and Boy Scout Roundtables meet in adjacent rooms.

The District Commissioners meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the Mildred E. Strang Middle School, 2701 Crompond Road Yorktown, NY 10598. The meeting is held in the library. For more information or questions regarding the Commissioners meeting contact Ernie Wieting, EFW4

aol.com.

The District Committee meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 7:30pm at the Van Cortlandtville Elementary School, Route 6 in Mohegan Lake, NY. For more information or questions regarding the Committee meeting contact Chris Long , (914) 260-8571 or manitogadc

optonline.net

Conservation Resource Guide
Conservation is a basic part of the BSA mission. Scouting embraces Leave No Trace, requires conservation-related activities for rank advancement, and encourages conservation service projects to the community. The new Conservation Resource Guide identifies Westchester-Putnam agencies engaged in nature and conservation activities. Organized by District, the Guide is intended to enable ‘one-stop’ access for any Westchester-Putnam Scouts and Scouters seeking sites for troop conservation projects, nature-related advancements, or outdoor activities (including William Hornaday Award, Leave No Trace Award, Boy Scout Rank Advancement Nature Requirements, and Eagle Service Projects).

Manitoga District Unit Service
Have you ever wondered who to call with Unit operation questions, or where to get resources? In addition to the professional staff of the Council, the District has a group of uniformed commissioned volunteers who are commissioned and dedicated to serve the needs of the Units that they are assigned. Ideally there is one Unit Commissioner for every 2-3 Packs, Troops, or Venturing Crews.

The Manitoga District Commissioner, Ernie Wieting, has recruited several volunteers to be Unit Commissioners. These people are to be friends and counselors of Unit Leaders. They are effective communicators, providing the resources of the District and Council to the Units they serve. Another description of Unit Commissioners is that they are Scoutings bridge to the Unit and the Chartering Organization. Specifically, the Unit Commissioners are to:
• Maintain a close liaison with the Chartering Organization of the Unit.
• Work to assure effective and active Unit Committees.
• Facilitate the on time annual charter renewal.
• Help the Unit Committee with the selection and recruitment of Unit Leaders as needed
(although the actual appointment is approved by the Chartering Organization.)
• See that Unit leadership gets adequate training.
• Cultivate and maintain the best possible ongoing relationship with the Unit Leader.

Listed below are people serving as Unit Commissioners in the Manitoga District and which
Units they have been assigned to serve. For additional information about the Manitoga District Commissioner staff, or to recommend a person for the staff, please call Ernie Weiting.

Unit Commissioners: Unit(s) assigned (P=Pack, T=Troop, C=Venturing Crew)
Adolphus Bobo: P/T28 Croton, P/T36 Montrose, P/T49 Ossining
Howard Davidson: P53 Putnam Valley, T284 Peekskill
Michael Epting: P/T173 Yorktown,T164 Yorktown
Peter Harmon: T 1 Peekskill
Karl Kopans: P103 Verplank, P164 Yorktown, T267 Yorktown
Joseph Lalak: P6 Briarcliff, T18 Briarcliff, Po 2089 Croton, C 2470 Ossining, C2051Briarcliff
Jean Line: P127 Peekskill
Margaret Lipscomb: P45 Van Cortlandtville, Crew 1005 Yorktown
Laura Trusler Unassigned

Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat Training Online
Online Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat Training - Each segment of training is done separately and will take 10-15 minutes. At the end of the training you will be asked to input your name, unit number, and BSA council. After a few minutes the screen will show a completed "training card" for you to print -- keep a copy for your records, and send one copy to your unit and a copy to the council office in order to update your training files.

For over three quarters of a century, the Boy Scouts of America has worked to develop the character, citizenship, and personal fitness of America's youth - and to do it safely! As a major youth serving organization, the Boy Scouts of America has a unique opportunity to help protect the youth of our nation while participating in aquatic activities.

Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat Training is required to be updated every two years.

NOTE: This course uses Flash Player version 6 or better. When you begin the course the program should check your system to ensure it has the proper Flash Player installed and provide directions if it is not. However, you may wish to go ahead and download and install the latest update prior to starting the course.

Scouts Need your Help
Manitoga District has opportunities on the following committees

Cub Advancement Reminder
The first rank a boy earns in Cub Scouting, if he joins as a first grader, is the Tiger rank. He then must earn the Bobcat badge before starting the Wolf book. If a boy joins in the second, third, fourth, or fifth grade, he must earn the Bobcat badge before starting the appropriate book for his grade level. Bobcat is considered a rank advancement. Therefore remember to report it on your Pack advancement report, when the badges are purchased at the Scout Shop. Please remember, every second, third, fourth, or fifth grader who joins a Pack should earn their Bobcat within the first month of joining the Pack.

The Commissioner Concept
In 1911 the local Council Commissioner, called the "Scout Commissioner," was "the ranking scout master of the local council and preside[d] at all scout masters' meetings as well as at all scout field meets. It [was] also the duty of the scout commissioner to report to and advise with the Chief Scout concerning the scouts in the district." [From The Official Handbook for Boys, Boy Scouts of America, page 11 (1911)]

Not much has changed in 90+ years. Today, the Commissioner is the liaison between the local Council and the Scouting Units. The Commissioner's mission is to help Unit leaders to keep Units operating at maximum efficiency. The Commissioner is successful when Units effectively deliver the ideals of Scouting.

Unit Commissioners are assigned to one or more Units, but they are not alone. They work hand-in-hand with the District Commissioner, Assistant District Commissioners and the Roundtable Commissioners to help Units provide the best possible Scouting program, which ultimately helps assure that individual Scouts have the best opportunity of developing good character traits, participating citizenship skills, and personal fitness.

From its inception, the Commissioner Staff has been dedicated to Unit service as a friend and partner in Scouting, with a single objective - the welfare of the Troop, Pack or Crew.

We have made good progress in expanding the Commissioner Service in our District, but there are still many opportunities available for service to Scouting. Working with our Units "where the rubber meets the road" is a great way for adult volunteers to play a key role in "delivering the promise" of Scouting to the youth of our community.

The Commissioners meet the second Tuesday of the month at Mildred Strang Jr. HS Library at 8 p.m.

If you would like to be a part of the Commissioner Service, or know of any prospects who might like to serve, please pass along contact information to Ernie Wieting, Manitoga District Commissioner.

New BSA Troop Open-House Plan
Many Boy Scout Leaders have expressed that they are worried about the dwindling number of boys in their Troop. We have some new materials to support the Troop Open-House plan to recruit Boy Scouts. We all know that it can be difficult to recruit older boys, but it is not impossible. There are many ways to present Scouting to this age group, and if we work together, we can make sure to continue to offer the promise to all youth who are interested, as well as preserve the life of our Troops.

Great Program
One of the ways to make sure your Scouts receive a good program is to become trained. The Westchester-Putnam Council offers several training opportunities. Information is available at the Council Office and Roundtables or here.

Every boy deserves trained leaders. All leaders should be trained for the position they currently hold.

Cub Scout Packs

Boy Scout Troops

Venture Crews

Explorer Posts

Briarcliff Pack 6
Chappaqua Pack 1
Chappaqua Pack 2
Chappaqua Pack 206
Croton Pack 28
Cortlandt Pack 118
Garrison Pack 6
Mohegan Lake Pack 134
Montrose Pack 36
Ossining Pack 83
Ossining Pack 183
Ossining Pack 304
Ossining Pack 49
Peekskill Pack 127
Peekskill Pack 648
Phillipstown Pack 137
Putnam Valley Pack 53
Shrub Oak Pack 38
Shrub Oak Pack 238
Toddville Pack 144
Van Cortlandtville Pack 45
Verplanck Pack 103
Yorktown Pack 235
Yorktown Heights Pack 164
Yorktown Heights Pack 165
Yorktown Heights Pack 173
Yorktown Heights Pack 251
Yorktown Heights Pack 267

Briarcliff Troop 18
Chappaqua Troop 1
Chappaqua Troop 2
Croton Troop 28
Montrose Troop 36
Ossining Troop 49
Ossining Troop 10
Peekskill Troop 1
Peekskill Troop 284
Putnam Valley Troop 41
Putnam Valley Troop 353
Shrub Oak Troop 38
Shrub Oak Troop 238
Van Cortlandtville Troop 45
Yorktown Heights Troop 164
Yorktown Heights Troop 173
Yorktown Heights Troop 174
Yortown Heights Troop 165
Yorktown Heights Troop 235
Yorktown Heights Troop 267
Yorktown Heights Troop 911

Briarcliff Crew 2051
Chappaqua-Safe Rides Crew 2004
Croton - Fire Crew 2089
Montrose Crew 2152
Ossining - Fire Crew 2470
Putnam Valley Crew 2020
Yorktown Crew 1005

Post 11
Post 2007
Post 2051