News

The Silver Beaver Award was introduced in 1931 and is a council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. This award is presented to adults who have significantly contributed to the Scouting program over a longer period of time in a manner showing an exceptional personal commitment to youth and Scouting.  The award...

Join us for the University of Scouting on Saturday, March 23, 2024, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, at Lower Dauphin Middle School in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. Hosted by the New Birth of Freedom Council, it is open to all Scouters, Venturers, and older Scouts. This training event is packed full of supplemental pieces of training...

  Earlier this fall, the BSA updated Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse. The updated policy requires adults who spend the night at official BSA events to be registered. Effective Sept. 1, 2023, all adults staying overnight in connection with a Scouting activity must be registered as an adult volunteer or an adult program participant. Let’s...

As part of our overall strategy to move our headquarters into a unified new service center at a renovated original dining hall at Camp Tuckahoe, we previously shared our plans to sell both the Mechanicsburg and York service centers, with the York office going up for sale first. We wanted to share the news that...

As of January 1, 2024, the following changes to Scouts BSA requirements become effective.  Rank Requirements There were minor changes to Scout (6) and Star (6).  The Cyberchip has been phased out. Scouts should use the Personal Safety Awareness training at https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection/scouts-bsa/ for both Scout and Star ranks.  Eagle Palms Scouts BSA will no longer...

Attention all Merit Badge Counselors, Supernova Mentors, and Nova Counselors!! It is that time of year again, time to renew your registration as a Merit Badge Counselor, Supernova Mentor, or Nova Counselor for 2024. You should have received an email about your renewal. If you did not receive an email please contact Cory Kercher, District...

The topics covered during the October 5, 2023, Virtual Council-Wide Roundtable are listed below, along with the timestamp for that topic in the recording. Safety Moment – Behavior Around Campfires (4:02) Wizard Safari in Review (5:34) 2024 Summer Camp Reservations (9:32) 2024 Philmont Contingent (10:28) Klondike Derby Cabin Reservations (11:08) Wilderness Survival Weekend – October...

  Please be aware five campsites at Hidden Valley Scout Reservation are temporarily closed: Kiwanis 3 O.J. Dickey Great Stag Stockade Frontier Based on a review by Dr. David Foster (Messiah College Biology Professor), many of the trees in the campsites at Hidden Valley have reached full maturity. When trees in camp fall, it can...

As part of the Council’s effort to periodically communicate with everyone in our Council on the status of several key initiatives involving our service centers and the sale of “buffer acreage” at Camp Tuckahoe to the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, I have some news to share with everyone. First, as we previously shared last year,...

It’s time to begin preparations for the 2023 Wizard Safari, coming September 29 – October 1 at the Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve in Hellam, PA.  If you’re interested in serving on staff for Safari, you can submit your application today!...