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Jason Laycock- Mackinac Island Honor Guard
Local Scout Participates with Mackinac Island Governor’s Honor Guard
Jason Laycock, a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 77 in DeWitt, took advantage of the opportunity to participate as a member of the Mackinac Island Governor’s Honor Guard during the week of July 26 to August 2, 2008.
This was Jason's fourth year in the Honor Guard. He served as Patrol Leader for Patrol D this year and was one of two Patrol Leaders to receive the honor of "Patrol Leader of the Week". Twice in the past he was part of the Patrol of the Week which obviously trained him well.
The emphasis of the Mackinac Island Honor Scouts program is of service and leadership. Scouts participating with the Mackinac Island Governor’s Honor Guard assist the visitors of Mackinac Island and the State of Michigan by acting as official guides. Mackinac Island is the only location in the United States where Scouts provide assistance with the operations of a historical site.
The Honor Guard consists of 56 scouts, whose responsibilities include conducting flag ceremonies every morning and evening, providing guide duty at the historical buildings on the island, including the fort, participation in service projects on the island as well as time for bike riding, shopping, and sight-seeing.
The Mackinac Island Governor's Honor Guard has been in existence since 1929.
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Kyle Jonas-Order of Arrow National Forest Service Project
June 7, 2008 --
Local Scout Participates in National Forest Service Project
Kyle Jonas, a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 77 in DeWitt, participated in the ArrowCorps5 (pronounced Arrow Corps Five) service project the week of June 7-14, 2008, in Missouri at the Mark Twain National Forest. ArrowCorps5 is a national conservation service project coordinating efforts between the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scouts of America national honor society, and the U.S. Forest Service and involving 5,000 Arrowmen from around the country working in five national forests this summer.
Jonas had the opportunity to make significant and positive impacts on the Mark Twain Forest project on the Ava-Cassville-Willow Springs Ranger District south of Ava, Missouri in the Gladetop Trail area. Jonas and fellow Scouts worked with Forest Service employees to remove invasive Red Cedar trees from over 100 acres of glade ecosystem to help restore native grass areas. The Mark Twain National Forest was established by Presidential Proclamation on September 11, 1939, and includes 1.5 million acres of public lands in 29 counties across the southern half of Missouri and seven federally designated wildernesses and numerous historical and archeological sites.
The ArrowCorps5 project is the largest, most complex conservation project ever conceived by the Order of the Arrow and Boy Scouts of America. Additional National Forest sites selected for this project are Manti-La Sal, Utah; George Washington and Jefferson, Virginia; Shasta-Trinity, California; and Bridger-Teton, Wyoming.
The Boy Scouts of America includes nearly 4.7 million young people between 7 and 20 years and is the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. More than 180,000 youth and adults are members of the Order of the Arrow, the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America. Jonas is a member of the Order of the Arrow Lodge 374, Gabe-shi-win-gi-ji-kens, of the Chief Okemos Council.
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Ian Fitzner-Philmont Trip with Chief Okemos Council
Local Scout Attends Philmont High Adventure Camp
Ian Fitzner, a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 77 in DeWitt, had the opportunity this summer to attend a two-week adventure, hiking and backpacking, at the Philmont High Adventure Camp, located in Cimarron, New Mexico. Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America’s oldest national high adventure base camp and is composed of 34 staffed camps, 55 trail camps and hundreds of miles of challenging, rocky trails.
Prior to arrival at Philmont, Fitzner had the opportunity to visit the top of Pike’s Peak, take a lantern tour of Cave of the Winds, go bouldering at the rugged Garden of the Gods, white water rafting on the Arkansas River, visit the Air Force Academy and see Royal Gorge.
At Philmont, Fitzner hiked a total of 59 miles over 11 days while hauling a 40 pound backpack. The trek included stops at Comanche Peak, Mt. Phillips and Tooth of Time. Stops at the trail or staffed camps also allowed Fitzner the opportunity to enjoy clay pigeon shooting, rock climbing, rappelling, a tour of Cyphers Mine, gold panning, blacksmithing, horseback riding, to visit the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and enjoy a chuck wagon dinner. Fitzner indicated that attending Philmont Scout Ranch was a “trip of a lifetime” and that the “views were spectacular.”
The Boy Scouts of America includes nearly 4.7 million young people between ages 7 and 20 years and is the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. More than 860,000 Scouts, Venturers, and leaders have attended Philmont Scout Ranch since 1939.
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