|
For food, for rainment, for life and opportunity, for friendship and fellowship...and
Owasippe...
we thank Thee, o Lord. Amen.
May The Great Spirit Bless & Keep Owasippe
We should never forget how blessed we and our predecessors have been to have
such a facility and camp as Owasippe. We tend to take her and our experiences for granted. Let us
pray for our blessed land to continue on in its service to Scouting intact and undivided and let us give thanks for Owasippe's
sustained life and opportunity, for its wilderness bounty and beauty, for our unit leaders and camp staff, for
our fellowship and friendship...and all such things that inspire us to "return so faithfully each year". May we
always be united and steadfast in our cause and persevere in our efforts to preserve Owasippe and all of its acres of
precious wilderness resources for generations to come.
PRESERVE & PROTECT OWASIPPE INTACT FOR ALL
"All The Wealth Of Earth
And Heaven"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 14, 2006: "There is a feeling of abundance in the air
here [Owasippe]. This is a sweet, lovely, nourishing environment here." ~ Pamela Medahko, Little River
Band, Odawa Nation, speaking of the "Web of Life" at Owasippe.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WELCOME
TO THE "UNWEBSITE" ON OWASIPPE!
Yes, UNcensored, UNknown, UNexpurgated, UNifying, UNusual,
UNique, and UNofficial...just to name a few "uns".
The Scarlet Sassafras (TSS) is an "Owasippe-zine" with as many
different topics as there are people with something to say. Some are devoted to facts or stats, compliments and complaints,
ideas and opinions, helpful tips, resources, and anecdotes. The possibilities are limited only to the ambition and imagination
of our readers. The tenor of this publication will only be a reflection of circumstances, opportunities, and the concerns
of the subscribers. TSS is merely dedicated to informing Scouters, staffers, and other interested parties about America's
oldest operating Scout camp, OWASIPPE SCOUT RESERVATION (c1911) and to assist in any effort dedicated to its preservation
intact.
PLEASE NOTE:
The Scarlet Sassafras is a private publication and is not owned or managed by the Chicago Area Council
BSA, The Boy Scouts of America, or the Owasippe Staff Association Inc. Views expressed in this website are
not necessarily shared by the beforementioned organizations.
SASSAFRAS BLAST: Those wishing to
receive periodic e-mail bulletins with the latest news and commentary can subscribe to this "Blast" by sending me an
email with your name and email address, and I'll be glad to comply. This generally comes out every 2-3 weeks
unless something extraordinary happens. There are over 1,400 subscribers.
- Ron Kulak, Owasiron@juno.com
---------------------------------------------------------
Scouters Elect New CAC Board & Officers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 23, 2009
On Monday night, June 22, CAC held its Annual Meeting and the gathered electorate of 55 Scouters
voted in the five nominated slates with an 85-90% margin of approval. This included the board of directors, council
officers, advisory board, members at large, and national reps. The meeting was held at the UIC Student Services Center
in Chicago and was attended by Brad Farmer, Central Region Directortion. The successful vote removes CAC from receivership
under National and the Central Region.
Ironically, the new council president is Glenn Emig who was one of the Scouter 11 who sued
CAC two years ago (and won) for governance violations and tampering with the board nominations at the time.
The nominated board had approached region to formally hire Chuck Dobbins as the Scout Exec, but Region had postponed this
until such time as a board and officer slates could be elected...which has now occurred. So, we presume Central Region
will now permit CAC to hire Dobbins who has become quite well liked in the districts.
The council board has been constituted so as to include a wider representation of frontline Scouters
including the seven district chairmen. The board also includes Ron Temple, a past Owasippe lodge and national
O/A chief, and John Kosik, a prior Owasippe lodge O/A chief and advisor and O/A section officer...both men of whom also served
on the Owasippe staff with distinction. They are complemented by several new board members from Scouter ranks, namely
Reinhard Plaut, John Dozier, and Stefan Morgan. The member at large slates were also expanded to include many
more active frontline Scouters such as Bill Van Berschot of the OSA and Scouter 11 Participants Bill Egan, Vince Sheridan,
Craig Johnson, and Joe Sener. Dr Walter Pilditch, Wayne Schimpf, Rita Egan, Ray Galassi, Rev Arties Phillips,
Dr Francis Podbielski, and Joe Sener were placed on the council advisory board.
We expect the newly elected board to take on some tough issues in the very near future, ie. Owasippe
zoning lawsuit in the Michigan Appelate Court, two strikes rule in the CAC bylaws (and the bylaws in general), and the downsizing
of Owasippe...all three of which are highly unpopular issues with frontline Scouters.
The slates were approved by the following margins:
Council Members at Large: 49-6
Board of Directors: 49-6
Advisory Board: 47-8
Council Officers: 48-7
National Council Representatives:
49-6
Following the approval of the slates, Brad Farmer from National Council presented Glenn Emig and
Mike Hughes with a BSA charter for the Chicago Area Council symbolically eliminating CAC's receivership under the Region.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2009 Owasippe Key Staff Named
---------------------------------------------------------------------
as
read in the CAC Scouter, Nov 2008 ed.
+ Reservation Director - Christian Townsend
+ Program Director - Chuck Somerville
+ Business
Manager - Pete Klaeser
+ Trading Post Mgr - Chris Sanchez
+ Blackhawk Director - Sean Haneberg
+ Wolverine Director
- Chase Budziak
+ Reneker Director - Beth Rychtanek
+ High Adventure Director - Caitlin Boline
Staff applications can also be downloaded from this CAC website.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic Plan Calls For Smaller Owasippe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
as
designed by George Walper's CAC Committee:
*** In 2008, based on this Strategic Plan, develop a capital and design plan for a smaller Owasippe
facility for the youth of the Chicago Area Council.
*** Based on the capital and design plan, sell surplus Owasippe property in prudent manner with proceeds
placed in the Chicago Area Council Endowment Fund.
*** Reinvest portion of proceeds, through the Endowment Fund, to support collaboration for Cub World
and expanded professional staff levels.
[Note: A strategic plan is established to act as a road map but is not set in stone and can
be redesigned as situations dictate. Scouters do think that situations have occurred to warrant a revisiting and
rethinking of the above. The vast majority of Scouters and Scout Families are NOT in favor of a smaller Owasippe
and want the historic camp kept intact for expanded program opportunities. This strategic plan was implemented
contrary to the collective will of frontline Scouters & CORs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Owasippe
2009 Fees & 2008 Attendance Reported
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
CAC Camping Committee has set the camper fees for the 2009 season, Owasippe's 98th. Camper fees have gone up by $45/week/youth
and $30/week/adult. CAC reports the increases are due primarily to Michigan's state minimum wage laws, the increased
cost of gasoline, and the rising cost of food.
- Chicago Area Council @ $245/week/Scout & $135/week/adult ldr
- Out-of-Council @ $260/week/Scout &
$135/week/adult ldr
- Webelos II Camp @ $170/Webelos & $95/adult
- Carlen Venture Base @ $265/week/Venturer
& $125/week/adult
- Manistee Quest @ $290/person with a minimum of 4 Scouts & 1 adult - Reneker Family Camp @ $285/week/cabin
with unit in camp
- Reneker Family Camp @ $385/week/cabin with no Scout or Leader in camp for that week
For the past 2008 summer camp season, CAC charged $200/wk for CAC campers and $215/wk per non-CAC campers as well as
$105/wk for accompanying adult Scout leaders regardless of council. The 2009 youth fees represent a 23% increase over
those of 2008 while the adult fees represent a 29% increase.
For this past summer, Owasippe reported a total attendance of 3,189 campers of which 1,835 were from CAC units and 1,354
were from Out-of-Council units or 42.5%. Of this year's totals, 2,211 were youth and 978 were adult leaders. Webelos
II Camp had 65 youth participants and Venture Camp reported 33 Venturers.
By comparison, Owasippe reportedly had over 3,800 youth and adult campers in 2004. Numbers for the 2007 season
are not available at this printing. According to the Muskegon Chronicle, neighboring Camp Gerber had 2,040 Boy Scouts
and 1,400 Cub Scouts attending their camp in 2007 which included 42 out-of-council troops from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and
Wisconsin.
Good marketing, good program and food, a quality and enthusiastic staff, capable and experienced management, a great
reputation, and an affordable and competitive camper fees will draw units and Scouts from the entire Midwest.
| SAVE ALL OF OWASIPPE |
|
| CHERISH AND PROTECT HER |
----------------------------
WHO AM I?
----------------------------
I
am the result of ancient glaciers that carved out the basin of Lake Michigan and deposited crushed rock and sand into my inland
dunes and rolling hills and formed moraines that are the home to my precious oak savannahs and their unique flora and fauna.
I am the sacred lands of the Algonquin tribes, the keepers of the flame known to you as the Odawa,
Ottawa and Pottawatomi. You walk and hike the same sandy trails that their ancestors did hundreds of years ago as they
hunted, traded, and carried on with their lives and culture.
I am the eternal home to Chief Owasippe on a mound overlooking the scenic White River Valley.
You respect his memory and life and offer a prayer of preservation with the placement of a pebble or rock upon his grave
each time you visit. Such respect is returned in turn to you with good luck and safe travel.
I am the source of virgin white pine timber needed to rebuild the City of Chicago after its devastating
Great Fire of 1871. Lumberjacks harvested thousands of strands of trees and sent them to mills on White Lake. Mills
cut and shipped my lumber sacrificed so that life could go on across "The Pond".
I am the ancient forest
you camp under and whose conifer and broadleaf canopy provides you with cooling shade and comforting breezes. I am also
the prairies whose soft blades of grass you stroke as you walk through my moraines, savannahs, bogs, and marshland.
It has been my pleasure to allow you to pick my raspberries and blueberries and to curiously study my prickly pears, pitcher
plants, lupine, and cattails. You have been a good steward of my land, even though there have been some among you who
have preferred to profit by clear-cutting my remaining timbers and by selling of appendages of my body.
I am the crystal clear waters you swim in and paddle across. You refer to my waters as Big
Blue, Sauger, Wolverine, Bass, Mud, Nine Acre, Square, Vigil Cove, Cleveland, White, and Many Springs. Some of you have
fished those same waters and have caught large mouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, and bullhead. These are also the
sources of fresh tasting water unlike any others you have had to quench your thirst.
I am the home to many forms of wildlife that many take for granted and some others disrespect and
do not care about. These are my children and should be protected. They too deserve the continued gift of
life. My kinder are known to you under many names such as bald eagle, red tailed hawk, blue heron, loon, canadas, pilliated
woodpecker, screech owl, kingfisher, flycatcher, oriole, bluejay, whipoorwill, blandings turtle, eastern box turtle, snapper,
blue racer, hognose, spotted skink, chipmunk, coyote, red fox, flying squirrel, black squirrel, raccoon, skunk, blue racer,
massassagua, mink, muskrat, porcupine, walking stick, tree frog, karner blue, junebug, gypsy moth, daddy-longlegs, moles and
voles...and many, many more which you carefully study and observe...and live among. Count yourselves as guests among
my many friends of nature.
I am the campgrounds where skills are mastered, teamwork is learned, friendships are formed, and
lives are built and restored. You camp, cook, sleep, and carry on daily in my forest home. Many say that
my grounds are the best campsites found in the Midwest with plenty of space, level ground, good drainage, pliable soil, solid
timber and shade, ample breeze, minimal pests, and convenient facilities.
I am the source and home to thousands of memories, eternal smiles, raucus laughter, stirring songs,
and inspirational stories from countless Scouts and Scouters who hail from past decades, ie. The Long Green Line.
The flames and embers of my campfires bring you warmth and fellowship. I provide the magic and mystery that is priceless
and proudly retold to new generations.
I have survived for hundreds of thousands, even a million years.
You have been my guests and friends for almost a century. We have lived in harmony and peace even though I am less than
half the size of what I once was.
I have been known to many over the decades as Stuart, Beard, West, Belknap, Checagau, Blackhawk,
Wilderness, Pioneer, Wolverine, Crown, Carlen, Sauger, Reneker, Bass Lake, Hiawatha Beach, and Frontier.
I am known for my special places spoken of with reverence among you such as Paradise Valley, Marl
Beds, Quaking Bogs, Pierre's Bayou, Deuces Wild, Eagle's Nest, Diamond Bend, Pines Point, Stump Valley, Headwaters, Kopp's
Dam, 40-Acres, and Grasshopper Hill.
I am the combined spirits of our forefathers, the elders of our tribe, who have made our camp flourish,
namely A. Stamford White, Dan Beard, L.L. McDonald, George Mozealous, Gus Kopp, Rue Miller, Vic Alm, E. Urner Goodman, Carroll
Edson, Ralph Spaulding, Joe Davis, Bob Blew, Whitt Lloyd, Sheridan Nunn, Jim Marshall, Steve Horvath, Ed Black, and countless
others. Since 1911, their unselfish labor and untiring efforts were truly gifts granted from the heart with the intention
that I exist in perpetuity, undisturbed and intact, for the benefit of our youth.
After 98 years, I continue to be your home away from home and you are warmly welcomed as family and
as part of our wilderness community.
I now ask for your help to keep me alive, vibrant, and whole for many more campers of the future.
I am...OWASIPPE. I am home. I am yours to nurture.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago
Boy Scouts council appeals court decison on Owasippe zoning
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted
by Lynn Moore
MLive.com - Muskegon Chronicle
June 24, 2008 23:41PM
BLUE LAKE TWP. — The Chicago Boy Scouts council has officially appealed a court decision upholding the zoning of
its Owasippe Scout Reservation.
The "claim of appeal" was filed late last month in the Michigan Court of Appeals. The Chicago Area Council of Boy Scouts
of America is asking that the court overturn a ruling by 14th Circuit Judge William C. Marietti that Blue Lake Township is
justified in restricting use of Owasippe to camping.
The Chicago Area Council is trying to sell much of the 4,800-acre Owasippe property, and argued to Marietti that the
township's zoning unfairly restricts use, and therefore the value, of the property.
The appeals court filing isn't much of a surprise. The council board of directors voted 15-5 in March to appeal the decision.
"I'm not surprised at all," said Blue Lake Township Supervisor Don Studaven.
Then again, he said he's hoping the council will end up withdrawing the appeal. The council is mired in controversy after
two unsuccessful attempts to seat a new board of directors.
The Chicago council's membership has twice voted to reject proposed slates of board members. As a result, the national
Boy Scouts organization, which reportedly has taken control of the Chicago council, will appoint a new board. It already has
appointed a new Scout executive for the council.
The decision by the council board to sell Owasippe -- and to sue Blue Lake Township -- has proved vastly unpopular with
the general membership. The council has operated camps at Owasippe for 97 years.
Council attorneys told Marietti that camps at Owasippe are money-losers and that they are too far away from the core
Scouting activities in Chicago. A Holland-area businessman has offered $19-million for the land, though the offer reportedly
is contingent on the property being rezoned for residential use.
The township rejected a request by the Boy Scouts council to rezone the land to allow, according to Marietti's calculations,
up to 2,400 new homes.
The Chicago council has not yet filed a brief with the appeals court outlining its reasons for appealing Marietti's decision.
The township then will file a response, said township Attorney Doug Hughes.
It could take as long as a year before the case is heard before a three-judge appeals court panel, Hughes said. It could
take that panel another six months to issue a ruling, he said.
It has been reported that the Chicago council already has spent $1- million on the Owasippe litigation, though an attorney
for the council disputed that figure without giving a different one.
The township has spent about $250,000 to defend itself.
Studaven said the Michigan Townships Association has indicated it will file an amicus curiae brief in support of the
township's defense of the appeal. Such briefs are filed by groups that aren't party to a lawsuit, but believe they have a
direct interest in the outcome.
The Owasippe case is widely seen as a test of townships' rights to determine the best and most appropriate use of property
through zoning ordinances.
- All Rights Reserved, MLive.com
# # #
| UNITED WE STAND !!! |
|
| SOLIDARNOSC |
=========================================
How You Can Help Save Owasippe
=========================================
Ink-up
those pens and grab some paper!
They tell me that an old saying was recently used in Fort Dearborn
District by a wise Scouter
when responding to the "downsizing of Owasippe..."You should never try to teach a pig to sing, it just wastes your time, and
it annoys the pig." Our future IS Owasippe, intact and unadulterated, and that is what the Scouting community
wants...nothing less!
We're not "singing a tune" we don't like, so let the focus be on
Owasippe and how it can continue
to best serve Scouting and outdoor
youth education. We don't need nor want a substitute camp in any
other location
other than where Owasippe has flourished for the last
97+ years...AND we want ALL of Owasippe KEPT INTACT!!! The
CAC Board should quit trying to force a square peg into a round hole and listen to their Scouter constituency!
Hail the extracation of Ben Smith! Drop the zoning lawsuits against Blue Lake Township!
Dismiss Devon Schindler and better spend his legal stipend elsewhere! Reinvest the hoarded insurance proceeds
from the Owasippe fires back into program and run-down camp facilities which resulted from poor council stewardship!
Think Camp...Think Program...Think Outing and Scouting! What a Concept!
Write to CAC President Michael Hughes and make your wishes known to him (Be Scoutlike)...c/o
Huen Electric Co, 1801 W 16th Street, Broadview, IL 60155-3955. Be sure to also copy the BSA Central Region Director,
Brad Farmer, at 230 W Diehl Rd, Naperville IL 60563 and new CAC Scout Exec Chuck Dobbins at 1218 W Adams, Chicago IL
60607-2802.
Participate in FOS and popcorn sales only to the minimum extent necessary to avoid repercussions
with camperships and advancement.
Alternatively, contribute funds to the Blue Lake Township Legal Fund to assist them in their defense
of legal action against them by CAC.
Make donations to the Owasippe Outdoor Education Center in their efforts to preserve Owasippe forever
as-is and to provide for camping to Scouts everywhere for as long as there is Scouting with CAC as the key tenant.
Correspond with the Honorable Gerald Van Woerkom, State Senator of Michigan's 34th District: Mason
County, Muskegon County, Newaygo County and Oceana County. Email: sengvanwoerkom@senate.michigan.gov and by letter to his District Office: 1065 Fourth St, Suite A, Muskegon, MI 49440.
Letters To news editors are also an important link between the
community and the public officials
and private individuals who will
have a hand in preserving Owasippe. Without demonstrated “grass
roots”
support more “official action” may not be likely. Please take
the time to put your feelings in print
as they can make a difference:
Don Wycliff – Public Editor
The Chicago Tribune
435 N Michigan Ave
Chicago IL 60611
fax:
312-222-2598
WRITE - WRITE - WRITE...and let your Scouts and their parents help and correspond as well!
AND...have them include a pic from camp of Scouts having a great time. Put a face on your story. When it comes
time to vote for a board of directors, empower your COR to only do the right thing and to ignore intimidation. Push
for fair and equal representation on the board and on the nominating committee that will engineer a slate of candidates worthy
of all to vote for.
Let us ALL get on the bandwagon together...with NO FEAR!
Carpe Diem! Firm-Bound! All For One!
State Senator Van Woerkom's Letter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Owasippe
Scout Reservation Red Trail Waymark
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM3J93
Open the above link and double-click onto the image to enlarge it. How many of you have hiked the Red Trail on
the way to Paradise Valley to see the USGS bronze marker on the site of the old US Forestry Service fire observation tower?
It's only about 50' off of Russell Road. This marks one of the highest elevations of the area.
Consider Donating to Blue Lake Township!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I encourage ALL Friends Of Owasippe
to donate monetarily to a fund established to further assist Blue Lake Township in its legal efforts to protect Owasippe's
current zoning, FR-I, and thereby prevent the camp's sale to Benjamin Smith, to prevent future development of the camp for
housing, and to avoid serious damage to Owasippe's fragile and unique ecosystems.
ANY size donation will be useful. Pass the hat around your troop committee meeting or parent
night, enjoin your own extended family in one common gift, seek out other FOO and personally help the cause! 2,000 people
each sending in just $10 apiece gives Blue Lake Township another $20,000 to work with!
Remember...many small fingers make a BIG fist!!!
PLEASE take a moment of time from your busy schedule and send your donations to:
Blue Lake Township Legal Fund
1491 Owasippe Road
Twin Lake, MI 49457-9440
THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY GENEROUSLY CONTRIBUTED TENS OF THOUSANDS TO THE FUND!!! :-)
Please unite with others in this cause and help spread the word to other Scouter friends and their
families and to campstaff brothers & sisters!
ALL THE WEALTH OF EARTH AND HEAVEN...
~ Ron Kulak, Owasiron@juno.com
| UNITED WE STAND TO SAVE OWASIPPE - INTACT |
|
| BE A "FOO-FIGHTER" - FRIEND OF OWASIPPE |
>>> Save Owasippe News
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009 OSR Reservations NOW Being Taken!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site
and cabin reservations are NOW Being Accepted for the next summer camp season in 2009 from interested Units for
Camps Blackhawk, Wolverine, Carlen Venture Base, and for the Reneker Family Camp. Applications are
available from the Chicago Area Council Service Center and at Owasippe.
| CAMP & VISIT OWASIPPE |
|
| SERVING YOUTH SINCE 1911 |
>>> For an overview of Owasippe Scout Reservation and for more
information on its program offerings, go to the following links to pages in this website:
> CAC Camping Dept, Forms & Leader's Guide
Owasippe Overview
Owasippe Summer Program Features
OSR Resources FACQs
Manistee Quest - High Adventure Treks
==============================================================
Some Myths Being Circulated On Owasippe
==============================================================
Keep in mind that all the info you may be getting spoon fed by some CAC officials and board members may
not necessarily be complete or accurate. In some circles, this is referred to as propaganda. Case in point:
> "Owasippe is losing attendance and popularity." NOT! It is still popular and has
seen participation growth over the last six years. Sites are well-utilized, and there may be good cause
to investigate the re-opening of Camp Carlen for some weeks because of heightened interest and demand.
> "The camp has an annual carrying loss of $200,000!" NOT! Some feel that the
camp breaks even or, at worse, sustains an estimated loss of $40,000 (with professional year-round salaries and taxes built-
in). Some say this was inflated because of "other" expenses cooked into the Owasippe account. Is it possible
that someone wants the Owasippe numbers and overall story to look bad to support another agenda? Owasippe is NOT
a loss...but a program expense.
> "Chicago units only make up about 50% of the camp's attendance." YES, but that is a CAC membership
problem that Jim Stone hasn't exactly turned around to match up with other suburban councils. Attending suburban council
units are on a growth spurt and tend to be at least double in size on average over CAC units, however CAC units have
an advantage of being able to attend Owasippe at a subsidized rate with some programs available to them for FREE! This
is due, in part, because of the higher per-camper rate paid by suburban units who also pay their way for the outposts programs
and who generally leave more money at the trading post for merchandise, snacks and sundries. Owasippe's program is diverse
and of such high quality because of the large number of out-of-council units who supply extra revenue, add improvements to
the campsites that they attend, as well as contribute quality camp staff. Owasippe's cosmopolitan flavor and jamboree-feel
is its advantage over other camps.
> "Owasippe is a 5-hour drive from Chicago and leaders don't like the long drive."
NOT & NOT!! Most folks get there in about 3-1/2 hours on average from CAC. Those on Chicago's "East Side"
can get there in 3 hours via the Skyway! Did you know that it can take almost 6 hours for Chicago Area
units to drive to other competing camps in Wisconsin and other states? Owasippe only seems to be far away in Michigan.
No one has ever heard of a single complaint from a unit about the length of the drive...they view it as an adventure
tour.
> "Owasippe is too big for our council operation." You hear of the arguement that
Owasippe is too big to maintain for the number of Scouts that camp there from Chicago. Bull! Is Philmont too big?
Is 10-mile River Scout Reservation, or Ransburg too big? We're blessed to have the land for expanded program, offsite
camping, lone troop operations, hiking and backpacking, outposts, and horseback treks. Don't forget that Owasippe
and our Scouts are also blessed with bio-diversity made possible by all this acreage, ie. Oak Savannas, moraines, hollows,
lakes and wetlands, inland dunes, springs and streams, connifer and broadleaf forests, Quaking Bogs and Paradise Valley.
What an incredible outdoor laboratory for our Scouts to enjoy and study! You won't have any luck finding this type of
"eden" available on some meager 250-acre scrubland prairie on hard Illinois clay...that's for sure! Owasippe is
worth every penny of subsidy supplied. Remember, it's not suppose to be a "profit center" but a PROGRAM! We've
been lucky over the decades to have acquired all of this land that "they ain't makin any more of"!
> "Chicago Area Council is financially strapped and needs the sales proceeds from Owasippe to
sustain its program." NO WAY!! The fact is CAC has on account $16-million+ in its bank coffers
and investments (as of FY/2006), and it has annual revenue in excess of
$3-million from an assortment of contributions and other income. This can be verified
from its 990 filings with the State of Illinois and IRS. For more info on CAC's financial position, go to www.Guidestar.org.
***
WHAZZUP? IMPORTANT DATES - 2009***
* June 28, Sunday... Owasippe opens 1st Period
for its 98th Season
* August 8, Saturday... Last camping day of Period
6 and 2009 Season
* August 22, Sunday... OSA Family Picnic; Sundown
Meadow Forest Preserve in Hodgkins, IL, on LaGrange Road, Rte 45
* Sept 18-20... OSA's Fall Fixit Weekend at Owasippe
* November 27, Friday... Owasipalooza at European
Chalet Banquets
--->> NOTE...Campsite reservations are now being taken for
the 2009 Season at Owasippe for ALL SCOUT UNITS regardless of council affiliation. .. call the Camping
Center of the Chicago Area Council at 312-421-8430 x227 to make a section campsite or Camp Reneker cabin reservation.
Remember... the unit leader who hesitates does NOT get the choice sites and dates!!! LEAVE NO SCOUTS BEHIND
in 2009...get 'em all to camp! Try out a retro 2-week stay.
Camp Staff And More
> Chicago Area Council Camping Dept
Save Owasippe News
|
