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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.
| CAMP BEARD c1919 - THOSE WERE THE DAYS |
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For food, for rainment, for life and opportunity, for friendship and fellowship...and
Owasippe...
we thank Thee, o Lord. Amen.
PRESERVE & PROTECT OWASIPPE INTACT FOR ALL
"All The Wealth Of Earth
And Heaven"
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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.
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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
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Owasippe Staff Association Promotes Good Search
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Earn
Money for the OSA by Using Search Engine
There is a new and easy way to raise money for the OSA and its mission just by searching the Internet
with GoodSearch.com. It’s simple. You use GoodSearch.com like any other search engine — the site is powered by
Yahoo! — but each time you do, money is generated for the OSA. So far, the OSA has gotten contributions
to the tune of $426.57 this way!
Go to GoodSearch.com, and you’ll see. In the box that asks “Who do you GoodSearch for?”
type in OSA and hit the “verify” button. After that it’s just like using a regular search engine. Plus it
remembers your charity selection, so once you set the OSA as your choice, you don’t have to set it again.
Approximately $0.01 is raised each time you search using Goodsearch.com. We know what you might be
thinking but let us explain... this means that if 100 people search two times each day, the OSA can earn $730 in a year! We
hope that you will not only use GoodSearch as your main search engine from here on out, but will also pass this message on
to your friends and family. The more people who use this, the more money will go to OSA.
Thanks to Jennifer Kotwasinski for turning us on to this simple and easy fundraiser. Now everyone
can help the OSA raise money just by using GoodSearch.com for all their web search needs.
Be sure to go to www.Goodsearch.com and check it out. Once you set this up, you can also make it your Front Page by going to
Tools on your upper task bar and then go to Internet Options and then paste it the Good Search URL set up for the OSA....pretty
simple. It's also a good way to not forget to search the internet in this fashion.
In addition, the OSA is accepting direct donations to help support various projects and causes, namely:
*
Fix-It Weekend Support
* Staff Development Fund
* Camp Reneker Enhancements
* Chuck Kmiec Sailing Base Fund
* Pat Newell Fund for Camp Carlen Improvements
* General Camp Improvements
* Your Special Request
Contributions can be made to OSA, P.O. Box 7097, Westchester, IL 60154. For more info
on the OSA, go to www.Owasippe.com.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
| UNITED WE STAND TO SAVE OWASIPPE - INTACT |
|
| BE A "FOO-FIGHTER" - FRIEND OF OWASIPPE |
>>> Save Owasippe News
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2009 Owasippe Key Staff Named
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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.
| SAVE ALL OF OWASIPPE |
|
| CHERISH AND PROTECT HER |
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WHO AM I?
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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.
| 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
***
WHAZZUP? IMPORTANT DATES - 2009-2010***
* August 16, Sunday... OSA Family Picnic; Sundown
Meadow Forest Preserve in Hodgkins, IL, on LaGrange Road, Rte 45, at approx 65th Street; 11am to 6pm.
* Sept 18-20... OSA's Fall Fixit Weekend at Owasippe
* October 2-3, Friday-Saturday... Owasippe Lodge O/A #7 Trade-o-Ree
at St Paul Lutheran School Gym (north end of bldg), 4660 W 94th Street, Oak Lawn, IL, just one block east of the Oak Lawn
Hilton Tower. FREE Admission. The OSA will be a featured exhibitor at this event.
* November 27, Friday... Owasipalooza at European
Chalet Banquets. The theme is Camp Nostalgia. There will be bean bag games available.
--->> NOTE...Campsite reservations are now being taken for
the 2010 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
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==================
"SERENITY"
==================
...a
poem on Owasippe by Annamarie Houston (with permission):
"That scent hits me like a wave.
Breathing in. Trying, but never getting enough.
I close my eyes and my mind races back
to my most favorite place.
Visions of you, so dear to me now.
Occupy my mind.
Old
pine needles on the ground, wet with a fresh rain, sandy soil, last year's
fallen leaves.
All
of them blending so musically to form that sweet scent.
The smell of serenity, peace.
It
soothes my senses and my mind
Dad, please tell me that heaven smells like this."
| THE SPIRIT & INSPIRATION OF OWASIPPE |
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| photo courtesy of Christina Sener |
#######################################
A LETTER FROM
DAN BEARD...
You
know, I still come by unnoticed to campsites and watch the efforts and dedication of the volunteer leaders and staff, the
smiles and laughter of the Scouts, the busy woodcraft sessions, the interesting concoctions of meals cooked on an open campfire,
the reverence paid to our colors as they go up and down the flagpole, the pride shown when that first fish is caught, the
euphoria and accomplishment when a kid either swims a mile or just passes his swimmer's test, and the fun kids have with each
other in a safe environment amongst God's natural wonders and woods. Yes, I still walk the Indian trails with you, sit beside
you around the council fire, and watch you open the lid of that dutch oven and express satisfaction of that wonderful meal
you are about to devour. Yep, some things haven't changed at all and that is how it should be. Yet, some things have changed
alot and you are in danger of losing what we pioneers had dreamed about in the early years.
I can whisper in your
ear. I can rustle a leaf or spark a fire to get your attention. I can sprinkle some dust on you to make you sneeze incessantly.
I can even make you trip on the trail occasionally on nothing visible to you. But, there is much I cannot do for you anymore.
I cannot fight your battles and I cannot preserve the integrity of the Scouting program and
allow it to survive. You, my friend, must rise to the challenge and now do it for me and my now-departed partners. Just remember
to always follow the Oath and the Law and remember what BP taught us all...."Our mission...is to build men of good character".
Do whatever you can within your ability to save the land for generations of future Scouts.
Owasippe needs to be preserved and kept intact, but it can't happen unless YOU help in any small or large way. Only
through our solidarity as Scouts can we persevere. What the wilderness has to offer as a Scouting retreat
and as an outdoor educational laboratory is much, much more valuable than any profit made from its sale.
When you next visit the E Urner Goodman Museum,
give me a salute or a wink and you might be surprised to get the same back at ya. Ya know, Urner personally showed me that
newly written hymn that he composed down on Crystal Lake. But, that's a story for another time.
----- Dan Beard
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LINKS, LINKS, AND YET MORE LINKS:
Below are links to related web-sites that may prove resourceful and useful to you...just
click on the topic of interest...
> Chicago Area Council Camping Dept
> Owasippe Staff Association, Inc (OSA)
> Owasippe Outdoor Education Center (OOEC)
> Owasippe O/A Lodge #7
> White Lake Chamber of Commerce, Whitehall MI
Sassy-Links And Portals
> Click Here For SOSR Pledge-Donor Form
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NEED A MAP OF OWASIPPE...or
directions to the camp? If so, click on to "Mapquest" below for assistance and a printable copy of a very basic reservation
map.
> Topographical Owasippe Map
> Michigan Info On Travel, Lodging & More
>>> Michigan MDOT Road Advisories
>>> Borman 80-94 Xway "Live" w/Pics
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