Don’t miss out on this year’s annual Spring Camporee! It is going to be a great opportunity to learn Scout skills, compete against other patrols and fellowship with Scouters from all over the district.

We are still looking for a few more Scouts to judge the Scout skills areas (such as orienteering, pioneering etc) on Saturday. If you have some older Scouts who can help, please let us know!

Download the registration packet now!

Download the Camporee Handout with full event details.

Check out the Promotional Flyer.

Registration forms & fees should be turned into the Scout Office by April 18^th.

Questions? Contact Andrea at 735-7306 or awatson@bsamail.org or Clint Bouslaugh at 585-6415.

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The best in Adult Leader Training
Bighorn 2008 Sign Up Today!
   Registration due by April 25th

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National Youth Leadership Training
Eagle Cap Credentials
  Troop/Team Training for Youth in
           Leadership
  Nominations Due May 15th
  Download Nomination Form

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2010 National Scout Jamboree
Contingency and Staffing Information

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Blue Mountain Council
Annual Recognition Reception
May 3, 2008
4:00pm
Pasco LDS Stake Center
2004 Road 24
Pasco, WA 99301
Please RSVP Here

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Cubs Down Under
   Columbia River/Rattlesnake Ridge
   Cub Scout Day Camp 2008

As you plan out your unit’s year of program, don’t forget to include what’s happening in the district and council! Check out our new, updated 2007-2008 District Calendar for all the details on events and activities planned for the coming year. Don’t forget, you can always found out more information by visiting the Online Calendar or reading the latest Spirit Newsletter. A well-planned program is the first step towards a great, quality program.
2007-2008 Calendar.

News:

2008 Columbia River District Pinewood Derby

The morning of April 19, 2008 dawned with 41 Cub Scout racers, representing 13 different Cub Scout packs, converging on Bethlehem Lutheran School in Kennewick for our 2008 Columbia River District Pinewood Derby.  Thanks to Packs 102, 108, 126, 128, 199, 213, 148, 168, 179, 115, 183, 117, 113 for sending their top Scouts to the district race.

After almost two hours of dueling it out on the racetrack, the fastest racers emerged!  Without further ado, we present the top five racers in our district, and how they finished:

1. Reilly T.  (Wolf) – Pack 148– Columbia River District Champion for 2008 / Average time 3.2638

2. Alex A. (Bear) – Pack 128  / Average time 3.2969

3. Evan D. (Wolf) – Pack 128 / Average time 3.2993

4. Brian Chaney (Bear) –Pack 126 / Average time 3.3049

5. Bennett Pedersen (Webelos) –Pack 168 / Average time 3.3506

Again, the above five scouts were TOPS in the district for 2008. Well done Cub Scouts!  In addition, congratulations to ALL OF YOU (all 41!) for making it to the District event. 

Thanks to Bethlehem Lutheran School for the use of their gym.  Thanks also goes out to EVERYONE who made this event happen: the leaders who spent many hours preparing, calling, emailing, getting the word out to their Packs, etc, AND the parents who took the time to give guidance to their boys (much less drive them to the event!).  A Special Thanks to Pack 117 Cubmaster Lori Aronson for chairing this event, Jeff Horlacher for computer and technical support, Mike Aronson and sons for setup and take down and Deanna Ahrend, Pack 179, for helping with Scout check-in.

See you all next year!

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Check out advancements earned for Webelos Woods .

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Unit Program Planning—A sure way to strengthen your unit!

Imagine a single activity that your unit could conduct and take a big step toward fulfilling the qualifications for your Quality Unit Award. The activity? Developing an effective unit program plan.

Unit program planning is an opportunity for every unit to develop a plan for all activities for the year, as well as an accurate agenda for carrying out the plan. As a unit leader, an effective plan can save us from acting at the last minute and helps us feel more prepared and more proactive which leads to better program. It also allows our youth leadership to plan ahead for meetings as well. Including our youth leadership in program planning gives them ownership of the unit program plan and increases their buy-in too.

A good program plan can also help us recruit more youth. If boys can see what is going on, they are more likely to join. And it leads to boys staying in the program longer if they see an upcoming event they would like to attend.

As you set out to plan your year-round program, take a look at the following resources:

• District calendar
• School & Religious holiday calendars
• Copies of Cub Scout Program Helps or a List of the Boys’ Life monthly themes for the year

Outdoor program guides

Have you read the Spirit lately?