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If this is true, I have been deceived.

I don't live in the immediate Chicago metro area and I am not a member of the Chicago Area Council.  Still, I give a small amount to the United Way and since my employer is in Chicago, a part of my contribution went to the CAC.  I made this contribution in part because I knew that a portion would go towards scouting in Chicago, and help Owasippe, the camp where I grew up.

That will now change.

The United Way pledge drive is fast approaching.  Now is the time when I can make a decision on how much I want to give.  This year I plan on ceasing my contribution altogether.  Instead, I will direct my money I would have given to the United Way directly into the Save Owasippe Scout Reservation endowment fund.  This is a personal decision and I do not mean to try to influence the actions of any readers who may happen upon my web site.  Each of you are responsible for making your own decisions.

But I personally find such a restriction on funds by the United Way to be petty and irresponsible at best, and mean and vengeful at worse.  I do not want to contribute to an organization that purposely harms a program that benefits thousands of children each year just to penalize the decisions of a few men at BSA national in Texas.

October 2004

Aside from the general disappointment of the potential lose of Blackhawk, I am perplexed by the council's position expressed by Mr. Schindler, the attorney representing CAC in their effort to rezone the Blackhawk lakefront.

"Fifty-percent of those kids are at risk because they are from single-family homes or living in poverty," said Schindler, who represents the council.

The council has a duty to have enough money to provide for those children, he said.

As an investment, using the proceeds of the sale to aid poverty stricken youth represents a short-term benefit. Historically, the sale of a hard property asset has been less than successful. After all, where's the money from the previous 10,000 acres sold and how are these "Fifty-percent" benefiting from those sales. Instead, the land asset should be viewed as a long-term investment in the program that will benefit thousands of youth, including the fifty-percent cited, for decades to come, not just a few short years.

Not being privy to the inner discussion of the Council and the board, I am not clear on what are their true long-term objectives and goals. The council's 2002 annual report cites "Remembering Scouting Fundamentals." Well there's nothing more fundamental than a strong summer camp and high adventure program. Whittling down Owasippe to the bare minimum or relocating to summer camp to a collar county shopping mall site does not embrace the spirit of their stated focus.

Furthermore, the report specifically cites, 'At-risk youth represent over 50% of the council’s total available youth for Scouting. In 2002, the Chicago Area Council made great strides in "Serving the Our Largest Youth Demographic" through the Scoutreach initiative.' This statement ties directly into Mr. Schindler's comments. However, once you've reached them, what do you have to offer them to entice them into the scouting program, to "Remember Scouting Fundamentals."

The report goes on to say 'By "Reaching Out to Our Largest Age Group" of young men and women through programs like Venturing and Exploring, we retain older Scouts and introduce Scouting principles to a whole new group of young people.' And yet they are poised to tear appart one of the nation's most valuable high adventure asset available to attract young men and women with exciting outdoor education programs including C.O.P.E, climbing, canoe and backpacking treks. Selling off land assets to "reach out" is short sighted and actually runs counter to the stated objectives, hence it is destined to fail.

Finally, the report's introduction closes with a comment about Learning For Life, Scouting's favorite pet project. "Scouting principles were the building blocks of the Learning for Life subsidiary. Although these students do not recite the Scout Oath, they participate in programs that "Start with Education" to teach them Scouting values." I am all for having school programs that teach important values and life lessons to school children. However, if the programs funded and maintained by scouting do not serve to support the scouting program, such as funneling in new membership, then I have to believe that the program is divisive and ultimately only causes councils to lose focus on the scouting mission, "Remember Scouting Fundamentals."

(BTW, I also detest the phrase "traditional scouting." Scouting is scouting and Learning For Life is not.)

Lastly, I applaud the board for allowing the OOEF the opportunity and time to come up with an alternate solution. However, I am surprised and disappointed in their apparent disappearance in supporting the effort. It would seem to me that their best interests rests with the success of OOEF, they get to use the windfall profits to fund their short-term programs while still having access to Owasippe to meet long-term scouting program needs. There may be private efforts to support the cause, but I would have hoped for a more vocal and active roll in finding the best solution for both sides. If I am wrong, I'd love to hear about it and have the board members stand up and let us know how what they personally are doing to help save their most valuable asset, Owasippe.

September 2004

The Chicago Tribune reported on the September 4, 2004 rally outside of the Boy Scouts of American, Chicago Area Council headquarters to protest the intended sale of one of the nation’s most valuable natural resources for our youth today, Owasippe Scout Reservation. As a result of statements and quotes attributed to Mr. Chookaszian, a member of the Council’s board and the person responsible for setting the council’s camping program future, I seriously question the council’s vision for the current and future our youth in the Scouting program. Specifically, I have identified four areas in which his statements actually demonstrate the council’s misdirection with regards to Owasippe:

1. Reducing Owasippe to a “few hundred acres” will compromise the quality of its program
2. Cost shifting using real estate proceeds will only temporarily mask their true financial problems.
3. Finding token “conservation minded buyer” is not a responsible act consistent with Scouting’s conservation heritage
4. The council does little to promote use of the camp to know whether off-season or even in-season programs would be financially sound

Size Does Matter

In the article, Mr. Chookaszian stated, “We can run a good Boy Scout camp on a few hundred acres. We don’t need 5,000.” I find it appalling that the board member responsible for setting the long-term strategy for one of the nation’s largest scouting organizations would set a goal to be “good” and not “the best.” When he was chairman for CAN Insurance would he have set CNA’s mission statement to be a “good” insurance company? I doubt it. Why settle for “good” for the scouts. Furthermore, a few hundred acres would be about the right size for a golf course, not a scout camp. I have been to smaller camps and the quality of program they can offer cannot compare to what Owasippe offers to the youth of Chicago and the Midwest:

• Mr. Chookaszian should strap a pack upon his back and hike the trails that encircle and weave through the reservation for a ten or fifteen mile hike. You can’t do that on a few hundred acres the size of a golf course.

• He should carry a tent with him on the hike and set up camp out in the open spaces of Owasippe and marvel at the sight of the Milky Way. You can’t do that on a few hundred acres surrounded by development.

• He should carry a pebble in his pocket and add it to the pile of stones left on Chief Owasippe’s grave as scouts have done for decades. You can’t do that on a few hundred acres when the grave site sits outside of the camp on developed property.

• On his way from Owasippe’s grave to Blackhawk, he should pass through Paradise Valley with its virgin trees that survived free from timber companies for over one hundred years. You can’t do that on a few hundred acres if there’s no Blackhawk to hike to.

• Then while at Blackhawk he should swim in Big Blue and float on his back to see a Bald Eagle soaring brightly overhead in the golden twilight of the evening sun. You can’t do that if there’s waterfront and the Eagles have been chased away by encroaching development.

• My troop, my sons and I experienced all of these wondrous things this summer while camping at Owasippe. We would not had we been on a camp of a few hundred acres.

But I know that Mr. Chookaszian is not likely to strap a pack on his back. In fact, I doubt he’s even camped at Owasippe. If he had he certainly would have know that his comment that “Lake Wolverine, a smaller man-made lake that works well for aquatic activities such as swimming and canoeing” is false. Anyone who has camped at Wolverine knows that it’s not suitable for a swim area, which is why the campers swim in a swimming pool. Only Blackhawk has a swim area in a lake, on Big Blue, soon to be sealed off from campers by upscale homes if the council has its way.

I have been to camps a few hundred acres in size and will not return to them. That is the future Mr. Chookaszian is setting his sights on as he sets his “good program” strategy in place. What scouting in Chicago needs is a board member with vision, someone with the insight and drive to rebuild Owasippe into this nation’s premier scouting program.

Financial Shell Game

At face value, Mr. Chookaszian and the rest of the board have given the appearance of working with parties to solve the Owasippe dilemma. But in truth, they have done little to support efforts to save the camp for future generations. To date, those interested in saving the camp have been pleased that the council has not sold the land yet and we viewed this as a sign of cooperation. Sadly, I’ve come to believe that the delay in a sale is only because they haven’t received a large enough offer to satisfy their needs. Hence, their actions to reverse the township’s zoning that they originally sought to reduce their tax liability. Now it suits their selfish interest to rezone the property in order to maximize the development potential and market value. A consequence of this action is that the increased valuation makes it difficult if not almost impossible for the Owasippe Outdoor Education Foundation to raise the monies needed to purchase the land and keep it whole.

To position the financial burden of the camp as the source of the council’s fiscal woes is a fallacy. The truth is that they intend to use the land as a cash cow to mask the much larger financial problem from the rest of their operations. According to Anthony Gibbs, Chicago Area Council’s Assistant Chief Executive, Owasippe ran a $200,000 deficit in 2003 and will do so again in 2004. Yet the council’s overall deficit is $1.4 million dollars. So Owasippe represents less than 15% of their financial hemorrhaging. Clearly it’s not a 5,000 acre camp at the root of their problem. In fact, the finances would remain virtually unchanged with a 250 acre camp, only the proceeds from selling their most important asset would cover up their losses for the next decade or so. But this is a short term fix that has been tried without success in the past as the council has already sold almost 2/3 of the camp in the past twenty years and still cannot fix the problem. Selling the land addresses the symptom, not the problem.

What is the problem? We’re not sure because the council refuses to make public their financial statements, which is their right as a private organization. But it is clear that Owasippe is not the cause of the problem, nor will its sale solve their internal operation problems.

Abandoning Our Conservation Heritage

Scouting has been a stalwart contributor to our nation’s conservation efforts for almost 100 years. In that time, it is easy to imagine millions of hours of labor donated to the cause of preserving our precious natural resources. We are fortunate that visionaries of the past had dedicated their lives to building Owasippe into the large reserve we see today, even though it’s only 1/3 of it what is once was. All of that is about to change. Mr. Chookaszian claims. “However, much of the remaining acreage also might be offered for sale to “conservation buyers,” who might build some homes but leave parts of it undeveloped and available for Scouting activities…” True, some may provide easements for a trail so we don’t hike through their backyards, but none will allow the necessary conservation actions necessary to restore and maintain the pine barrens and oak savannas that are identified as being endangered habitats in the state of Michigan. No home owner will give permission for prescribed burns near their million dollar homes. So the sale, even to “conservation buyers” represents a death knoll to those habitats and the species that depend upon them for survival, including the federally endangered Karner Blue Butterfly

Furthermore, species like the Karner Blue require more than a few hundred acres to thrive. If Mr Chookaszian had spent any time researching the Federally Funded restoration program for the Karner Blue in southwest Michigan, he would have understood that the main reason for this species demise is loss of habitat and too few suitable breeding sites spread too far apart. This butterfly requires very specific habitats, the pine barrens and oak savannas, within its flying distance in order to maintain viable breeding colonies. The very same Michigan endangered habitats that Owasippe has or can restore.

But carving up Owasippe into chunks of private landowners will prevent a concerted effort to save and restore these habitats. Hence, instead of taking the lead in the protection of endangered habitats and their denizens, the council is actually contributing to their demise. This at a time when the Fish and Wildlife Department is authorizing grants to help restore Karner Blue populations in this region. Funds which the council has not sought to participate even though it’s one of the state’s largest private landowners with Karner Blues, the required habitats and the labor (volunteer scouts and leaders) to enact a significant conservation effort. Instead they seek to rezone this valuable natural resource for residential development.

It’s a shameful to see Scouting turn its back on a hundred years of conservation tradition when it should be standing up front taking the lead.

Lack of Marketing

Another comment Mr. Chookaszian makes highlights one of the council’s biggest problems. They do not have an effective marketing plan to promote the camp nor have I seen any effort rectify this shortcoming. In the article he states, “We’ve tried on multiple occasions to make year-round use of Owasippe.” He said. “It sounds good, but fundamentally it’s next to impossible to do.” He makes this comment within the context of suggestions that use of the facilities can be expanded to all seasons to make it a self-sufficient. However, I would dispute his remarks as being representative of the facts because the council doesn’t even promote the camp for its core use as a scout summer camp, let alone for alternative uses and off-season use. In fact, there have been instances where the council has turned down viable opportunities for off-season use, opportunities that would have offset the camp’s $200,000 annual deficit. No reasonable explanation has been provided why these offers were ignored. Perhaps because fiscally solvent camp would interfere with their plans to sell the cash cow and bail them out of their fiscal woes from other council operations.

Regardless of their reasoning, the council has never implemented an effective marketing program to promote Owasippe as a premier destination for scouts throughout the Midwest. There have been no ads in Boys Like, Scouter or other scouting and outdoor periodicals. There have been no direct mail pieces dropped to potential decision makers in the fall when troops are planning their annual calendar. There have been no public service announcements on TV or cable to boost membership or to extol the beauty and opportunities that wait at Owasippe. There is no interactive website to generate excitement and educate the youth on the adventures that await them in the woods and fields or the lakes and rivers. None!

To claim that the council’s attempts at off-season use make such a strategy “next to impossible to do” is misleading as they truly have not effectively promoted the use of their assets regardless of the season. An effective marketing effort tied to a real program opportunity for both Scouting and non-scouting organization can easily recoup enough costs to become solvent and perhaps even become a continuing revenue stream for the council.

Looking For Leadership

I truly believe that the men and women who volunteer for positions of responsibility, such as the Chicago Area Council board members, do so with their hearts full of goodness for the youth of our nation. People don’t readily sacrifice the their free time to make such a commitment. But I also know that the volunteer leaders who actually execute and carry out the vision and direction of the board also give up their time and their heart for our nation’s youth. And I see a disconnect between the vision and strategy put forth by the board and that which is expected and anticipated from the front-line leaders who meet with the Scouts every week and camp together in good weather and bad. Clearly those who have camped at this nation’s oldest and potentially best camp facility do not believe in their hearts that the council represents the needs and desires of the camping program. Remember too that it is these leader’s sons and daughters who ARE the youth in the program and it is their responsibility to raise their voices and object if they believe the program’s strategy is misdirected. What they are clamoring for is leadership from the board, from the members with whom they entrusted the vision. But it is clear from the council’s position by Mr. Chookaszian’s comments and by their inaction to do anything but rezone the land to maximize their profit, that the current leadership is not representing the will of the participants. Instead they are managing down a program built upon the principles of outdoor programs and leadership and are further distancing themselves from almost 100 years of tradition.

The scouting movement began almost 100 years ago when Lord Baden Powell recognized a ground swell of interest in young men in the outdoors. When William Boyce introduced the movement in the United States, others picked up where he left off, leaders such as Thomas Seton, Daniel Beard and James E. West continued to grow scouting in the U.S. because they recognized the spark of desire the outdoors kindled in youth, the sense of adventure coupled with a satisfaction of self-reliance. If the council succeeds in “building” a camp on a few hundred acres, they will lose both key scouting fundamentals

What scouting needs now is not business managers treating the program as if it’s an unprofitable product line that needs pruning. Instead we need leadership that will steer the program back to the fundamental concepts that still resonate in our youth. We need leaders who recognize the importance refuges such as Owasippe and are willing to show the willingness and courage to make sure our youth and their children have a place where adventure and self-reliance still live. We need leaders not business managers.

August 2004

There is no reason why Owasippe can't become the Philmont of the Midwest.  Not only is it nearly 5,000 acres of it's own fields and forests, it sits at the southern border of Manistee National Forest, over half-a-million acres of wilderness available for hiking, camping and boating.  The White, Manistee, Pine and Pere Marquette rivers are with easy reach, and the last three are listed on the national Wild & Scenic Rivers list (http://www.nps.gov/rivers/wildriverslist.html).  The council should be facing the problem of how to handle the backlog of requests for Owasippe High Adventure instead of the current dilemma.

Build it up, promote it and watch the program grow.  In these days of X-Games, our older youth crave adventure.  Give it to them.

Crown High Adventure Base: Owasippe’s Sleeping Cash Cow

I’ve just returned from a week of summer camp at Owasippe for the first time in three decades. Not only did I relish in returning the woods and dales of my youth, but I also watched as my sons’ troop jumped head first into the wide variety of outpost programs. My oldest son and I attended the Backpacking outpost and I was immediately struck by the potential for this program as a cash cow, both in terms of potential revenue and in terms of growing the scouting program. Owasippe is in the rare position of having size and location to develop a top-notch high adventure program that few organizations could compete against. However, it would take a nominal financial investment and huge commitment investment in order to make the transition. It would take vision.

Below I describe some of my thought on how such a vision may take form. I first offer some ideas on how to expand and structure the High Adventure program to integrate it more with the Owasippe section camp program and teenage campers.  Then I discuss future enhancements to the facilities infrastructure, an required future investment needed to upgrade the program into national prominence. Next I mention a few competing programs, an area that I have only a little knowledge and would require additional research to properly understand the competition. Finally, I discuss potential marketing strategies and tactics. Positioning and promoting the program is critical to its success, but it’s something I haven’t seen evidence as of yet.

It is my hope that some of these ideas and concepts may take root somewhere and eventually bear fruit. Or perhaps they will stimulate even better ideas and efforts and will help elevate Owasippe to become America’s Premier Scout Camp once again.

Manistee Quest Structure

Divide Manistee Quest into three separate but related programs; Backpacking Outpost, Low Treks & High Treks. Each program adds increasing difficulty and can be associated with the appropriate age and/or skill group. So a second or third year scout or equivalent would participate in the Backpacking Outpost, then move up to a Low Trek the next year, and finally be prepared for the High Trek program by the time he’s High Adventure age and rank. Of course, an older scout could participate at any level if he has had limited experience or just desires to do so.

Backpacking Outpost

This is a great introductory program for mid-to-older scouts. I would make two suggestions over the current format. One, begin immediately after lunch instead of at 2:00 p.m. The earlier start allows for a bit more instruction, especially with a larger group and still allows enough time to hit the trail and arrive at a campsite in time for set up and dinner. Second, move the outpost program from Thursday to Monday. Moving it to the beginning of the week may encourage attendees to hike on their own afterwards and explore more of Owasippe’s great trail system, which is something smaller camps cannot offer because they lack the space.

The Crown lodge needs more teaching aids in terms of posters and other visual aids. Some items that I would consider basic are missing, such as an Owasippe trail map, which should have been given to each participant as part of the program, and promotional material for Manistee Quest. I would also upgrade the Manistee trail maps to make them larger and more prominent. The small map on the bulletin board is okay for a single viewer, but a large poster format would be much more exciting. I would also add posters on gear (i.e., packs, stoves, water filters, etc.) as well as Leave No Trace. In fact, as part of the expanded program with an earlier start time, I would suggest including an official Leave No Trace training program as part of the curriculum so attendees would qualify for the award and patch.

Low Treks

A week of hiking the trails of Owasippe for intermediate backpackers. The program would be tied to the outpost so attendees could attend the outpost on Monday and then continue with the Low Trek Tuesday. Previous attendees of the outpost could either join in the Monday hike by arriving at Crown around 4:00 p.m. or on Tuesday morning when the outpost crew returns.

Another possibility is to include canoeing instruction for skills not covered in canoeing merit badge, such as packing gear to protect it from water and portaging. A mini Owasippe Voyager program could be implemented combining canoeing on the White River and backpacking on the trails.

The hiking Low Trek program could be marketed as a precursor or warm up to Philmont for crews. The focus should not be solely for conditioning, but more towards teaching and practicing the Philmont way of trail living.

Completing the Backpacking outpost or the equivalent experience (up to scoutmaster judgment) would be a prerequisite for participating in Low Treks.

High Treks

Should model a little more towards the Philmont style where the guides hike only a few days and then leave the crew on their own with periodic food drops. Program outposts or camps cannot be set up like Philmont, however, there may be opportunities to set up instructional camps reviewing backpacking techniques or canoeing instruction. Additional programs should focus on ecology, especially the new habitat restoration in support of Karner Blue butterfly. Perhaps the national forest service would be interested in service projects. Or perhaps the North Trail group would be interested in trail maintenance projects.

The combination of backpacking and canoeing should be positioned as a major selling point.

Facilities

The Crown lodge is adequate for launching quests, but it needs an upgraded to become a top class High Adventure Base. The original staff lounge designed served its purpose as a central base for section camp staff. But it sorely lacks amenities for a top class High Adventure base. Manistee Quest needs an attractive destination to house gear, serve as a classroom, crew lodge and a location for an administrative office.

Our small group of four backpackers had plenty of room to empty our packs for a shakedown and gear demonstration, but a group of six would have maxed out the space. If the program were to grow, there’s simply not enough room indoors for it to serve as a classroom. The classroom can easily take place outside in the open n good days and under “canvas” on bad weather days, but the vision should include providing service and comfort to the customers. The addition of a lounge for returning crews would be a bonus. Imagine multiple crews gathering around the fireplace to swap tales. Such a location would bolster the camaraderie of Scouting.

Marketing

In general, like most councils, Chicago Area Council does a minimal job of marketing it’s camps and High Adventure program. I have been actively involved in Scouting as a leader for five years and have yet to see any space advertising or direct mail, and the website is lackluster and is not positioned as a means for generating interest among young men and women, or leaders for that matter. A comprehensive strategy for promoting Owasippe and Manistee Quest should go hand-in-hand with the suggested program enhancement and growth plans. The current non-marketing program, which relies solely on in-counsel camp promotion (round tables and OA presentations), is so minimal that an immediate change can have a huge positive impact even without any additional program modifications.

The marketing plan would address separate target markets, scouts and scouters, with separate promotional tactics and media plans for in-council and out-of-council prospects.

Target Markets

Owasippe has relied upon a strong presence of loyal troops who return year after year to the same camp. Such traditions have built strong loyalties in the past. But the economics of summer camp has changed and combined with a period of lackluster programming, many long term troops abandoned OSR and must be courted to return. Additionally, the general uncertainty resulting from the announcement on the intent to sell Owasippe and the subsequent silence or apparent absence in building a stronger camping program, has kept potential troops at an arms length. A two pronged marketing campaign aimed at the major influencers can feature the High Adventure program as a key selling point, especially to the scouts.

There is not a set model for the decision making process to attend specific camps. Every troop has a slight twist on the basic process promoted by BSA as part of its “Boy Run” model. However, most troops subscribe to the basic process where the youth Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) builds a recommended calendar for the following year sometime during the fall. The adult leaders coach this process and the troop committee approves activities or recommends changes. Adult leader will also submit possible destinations and activities to the PLC in the planning process as the youth have less personal experience as to what camps and activities that are available. Troops will usually automatically reserve a site at the camp they attend for the following year, but that does not lock a troop into actually attending. In fact, many troops will rotate between several camps each year.

A successful marketing campaign for the High Adventure program must be designed to target the two main influencers, scouts and scouters, at key points during the decision making process, early fall and late spring. The fall is when the PLC and troop committee’s make their plans for the following year. The spring is important to create excitement and raise actual attendance and participation among scouts. Both time slots are key to building a strong High Adventure program.

Scouts

Even though desire to attend summer camp must begin with the scout, this target market is virtually ignored. It is with this market that an exciting High Adventure program will resonate and create a pull effect for troops attending Owasippe. The current “word of mouth” strategy is both boring and ineffective. Today’s youth are used to high energy, action oriented messages so that’s how Owasippe’s High Adventure program needs to be positioned, an opportunity for teens to partake in adventure, to do exciting activities and to do so with a high degree of autonomy.

This message should be disseminated to the target youth via multiple multimedia channels. The quickest and easiest media to spread the message is via the internet. There are no pages on the official website targeted to potential participants… none!  An exciting, interactive site would draw in prospective High Adventure participants from around the nation year round.

The campaign should begin in the early fall before the troop PLCs meet to determine their next year’s calendar. Since such a campaign has not been done before, there would be minimal information available for publishing as the current camp planning cycle is not geared towards an early release of program specific details. So an initial structure would be put in place with placeholders for growth, such as program details and a library of reference materials or links to sites of related interest. An email sign up would allow program managers to communicate with prospects as new developments or improvements become available. Since there is no singe High Adventure web based resource, both official or unofficial, the Manistee Quest site would become a leader in this area and would draw an inordinate amount of traffic, hence, more prospective participants.

Other media formats would spawn off of the main website theme including direct mail, inserts and space ads. The placement and timing of these efforts would initially support the website launch, then later in the winter would coincide with the council camp payment schedule to increase interest at the same time troop adult leadership is calling for deposits and payments. Each effort would consistently drive prospects to the Manistee Quest website as the definitive site for High Adventure information AND opportunity. Staff and friends of the camp would be encouraged to submit articles to Boys Life and other magazines. Space ads in those issues placed near the article would call for action by driving respondents to the website to signup for the enewsletter, and this is just the beginning.  As each season passes, the experience gained would be allow for the infrastructure to grow.  Additional web features such as on-line registration, forums, web casts and downloadable demonstrations are all very doable and realistic goals to work towards in short-term program objectives.

Scouters

Traditional communication programs have been mainly funneled through the scout leaders. Most of this information is in the form of a Leaders Guide and late winter information meetings at several city locations. This information is mostly program and policy specific and is used as a tool by scouters to help plan their troops activities and programs at the camp. Because it is program specific, some information may be missing as not all of the details are known until later in the year as annual staff has an influence on the execution. It is then up to the leaders to return to the boys and try to convey the key points for planning sessions. Although this is an important step in summer camp preparation, it is not an effect marketing tactic. It also excludes out-of-council troops outside of a reasonable driving range of the meeting.

The scouter marketing plan has two objectives. One, provide key camp information to the scouters in advance of the PLC planning cycle so that Owasippe and Manistee Quests are included in their short list for the next calendar year. Two, provide follow information to attending troops with program specific information, including early signup sheets to encourage mid-teenage scouts to participate in the outposts or low trek programs for section camp troops. Additionally, Manistee Quest troops have a separate registration process so those troops leaders will receive trek specific information as well as promotional material aimed at generating scout sign up or retention. This recognizes that most treks will be reserved in advance without specific scouts designated for the slots. This material will help the troop gain a commitment from the older scouts to sign up and participate.

Although a detail media plan needs to be created, here’s are a few ideas:

1. Create a Manistee Quest web site aimed at young men and women
2. Market to Boys Life list in the Midwest
3. Submit articles for Boys Life and other periodicals.
4. Place space ads in support of article placement.
5. Place space ads in Scouting and other adult leader periodicals.
6. Mail to Philmont waiting list within the Midwest target area
7. Inserts in Philmont package as an ideal warm ups program for Midwest crews

Summary

Owasippe’s high adventure program is an opportunity to get teens excited about scouting and help retain them in the program. The longevity of scouting requires that we influence older boys to remain in the program. And influence them positively so that they get their sons to participate and become leaders themselves when they have families. In today’s world where Scouting faces increased competition from many other organized sports, we need to upgrade the program with exciting options rather than dummy-down the program. Manistee Quest can provide an exciting and enticing program if it’s grown and positioned properly.

Owasippe is almost singular in America’s Scouting program because of its size and location. Its large acreage allows a flexible, multi-tiered program to step scouts into High Adventure by integrating easy to moderate Low and High treks into section camp programs. These programs than also can feed into the separate but related Manistee Quest High Adventure program. Its central Midwest location makes Owasippe and Manistee Quest easily accessible to many large council. The new Lake Express ferry even opens up southern Wisconsin as a possible market. The proximity to Manistee-Huron National Forests and half a dozen scenic rivers provides a competitive advantage over many similar programs.

CAC is in minimalist mode, ready to divest itself from this important scouting asset. A self-defeating policy is a shameful sign of resignation. Instead we need the vision to turn the program around and make it flourish. A facility with the size, location and resources available to Owasippe can realistically position itself as the top High Adventure program in the Midwest. It’s time to restore America’s first scout camps as America’s Premier Scout camp.

The hypocritical aspects of the two programs operated by the Scouts is amazing. On one hand, members are required to swear to an oath and law to a set of moral standards and the Scouting organization stands ready to defend it’s right to assert these standards on its membership, even to the point where the defense is draining its valuable and limited resources away from programs supporting the membership. On the other hand, the “Non-Scouting” Scouting program participants are not required to make such pledges. And Scouting and the people who run it and set the policies, including the Chicago Area Council board, are comfortable with wearing two faces, the “traditional” Scouting face where they are willing to cut off its own nose to spite its face, and the “Non-Scouting” Scouting face where it seems willing to look the other way when it comes to standing by one’s values. 

Therefore, one of the more appalling aspects of the approve sale is to see the “traditional” Scouting asset, Owasippe, build by “traditional” scouting donations, “traditional” Scouting sweat and ‘traditional” Scouting love being pillaged to funnel funds to “Non-Scouting” Scouting Learning For Life. I have met and known men and woman who have given a large portion of their life to build up the camp and its program so that the Scouting youth could have a unique “traditional” Scouting experience. Owasippe is not only America’s first and oldest “traditional” Scout camp, it is camp with resources unlike many others. At almost 5,000 acres, Owasippe could be developed into a regional resource both for ‘traditional” Scouting youth as well as thousand of non-Scouts. It also is a rare haven to 19 endangered or threatened species as well as endangered habitats, all of which will suffer under the current plans. But the Council seems to be unconcerned or unaware of it’s opportunity to or of “traditional” Scouting’s long history of conservation of our environment,

The first point of twelve in the “traditional” Scouting Scout Law is “trustworthy.” Not only do I personally believe this to be the most import of the twelve, but I also believe it to be one of the most fundamental moral codes to which a person should adhere. Once you lose one’s trust, it is almost impossible to earn it back. Unfortunately, the Chicago Area Council board has lost my trust and that of many if not most of the volunteer “traditional” Scouters in the field who actually run the programs for the youth. As a Scouting volunteer, I stand in front of our troop flag and my nation’s flag and swear to live up to the “traditional” Scouting Oath and Law. Participants in the Learning For Life program are not required to pledge their allegiance to those same principals. Perhaps some members of the board close their “traditional” Scouting eye and crossed their “traditional” Scouting fingers when voting on issues that benefit the “Non-Scouting” Scouting program.

I view this effort as one of the most critical junctures in the council's history.  Losing a council camp, such as Owasippe, may very well be the final blow to the camping program, the heart of the scouting program.

There are three specific reasons why I feel it's imperative that you vote against the sale of Owasippe and stand in support of building a new, stronger camping program for the second hundred years:

1.         The Responsibility of Tradition
2.         The Future of Scouting in CAC
3.         Stewards of the Land

The Responsibility of Tradition

As America's first and oldest long-term summer camp, it would be shameful to lose this national treasure. You will undoubtedly receive many letters, email and phone calls from alumni as Owasippe has a special place in their hearts and souls. I am one of them.   My father went to Owasippe, as did I in my youth.  It has been one of my dreams to have my son's continue the tradition.  My son and I belong to Troop 149 in McHenry, IL (Blackhawk Area Council).  This spring I brought a group of our older scouts to participate the BioBlitz.  They fell in love with Owasippe, and these are scouts who have camped at three or four different council camps, in fact, two expressed interest in working on Staff.  Then last Tuesday, at our PLC 2003 Planning meeting, several suggested that we attend Owasippe this summer as a troop. You can’t imagine how my heart broke when I heard my own voice suggesting that may not be a good idea as CAC is considering excluding out-of-council troops this year.  One of my lifelong aspirations shattered.

The Future of Scouting in CAC

I don't suggest this lightly.  I was a scout in Troop 955, Edison Park Lutheran Church, in the 1970's when the "outing" was removed from Scouting.  I hated it as a scout and I still look upon those program changes with disdain today.  Plus I don't think the program ever fully recovered from the lose in membership that resulted from that program change, although I know there are many more reasons for lower membership (competition, shrinking .demographics, etc.)  But I look upon the sale of Owasippe much in the same light.

I look to our council as an example, When Blackhawk and Grant Councils merged into Blackhawk Area Council, economics forced the sale of one of the three camps they owned.   Politics and economics drove them to select Camp Northwoods on the Wisconsin and Michigan border.  Many folks I talked to say that was the better of the three camps.   Now Lowden and Canyon Camp remain, but most of the troops I've talked to in our district will not go there, including our own.  We attend various other Council's summer camps because o superior program and facilities.  Plus they are in a more remote country.  As a result, there's not a strong sense tradition and belonging.   And we also lose autonomy or at least a voice in how the camps and their program are ran, as we are out-of-council troops, always second to in-council troops. 

This is the situation facing CAC troops should the sale of Owasippe go through.   There will be no affinity for being a member of the council and their camping programs will be dictated by other council's staff and boards, not their own.  I perceive this shift away from Chicago Area Council as being a threat to scouting, as CAC is one of the largest councils in the nation. And if CAC can't lead the way, I'm sure the current trend of camp sell offs will continue.  Then where will anybody go?

Stewards of the Land

As I mentioned earlier, I participated in this spring's BioBlitz with The Nature Conservancy.  It's no small wonder that they were excited about this opportunity as Owasippe is a rare situation.  Almost 5,000 acres of land owned and managed by an organization with a long history and commitment to conservation and environmental science.  And that same organization was interested in developing a long-term land-use/management plan that would conserve and restore rare and endangered habitat communities and species, including Federally protect endangered species, such as the Karner Blue Butterfly.  During the seventies, the image of the Bald Eagle appeared on Owasippe belt buckles and t-shirts because it was one of the rare places near Chicago where this wonderful animal chose to live and breed!

I view Souting's role in conservation and nurturing our youth's love of the outdoors as equal to developing leadership, citizenship and reverence.   Besides the fiscal responsibility to the program and the moral obligation o the youth we serve, I believe that it's our duty to protect and be stewards of the land.   Once sold, we lose control of this trust.

If Owasippe is sold, three will never, ever be another opportunity to recreate the precious resource we now have and love.  If scouting were to rebound in a few decades as demographic age groups improve, it will be too late.  It will be impossible to locate such a large, pristine block of land suitable for a summer camp program with half a day's drive of Chicago.  Once it's gone, it's gone forever.

I know you and the other members are all committed to the scouting program.   Otherwise you would not have volunteered for this responsibility.  And that you have been wrestling with this issue for some time now without the results for which you had hoped to see. But I encourage you to take a deeper look into ways of solving this problem.  Embrace the newly charged army of volunteers that will rise from this urgent emergency.  Make this moment in scouting history your testament and legacy

February 18, 2005                                                                                William Vannerson
                                                                                                            4820 Barnwood Ct.
                                                                                                            McHenry, IL  60050

Richard H.  Cooper

Cooperfund Inc

611 Enterprise Drive

Oak Brook, , IL  60523

Dear Richard H.  Cooper,

It is now the eleventh hour.

If rumors are true, in a few days you will be part of a decision that will forever change the Scouting program for young men in the Chicago area. I like so many other volunteers with ties to Owasippe, strongly disagree with this decision and urge you, beseech you to vote “no!”

I believe that Owasippe should remain the cornerstone of the Council’s camping program in it’s current configuration. I do not agree that a “good” program can be run on a camp of a few hundred acres. I know because our troop has camped at such locations and will not return. There is no adventure when the stars are obliterated by light pollution and the majority of the wildlife has abandoned the area for lack of habitat. To sell off or significantly reduce the size of the Council’s camp will in essence be tantamount to outsourcing its camping program as many troops will seek other, more suitable locations for their boys. And once you’ve lost control of your camping program, you’ve lost control of the heart of the Scouting program.

Therefore I implore you to not agree to this sale. Instead you should do everything in our power to support and enable the successful transfer of Owasippe to the Owasippe Outdoor Education Center (OOEC), even if that sale would net less profits into the Council’s bank account. The sacrifice of the short-term gain will be offset by the long-tern benefit to generations of youth to come. I realize that there are hard and complex issues at stake and that you have a fiduciary responsibility in your role. But you also carry the responsibility of standing up as a leader for the organization, a leader of with vision. Mark Twain wrote:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.

Should you chose the safe, profitable path, there will be no “Camp Cooper” or a “Cooper Camping award.” Not that one should aspire for such accolades, but one should aspire to become the leader that would inspire others to honor you thusly. The profits from this sale may go a long way to help save or create valuable programs, but none of them will carry the lasting legacy that saving Owasippe would bestow. So I encourage you with all my heart to take a few moments before the vote to reflect upon what you believe your true contribution to the program will be. What will your legacy be? How will your name be remembered by Scouts 50 to 100 years from now in a time when camping resources such as Owasippe will be non-existent.

Will you throw off the bowlines and fight for Owasippe? Or will you seek the safe harbor and forgo the adventure, dreams and discoveries for our youth. I beg you to catch the trade winds in your sails and ride the crest of the wave. Vote down the sale and throw your support behind the Owasippe Outdoor Education Center’s effort.

                                                                                    William Vannerson
                                                                                    Assistant Scoutmaster 1999 to present
                                                                                    Owasippe Staff 1973 – 1977
                                                                                    Owasippe Camper 1969 - 1972