Therefore, I have published my letter on my personal SOSR website. I would encourage anyone who may have heard any disparaging rumors about my letter to view it yourself and make your own decision. I have also added my first letter from two years ago as well as an editorial response to the September 4, 2004 Tribune article where I question Mr. Chookaszian’s vision of a camping program.

• Letter to the Board: February 18, 2005
• Letter to the Board: October 3, 2002
• A Call for Leadership 

If at anytime I inadvertently offend someone, even a board member who voted to sell, or if I make a statement that is inaccurate or misguided, I will gladly retract such statements and openly apologize to the individual. I have never intended to attack or disparage anyone, only question their opinions and decisions with regards to the future of America’s first scout camp.

Top Stories Available at ethe OSA site
Visit www.owasippe.com to access the most recent news.

"Under handed" Dealings?
It's not totally clear yet, but the board may not have been "obove board" with its own member. Visit  with its own board members. Visit  http://scarlet_sassafras.tripod.com for the latest word on how some pro Owasippe board members may not have even known about the meeting or may not have been given the same conference call voting options as some anti-Owasippe members.

Selling Out "Traditional" Scouting
While the board indicates the monies from the windfall sale will benifit their programs, it's not clear exactly how. Could it be that the profits will not benifit "traditional" scouts all that much and it will instead be used to fund BSA's after school Learning For Life program that's funded by BSA and Councils but operated by teachers and other volunteers. Read my new editorial piece, Selling Out "Traditional" Scouting, that reflects my first blush impressions on this develeopment.

Monday 2/21/2005@ 7:00p.m.
Owasippe Vigil: Please come out and support Owasippe outside the Council Building at 1218 W. Adams on Monday at 7. Please bring class-A and show your support.

Tuesday 2/22/2005 @ 7:00 p.m.
Those interested and able are also invited to picket the location of the CAC Exec Board and regular Board meeting on Tuesday, February 22nd, beginning at 1:30pm at the Union League Club, 65 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago IL 60604 (sw corner of Federal and Jackson).

What else can you do?
First of all, visit the OSA website (www.owasippe.com) freqently to get the lastest news.  Second, get the word out. Pass this information along to as many friend of Owasippe as you can. Also, make sure your Charter Organization Representatives and your district executives know your position against the sale. Many if not allare already in agreement with the SOS position, but it helps them to know that they truly are representing their organizations.

A Smaller Owasippe No Longer a Premier Camp
Why would I make such a statement? If the CAC board member responsile for leading the Council's camping program, Dennis Chookaszian, has is way, Owasippe will occupy approximately the same amount ofspace as a good sized golf course. Constricting the camp in this manner will severly reduce the number and quality of programs available to our youth. Read my editorial, A Call for Leadership, that lists the reasons why Mr. Chookaszian's vision, or lack of vision, is misguided and what the Council really needs is leadership and courage to build a strong program for our children and their children in the next century.

Website Moving
A combination of events, the OOEC website and my desire to upgade my personal internet connection has led to the decision to migrate a modified version of this site to a new location. Folks interested in learning what's happening should make sure they bookmark theie site, as well as the OSA site. Most of the timely news will arrive their first and my efforets here in hat regard is simply redundant. I will maintain a modified version of my editorial content so I may express my personal opinion on progress (or lack of progress) as the spirit moves me.  I will keep this account active for a few months to allow folks who have bookmarked it to record the link once I publish it.  I would welcome comments if you are interested on what content you found interesting, if any, that I should consider for the new site. Send the to wvannerson@foley.com.

The plan is a comprehensive outline of the OOEC's vision on how they are developing a program that will combine various multi-season uses with youth activities, including Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, conservation efforts and education with a new commercial eLearning center built in partnership with an as yet unamed company out of Grand Rapids. The partnership with this company is key to building a viable business model that can sustain both the revenue producing programs as well as the non-profit programs. The plan does not yet spell out all of the details, but lays out enough information to make it clear that there is a well thought out business plan underlying the document. The proposal is a MUST READ for all who are interested or involved in saving Owasippe.

The plan almost overshadows the launch of the new website. The new site is a valuable resource that's long over due as we now have a central information source for critical communications as we head into what we all hope is the final stretch. I particularly like the section that describes the camp and its facilities. It's the most complete and informative description available and will help those who are unfamilair with the camp get a better understanding on ow unique Owasippe is when compared to many other camps. It will also be useful to leaders who have never been to Owasippe to get a better understanding of its size and layout.  Well done and kudos to all involved.

http://www.ooec.org/

To help shed some knowledgte on the subject, I am going to build a reference section below comprised of pertenant links with comments as a way to help educate folks on the true conservation issues facing the ecosystems that currently exist within Owasippe that are threatened by the Council's intent to parcel out the land to maximize profits.

Endangered Habitats

Endangered Species

Another interesting comment from the attorney was that declining "interest" in Owasippe is in part due to urban programs.  I wonder how much of the the Camp Hoover sale windfall has found it's way into Scouting's pet project "Learning for Life" in the Chicago Public School system?  I'm beginning to feel a bit like Cinderella, the forgotten stepsister.

• STAFF
  At least two prior years on camp staff, either paid or voluntary.
  
• ASSOCIATE
  At least one year on camp staff or two years as an adult leader with a unit coming to camp.
  
• AFFILIATE
  One not meeting the above requirements but who is supportive of the OSA's purpose and goals.

Visit the OSA website for more information and membership application.

Also, if you are not a registered scouter, join as a Member-at-Large. Registering within the CAC will give your voice more strength.  I will post more information on how to register as soon as I learn more details.

Two More Mailing Contacts
Ron Derby, President of the OSA, has just added two new names for our letter campaigns.  Please send them with your opinions that you already sent out to the others as well as include them on future mailings.  I have also added them to the Excel file I created for mail merging.

Remember to spread the word as we need even more support come this January when SOSR faced the board again!

Of course, I don't necessarily agree with everything in the plan and it also raises some interesting questions.   I'll add more thoughts on this and other topics soon on the Editorial Page.

There are 2 primary web site where the latest information can be found, the OSA web site and the Scarlet Sassafras website (SOSR Committee member Ron Kulak's personal web site.  There is some indications that the CAC's official web site may start to post information on the situation and efforts to save Owasippe as well.  But there is no real information posted there as of yet.  This site is an unofficial web site that will mostly consolidate and point to the other sites for critical information, as well as provide an outlet for information that may be to sensitive or contradictory to make it to the "official: sites.

The board officially voted on the issue at the October 16, 2002 CAC board Meeting.and they have officially allowed Joe Sener and the SOSR Committee the opportunity to solicit major gifts to fund an endowment to "eliminate the consideration for divestiture" as the CAC President Lewis Greenblatt stated.  The complete text of Mr. Greenblatt's letter can be read on the OSA web site, as well as a brief summary of the results from Joe written that very evening.   A full reporting will be posted shortly on the OSA and on the Council's web site.

Donations should go to The Owasippe Staff Assoc. and earmarked for "Owasippe Endowment".  Further referrals to other donor prospects for solicitation in this effort would also be appreciated. Pledges and donations should be sent to the OSA, PO Box 7097, Westchester, IL 60154. Checks should be made payable to the "OSA."

Ron Kulak reports on 11/4/02 that ...

"In the first few weeks of taking donations, the OSA has collected $22,000 in pledges and donations... a lot of it from prior campers who live out of town and who heard about the camp's problem from friends or family or who read about it in their local newspaper.   Hey, word gets around.   People want to help.  Results are needed...the clock is running.    We've also been told of personal pledges of $30,000 arising from the last Council Board meeting, $10,000 being promised by Jim Stone, Scout Exec.   I have found, though, that the most valuable and heartfelt donations are the $5 and $10 that Scouts send in as cash from their allowances...incredible devotion.
 
Scouters can run fund drives and seek help from other institutions from within their districts and from employers.   While foundations are being researched for assistance, the importance of of a strong "grass-roots" effort cannot be emphasized strongly enough!   This is how we ALL take ownership for the success of this campaign and for the continuance of operations at Owasippe.   Be sure to talk to past Scouts and Scouters, to parents of current and prior Scouts, as well as to civic leaders and vendors.   In your contacts and solicitations, you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how many have had or currently have connections to Owasippe and are sympathetic to its plight.
 
If you need sets of pledge/donation forms mailed to you, please call the OSA Endowment Coordinator, Mike "Buddha" Campbell at 773-283-7723 or email him at Budaosa@hotmail.com"

1. Contact your troop's Leaders, Committee & Chartered Organization Representative.
   If you are an active scout or scouter in the Chicago Area Council, get them involved and encourage them to contact the CAC Board and let them know how attend the October 16 Board meeting and encourage the Board to fully support our effort vote down any proposal to sell the camps.  Time is short, so get on the phones now.
   
   
2. Write letters.
   Mail letters to each member of the Chicago Area Council Board & Executive Committee listed on the Scarlet Sassafras website and on the OSA site.  You can download mailing data files for merge printing below in the Links section.  These people need to know that we are committed to keeping America's longest camping tradition alive.  Please read the official statement Joe released that posted on the Owasippe Staff Association website to learn all of the facts and write your letter today!
    
3. Spread the word. 
   There are thousands of former campers and staffers out there who all have had similar experiences at Owasippe and count those years as among the best of their lives.  Let them know that their support are needed.   I will post specific information here as it's made public.
   
4. Join the OSA email list. 
   The OSA will broadcast the latest news and information using this list.  Sign up today so you can find out exactly what's happening.

OSR holds approximately 5,000 acres of land along the southern boundaries of Manistee National Forest.  This land is home to over 1,000 different species of plants and animals.  It's one of the most diverse sanctuaries of plants and animals in the state of Michigan, home to several endangered and protected species, as well as endangered habitats. If Owasippe were sold, much of this habitat would disappear, perhaps forever.

• Owasippe Traditions
• The Owasippe Legend Continues

Owasippe Traditions

Contributed Bill "Uncle Willie" Vannerson

Why does one plot of land hold such strong sway over the hearts of so many. One reason is that there is more to a piece of earth than just the soil, water, flora and fauna one sees with their eyes. There is the passage of time. The movement of the sun season after season turns the pages on the calendar and sees the ghosts of those who walked the paths, swam the lakes and streams and breathed deep among the life force of the plants and animals.

The woods of Owasippe team with ghosts.

They are the ghosts of scouts and scouters who partnered with the land for a time. They spent days of their summers relishing the joys that Owasippe freely offered; the clean lakes to swim, the running river to paddle, the shaded forest and open fields to hike. And they had each other to nurture a camaraderie that few will find anywhere else, the brotherhood of scouting.

They are my father and my uncle who in their youth preceded me to Owasippe. Even as a first time camper, I was keenly aware of their presence. I had a strange revelation, the image of men that I only knew as adults, but here I could imagine them as scouts, like me, running on the beach swimming in the waters, and hiking the trails.

There are the ghosts of the staff and scouters who left a part of their legacy at Owasippe, the spirits of men and women who lived among the forests. Their hearts soared each summer as they wove Owasippe and the Scouting's ideals together into a life-long experience for young men, feeding their souls with an eternal memory. And their hearts broke at the end of each summer as the reluctantly left the place they'd call home, a home like no other place on earth.

They are the likes of E. Urner Goodman, Cofounder of the Order of the Arrow and an early reservation director. Surely his spirit still joins in every campfire as scouts reverently sing the words that he wrote, the Owasippe Hymn. They are Sheridan Nunn and Whit Lloyd whose spirits must still roam among the woods they loved and dedicated much of their days to preserve. They are the countless scoutmasters and leaders who unselfishly gave their time so that young men could grow strong and enjoy the beauty.

There are the ghosts of the Native Americans who honored the land before us A people from which we borrow an ideal of respecting the land. Those that wove their lives with the land, the plants an the game. Season after season they walked the land watching the leaves painted the landscape in the fall, as the lakes froze in the winter, as the blossoms burst forth in the spring and as bounty came to full glory again in the summer. 

They are the sprit and lore of Chief Owasippe and the lesson of love and dedication as we recall the legend of Chief Owasippe's ordeal. It's a spot on a bluff overlooking the White River where a cairn of stone marks the spot of his commitment and love. The pile of stones and people left behind from countless campers as the trekked to his grave and honored his dedication. It's the spirit of a belief that we are stewards of the land, that we are responsible for its care, for its future.

There are the ghosts of the scouts, the scouters and staff, and the legends.

I can still recall the dining hall walls plastered with home make plaques fashioned out of left over lumber or sawed off log ends. Many were awards for contests gloriously won by scouts in competition or in a display of their scouting prowess. But the ones that caught my attention were the troop attendance plaques. Dangling beneath each painted plank or wood disk, were links of medallions, each one representing the year in which the troop camped there. Some troop's plaques had dozens of medallions representing generations of scouting.

These medallions represented thousands of scouts that took their part in building the tradition.. Generation after generation of youth and leaders all bound together in the tradition of Owasippe.  Imagine how many walking among us, leaders in our nation, leaders in our community, leaders in our places of worship, leaders in our homes, have stood together at the end of the closing campfire to sing the traditional closing song, the Owasippe Hymn.

All the wealth of earth and heaven,
Bless thy woods and dales.
Over all thy lakes and forests,
Happy youth prevails.
So may Scouting's bond of friendship
Seal our loyalty...
To the camp so dear to memory,
Hail, Owasippe.

by E. Urner Goodman, 1925

Let us pray that a hundred years hence, that scouts, scouters and staff will still be standing around the glowing embers of a closing campfire still singing the Owasippe Hymn.  And just behind their shoulders will be the ghosts of two-hundred years of tradition singing along with them.

Traditions Postscript

I was not aware that E Urner Goodman was the author of the Owasippe Hymn until Ron Kulak recently pointed it out to me.  He also noted that he also server the youth of Chicago as Reservation Director. As Ron explains ...

"E. Urner Goodman was the Reservation Director and Carroll A Edson was on Ad Center staff and was also a section camp director. I believe they were a team in the mid-to-late twenties for about 3-4 years. Yes, it is a known fact that Goodman wrote the Owasippe Hymn and also officially was able to incorporate the OA into the BSA program at a national OA conference held at Owasippe, I think in 1928 (it's noted in the OA Handbook) when he was Reservation Director."

The roots of Owasippe's past run deeper than I had ever imagined.

The Owasippe Legend Continues

Contributed by Apensui Majawatt

This wonderful tale, The Owasippe Legend Continues, draws from the original Owasippe legend and relates the tale from the Fort Dearborn (Chicago) perspective.  It goes on to demonstrate how the legend continues and is alive in each of us as we walk the land.  And that it's our responsibility to preserve and protect the land once loved by Chief Owasippe, his sons and his people.  We are all "Sons of Owasippe."

Owasippe Outdoor Education Center

Owasippe Staff Association (OSA)

The Scarlet Sassafras

The Owasippe Solution (PDF file on the OSA web site)

SOSR Donation/Pledge Form (PDF file on the OSA web site)

SOSR Chicago Area Council Board Mailing Addresses (MS Word file on the OSA web site)

SOSR Chicago Area Council Board Mailing Addresses (MS Excel file)

Chicago Area Council 2002-2005 Strategic Plan  (PDF file on the CAC web site)