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Serving Otter Tail, Wilkin, Grant and Richland counties in Minnesota and North Dakota.
District Top Leaders
| District Chairman | ||
| District Vice-Chairman (Program) | Mark DeMartelaere | (218) 671-0588 |
| District Commissioner | Mike Guck | (218) 849-2124 |
| Asst. District Commissioner (West) | Teresa Pearson | (701) 640-7218 |
| Asst. District Commissioner (East) | Mark DeMartelaere | (218) 736-7226 |
| District Executive | Melissa Halda | (218) 252-8706 |
| Director of Field Service | Darin Steindl | (218) 979-4653 cell |
Mailing Address:
Oxcart Trails District, Boy Scouts of America
P.O. Box 1007
Fergus Falls, MN 56538
New District Executive - Missy Halda
We are pleased to announce that Melissa “Missy” Halda has been selected as the District Executive for Oxcart Trails district, effective November 1, 2019.
Missy’s primary responsibility will be fulfilling the mission of Scouting through leadership and guidance of district operations, including; volunteer engagement, membership recruitment, community and family fundraising, new unit sales, fiscal management of activity budgets and program support in the Oxcart Trails district.
Missy is a graduate of Bemidji State University and has served as Camp Director for the Scouts BSA summer camp at Camp Wilderness the past three summers. She will continue serving as Camp Director again this year.
Please join us in congratulating Missy as she begins working with you to grow the Scouting programs across the area.
Life to Eagle Orientation
Life Scouts, parents and Scoutmasters working with Life Scouts are encouraged to attend the next orientation on Thursday, November 7, beginning at 7:00 pm at Augustana Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls.
The orientation will help understand the process, paperwork and approvals needed to attain the rank of Eagle Scout.
Youth Protection Training
All Scout leaders need to complete Youth Protection training every two years to maintain their registration in the Boy Scouts of America.
The next in-person Youth Protection Training will be held Thursday, November 7, beginning at 7:00 pm at Augustana Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls.
There is no charge to complete this training.
Cub Scout Leader Training
The next in-person Cub Scout Leader Training session will be held Tuesday, November 12, 7:00 pm at Augustana Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls.
If you are a den leader, Webelos den leader, Cubmaster or Pack committee member and haven't completed this basic training, we encourage you to attend.
You will learn the basics of running a Cub Scout meeting, how the advancement program works, and what resources are available to make your job easier!
There is no cost to participate in this training.
Scouts BSA Leader & Outdoor Skills Training
Friday, November 22 - Saturday, November 23, 2019
Runestone County Park, 8965 County RD 103 SW, Kensington, MN
Every Scout deserves a trained Leader!
This course will provide volunteers with the basic information and tools they need to lead successful Scouts BSA troops. Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters who complete this course and Youth Protection Training are considered “trained” for those positions.
Start time - 6 pm on Friday, End time - 6 pm on Saturday
Area for sleeping and meals provided. Cost is $15 per person.
For more information, contact David Pedersen at (320) 808-1056. Register now online or download the paper registration form.
Charter Renewal
Annually, every Scout Unit must renew the memberships of their youth and adult members for the upcoming charter year. In the Oxcart Trails District, most of our unit charters expire on February 28.
We ask that every unit have a representative attend the December 5 Roundtable, 7:00 pm at Augustana Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls. Charter renewal packets will be distributed along with access codes and instructions on using the online renewal system.
The Boy Scouts of America recently announced that registration fees are increasing in 2020. The new registration fees have been updated in the online charter renewal system.
Since the Northern Lights Council will be subsidizing the fees this year due to the timing of the national council decision, when you log in to the system in January - you should ignore the fees online. Instead, use the new charter fee worksheets available to download from the council website at www.nlcbsa.org/charters.
This time of year is an exciting time of year for many of our Arrow of Light Scouts. Not only are they completing their final Achievements in Cub Scouts, but the Arrow of Light Scouts are looking forward to their future years in Scouting. Mark Sundberg our District Webelos to Scout Transition Chair, has been working with the Scouts who are currently AOL and what their plans are after they have completed Cub Scouts. Many scouts are planning on crossing over to Scouts BSA, and we are excited to have them be apart of the older youth program! Make sure to have their transfer applications completed if they are crossing over to a troop, and turned in as soon as you can! Not only is this a great time for AOL scouts to crossover, but it is an excellent time to invite others to your Troop! Here are some excellent resources to help out with creating a Troop Open House!
Open House Form for Troops - This form will let us know when you plan on having your open house. Just fill it out and and Lindsay will get flyers to the school!
Council Resources - This has great information for anyone who wants more information on the Webelos to Scout Transition Process
Oxcart Trails Youth Protection Champions
| Jessica Gibble | New York Mills | (218) 402-0348 |
| Jeffrey Krosch | New York Mills | ((218) 639-3684 |
| Jaime Brause | Fergus Falls, MN | (218) 205-4851 |
| Stephen Herdan | Pelican Rapids, MN | (218) 671-0761 |
| Gordy Przbylski | Perham, MN |
(317)-946-7007 |
| Ben Smith | Underwood, MN | (218) 791-7353 |
| Teresa Pearson | Breckenridge, MN | (701) 640-7218 |
| Tammy Miller | Colfax,ND | (701) 741-4355 |
| Mark DeMartelaere | Fergus Falls, MN | (218) 671-0588 |
| Mike Guck | Battle Lake, MN | (218) 849-2124 |
Update your BeAScout pin today, so future Scouting families can find your Units
Today’s parents can do it all online. With a few taps on their tablet, they can buy school supplies, sign up for soccer or hire a babysitter.And, more and more these days, they’re finding out about Scouting online, too. Today’s parents want, and expect, to learn more about the BSA through a simple-to-use, nicely designed website.
BeAScout.org is that website. It is the first thing many prospective Scouting families see about the BSA, and it tells them what Scouting is, why it’s a good fit for their family and where they can find a Cub Scout pack, Scouts BSA troop, Venturing crew or Sea Scout ship near them.
That last part — the where — is where you come in. It’s time to update your unit’s listing on BeAScout.org, and I’ll tell you why.You see, when moms and dads visit BeAScout.org, they can enter their ZIP code to find all the Scout units near them.
These results show up as pins, with each representing a pack, troop, crew or ship nearby. If your unit is represented by one of those pins, you want that prospective Scout parent to have a direct line of communication to you. That way you can tell them all about how awesome Pack 123 is or what makes Troop 456 so great.
There’s just one problem: some units haven’t updated their pins, meaning there’s an extra obstacle between you and a new member of your unit.But don’t worry. Updating your pin is easy, and it’s well worth your time.
How to update your BeAScout.org pin
Updating your BeAScout.org pin is simple, and it’s a good way to make sure your information is current — that it doesn’t list last year’s Cubmaster or meeting time, for example. Access to update your pin is available to all unit leaders, including committee members in a unit.
To update your pin:
Wendal, Bryan. "Update your BeAScout pin today, so future Scouting families can find you tomorrow", https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org, 28 Jan. 2019, https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2019/01/28/update-your-beascout-pin-today-so-future-scouting-families-can-find-you-tomorrow/. Accessed 11 June 2019.
Monthly District Calendar
Oxcart Trails District Committee
| SBSA Roundtable Commissioner | Mike Guck | (218) 849-2124 |
| Product Sales Chair | Ben Smith | (218) 791-7353 |
| Webelos to Scout Transition | Mark Sundberg | (218) 731-5942 |
| Membership | Wally Senyk | (218) 770-4598 |
| Day Camp (Camp Director) | Jaime Brause | (218) 205-4851 |
| Day Camp (Program Director) | Jessica Gibble | (218) 402-0348 |
| Cub Scout Leader Training | Jessica Gibble | (218) 402-0348 |
| Scouts BSA Leader Training | Dave Pederson | (320) 808-1056 |
| Youth Protection Champion | Mike Guck | (218) 849-2124 |
| Order of the Arrow | Doug Hansen | (701) 541-0300 |
| Scouting for Food | Dick Barsness | (218) 205-1901 |
| Klondike Derby 2020 | Mike Partain | (218) 731-5675 |
| Fall Camporee 2019 | Ryan Hansen | (218) 770-7505 |
| Spring Camporee 2019 | Mark DeMartelaere | (218) 736-7226 |
| Cub Scout Advancements | Teresa Pearson | (701) 640-7218 |
| Scouts BSA Advancements | Mark DeMartelaere | (218) 736-7226 |
| District Recognition Banquet | Mark DeMartelaere | (218) 736-7226 |
|
Eagle Projects/Board of Review |
Ivan Maas | (701) 899-1087 |
| 2019 Membership Growth Incentive |
Our goal, as always, is to increase the number of young men and young women that we serve through our life-changing program. We do transform our communities and To encourage unit leadership to pursue membership growth in all packs and troops this fall we are offering the following incentive:
For more details and to determine your membership goal speak with your District Executive. |
| Posted: 2019-07-01 |
| Amazon Smile Gives Back to Northern Lights Council |
Support the Northern Lights Council When You Shop on Amazon Smile.amazon.com is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. Designate the Northern Lights Council as your charity, and your purchase will help the council with no cost to you! |
| Posted: 2019-03-18 |
have a powerful positive impact on the future!
