OA Section List - Central Region Region Updates

Noquet Lodge #29 was originally supposed to host the 2017 C-2 Conclave at D-bar-A Scout Ranch; however, Tom Payne of Nataepu Shohpe Lodge informed me that "Noquet 29 and Agaming 804 switched about 6 months before the event because of a camporee conflict."

Mergers and Changes:

"After a recent reorganization of the Michigan Crossroads Council, the National OA Chairman informed them that their four lodges [Noquet 29, Kishahtek 88, Nataepu Shohpe 251, and Agaming Maangogwan 804] that we would be required to comply with the One Council - One Lodge Rule. This is despite the Youth Officers all 4 lodges agreeing that their operation would be best separate."
Effective: Jan 1, 2021
References: Matthew Grimble, 2020-21 Lodge Treasurer, Noquet Lodge #29

2019:

Greater St. Louis Area Council and Lincoln Trails Council merged to form a unified Greater St. Louis Area Council. On Sep 4th, Tony Smee confirmed that there "are four chartered lodges now in Greater St. Louis Area Council."
Effective: Jan. 1, 2019.
Reference: Greater St. Louis Area Council's website

Allohak Council, along with its lodge Nendawen 618, is divided up between its four neighboring councils: Simon Kenton, Muskingum Valley, Mountaineer Area, and Buckskin.

"'The decision to merge the Allohak Council with adjacent councils was not taken lightly, and was based on our ongoing efforts to manage Scouting resources wisely in order to focus on our mission of providing families with the area's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership. This decision was made as part of the re-evaluation of our allocation of financial resources and delivery of the Scouting program to best meet the community's needs,' said Todd Walter, Area Director."

References: "Allohak Council of Boy Scouts approves merger", Parkersburg News and Sentinel, 12/1/18
Effective: both council and lodge charters to expire Dec. 31, 2019.
References: Nendawen 618 facebook page

2018:

On February 22, 2018, Michigamea Lodge #110 Lodge Staff Adviser, Cathlynn Peters, announced the name, number, and totem for their new lodge:
Takhone #7. Their totem is a canoe paddle, as Takhone translates to "Where Rivers Join".
Effective: Jan. 1, 2019.
References: New Lodge Name, Number, Totem Announced
Michigamea Arrowmen Elected to First Takhone Lodge Executive Committee

"In 2018, The Highland Park Service Center is sold after 39 years. [The Northeast Illinois] Council moves into a new, larger Kasperson Center for Scouting at Morrison Park in Vernon Hills, honoring Richard and Lucinda Kasperson and the Morrison Family."
Effective: new address appeared on council website by June, 2018
References: NEIC-HISTORY-TIME-LINE-REViSED-NEW-1910-to-2019.xlsx and The Northeast Illinois Council History website

On 9/27/18, it was announced on Greater St. Louis Area Council's website:

"Greater St. Louis Area Council and Lincoln Trails Council, headquartered in Decatur, IL, will merge to form one unified council effective January 1, 2019. The merger decision was approved by a vote of each council's voting membership this week. The newly merged council, which will retain the Greater St. Louis Area Council name, will serve nearly 69,000 youth throughout 63 counties in Missouri and Illinois.

"By combining efforts, a unified council will offer better quality programming and service to Scouting families in the Lincoln Trails Council which has been financially stressed and faced declining membership over the past several years. This new opportunity allows for more resources, such as the Greater St. Louis Area Council's innovative STEM programs and state-of-the-art camp facilities, to serve youth in a way that will help Scouting thrive throughout central Illinois."

Reference: St. Louis and Decatur, Illinois Boy Scout Councils Approve Merger

So, this means that the new combined council with have four lodges! Hopefully, the council will recognize the value of keeping them, especially considering how large a territory this new mega-council includes.

"Chartered on May 5, 2018, Order of the Arrow's Bigfoot Lodge #620 was formed in Glacier's Edge Council with the purpose of creating a forward-thinking Lodge. This Lodge of the future delivers a cutting-edge program relevant to the needs of today's youth."

"The ending of Takoda Lodge is not necessarily a bad thing. This year, the Lodge did a minuscule amount of elections. And for years, the Lodge has been declining in productivity. We cannot blame this on a single person or group. Faced with the option of suspending OA in Glacier's Edge Council for a couple years, or start a new Lodge, we chose the start fresh."

Effective: 5/5/2018
Reference: Noah Gudenschwager, Bigfoot 620 Lodge Chief, Lodge Newsletter

Pony Express Council chartered their first ever OA Lodge, O Ni Flo:
.

"O Ni FLO LODGE, The Order's Last Arrow. On April 7, 2018, for the first time ever, youth Scouts in Pony Express Council were inducted into the Order of the Arrow. Pony Express Council was the last council in the BSA that did not have OA. The youth Arrowmen selected O Ni Flo, Cherokee for 'Last Arrow', as a fitting name for their new lodge. After 103 years, our Order that started with a single lodge at one Scout camp, is now available to any Scout in the BSA regardless of where they live. Welcome O Ni Flo Lodge to the Order!"

O Ni Flo has also included their council's number, 311, on their new flap. Unfortunately, this conflicts with Es-Kaielgu Lodge #311. Pony Express Council's scout executive confirmed that they are indeed using 311 as their lodge number. He also claims that their use of this number was supposedly approved by national council, and it is not his concern if any other council has this number!

2017:

Owasippe Lodge 7 posted a letter on their website from their merger committee dated Nov. 2017:

"To the members of Lakota, Michigamea, Owasippe, and Pachsegink Lodges: On Sunday, November 19th, a committee comprised of three youth members from each of our four lodges met to begin the process of becoming one lodge for all Order of the Arrow members of Pathway to Adventure Council.
There are many topics and tasks to be resolved in the upcoming year [2018], yet the merger committee will work to ensure that all decisions and tasks are resolved in time to celebrate the creation of a new lodge on January 1, 2019."

Reference: http://www.owasippelodge.org/Forms/Merger_Committee_Letter_Nov(3).pdf
Effective: after the 2018 conclave

As of July 2017, I've decided to revise the cities for the four Michigan Crossroads Field Service Councils since there no longer seems to be any distinction between the service centers:
- Great Lakes FSC has service centers in Detroit and Troy.
- Water and Woods FSC has service centers in Port Huron, Auburn, Lansing, and Flint.
- President Gerald R Ford FSC has service centers in Grand Rapids and Traverse City.
- Southern Shores FSC has service centers in Ypsilanti, and a new one in Kalamazoo that replaces the one in Battle Creek.
References: Michigan Crossroads Council website

Wapashuwi 56 was split, with part merging into Marnoc 151 lodge, and part consolidating with Cuyahoga 17 and part of Portage 619 to form Erielhonan Lodge (no number). The other part of Portage 619 merged into Sipp-O 377.
Effective: May 21, 2017

References: 6/13/17 BSA National's website, 6/13/17
Marnoc Lodge's website
Portage Lodge's Facebook page:

"We went to Conclave as Portage Lodge and left as Erielhonan Lodge and Sippo Lodge. Portage had a great weekend, playing Family Fued with the OA National Chief Forrest Gertin. We proudly received the Outstanding Lodge Award for 2017! Our ceremonies team won the Pre-Ordeal ceremony competition and Anthony Phillips won the Legend competition! Jared Repas braved the twirling bowling pins thrown by the Jugglers from the Closing Show."

Thanks to Noah Boksansky for emailing me about this change.
- "In 2016, an effort was started to consolidate councils in Northeast Ohio as of January 1st, 2017."
  Greater Western Reserve Councils' Grand River and Headwaters districts (Ashtabula, Geauga, and Lake Counties) consolidated with Greater Cleveland Council and form the new Lake Erie Council #440 in Cleveland. Arrowhead and Whispering Pines Districts (Mahoning, Portage, and Trumbull Counties along with Parkman Township) merged into Great Trails Council.
  Reference: Greater Western Reserve Council website
  
  Heart of Ohio Councils' Firelands District (Erie and Huron Counties) and the Great Frontier District (Lorain County) also consolidated with Greater Cleveland Council to form the new Lake Erie Council #440 in Cleveland. Harding Area District (Crawford, Marion, Morrow, and Wyandot Counties) and the Johnny Appleseed Trail District (Ashland and Richland Counties) merged into Buckeye Council
  References: Heart of Ohio Council website
  Wikipedia article, Scouting in Ohio

Ronald S. Green, Supreme Chief of the Fire for Anpetu-We Lodge, on 2/17/17 announced on their Facebook page that National has recently "requested that Nisha Kittan and Shawnee Lodge begin the merger process promptly and have given Anpetu-We Lodge three years" for Greater St. Louis Area Council be in "compliance with the national Boy Scouts of America's policy of one lodge per council." This is despite their resolution to maintain all three of their lodges. They, of course, were "clearly very disappointed in their decision;" however, they "will evaluate our options keeping in mind what is best for our Scouts and their families. We will also continue to work to bring about change in the National Order of the Arrow and its policies. We are very proud of the efforts put forth by our Scouts and leaders and feel that everyone involved did their best to present a solid case for change."
Reference: www.facebook.com/anpetuwelodge/posts/1315928255160197
- Lewis & Clark Council voted to merge into Greater St. Louis Area Council.
  Effective: 1/1/2017
  Reference: "St. Louis, Metro East Boy Scouts councils to merge," St. Louis Business Journal, 9/29/2016

2015:

Heart of Ohio Council moved their council office from Ashland back to Mansfield. "Scout officials said the move will bring the Boy Scouts' service center back to a more 'metro' setting, more easily accessible to volunteers and Scouts from the counties served."
Reference: Scouts: Heart of Ohio Council returning to Mansfield, 3/21/2015 of the Mansfield News Journal

Elliott Patton, the Lodge Adviser for Kishahtek Lodge #88, recently informed me that Kishahtek has "officially re-established the number 88":
"When the youth first started merger stuff they never could agree on a number. After 2 years or so the youth decided they should have kept the 88 number. So in order to pick the number back up, last year they went through the motions of amending our SOPs. Part of the amendments was to re-establish the number. With the final full lodge vote on Dec 12, 2014 the number was put back in service."

Map source: East Central Region, BSA
area and council boundaries map, c. 1992

Marc Ryan, Deputy Scout Executive, Pathway to Adventure Council has recently informed me that the council will use #456.

The new council that will be the result of the Chicago-Des Plaines-Northwest-Calumet merger has been officially named as the Pathway to Adventure Council.
References: Pathway to Adventure website, accessed Jan 10, 2015
Effective: Although, I've been told that the new council won't actually be chartered until Jan 1, 2016, it sure looks like the new council has been in full operation since February of 2015, with a council newsletter and even a council executive.

The Central Region recently announced that four councils, Chicago Area, Des Plaines Valley, Northwest Suburban, and Calumet, will be consolidating into a new as of yet unnamed council. "A contest will be held among the youth membership to determine the name."
Reference: Aug 18, 2014 letter from Area Seven's President and Commissioner, and the Deputy Regional Director

Thanks to Bro. Andrew Kosmowski for reporting this.

2014:

Chi-Hoota-Wei 617 and Thal-Coo-Zyo 457 merged to form Takhonek Lodge #617. John Pannell recently announced 9/21/14 on his blog that the name of Buckskin Council's new lodge will be Takhonek Lodge #617, and their totem will be the gray fox.
Effective: Sep 20, 2014
References: Takhonek Lodge Facebook page, and John Pannell's blog
- Ed Evans recently posted on Patch-L that the following names and totems for the new lodge #617 from the Chi-Hoota-Wei - Thal-Coo-Zyo merger will be voted on during the upcoming Fall Fellowship this October:
  Names:
  - Takhonek- A place where rivers come together
  - Wenchimtin- A calling together of people
  - Kéku Achwon- A thing of the spirit
  Totems:
  - Gray Fox
  - Hellbender Salamander
  - Eastern Screeching Owl
  - Michael Bloom recently informed me that Buckskin and Tri-State councils are talking merger. Indeed, Buckskin's website newsletter states that both Buckskin and Tri-State Area councils voted May 8 and May 29 respectively to merge:
    "The Buckskin Council has about 5,000 youth members in 23 counties of West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky and has its service center in Charleston. The Tri-State Area Council has about 2,000 youth members in 10 counties of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio and has its service center in Huntington. When approved by the Secretary of State the merger would occur about July 1, 2014. The new council will use the Buckskin Council name for the near future. The service center will be in Charleston and a Scout shop will be in Huntington. The geographical areas of the five districts in the legacy Buckskin and three districts in the Tri-State Area councils will remain the same for the near future and all the district events will continue as present. All current camp properties will continue to be utilized."
    Reference: Buckskin Council Courier, Vol 10.5, Jun-Jul 2014
  - Tri-State Council President John P. Van Horn, Sr recently announced that "Thal-Coo-Zyo Lodge will become a Chapter within Chi-Hoota-Wei Lodge sometime in the Fall of 2014. There will be room for Thal-Coo-Zyo youth and adults who wish to have a leadership role. The importance of Thal-Coo-Zyo as a place of leadership and service will not change."
    Reference: Pathfinder, March-April 2014 (final issue)

2013:

On August 17, 2013, Awase 61 and Ag-Im 156 lodges merged to form Kon Wapos Lodge:
"You have the special opportunity to attend the first ever event of the newly created Kon Wapos Lodge. This once in a lifetime experience will be August 16-18, 2013. Held at Camp Hiawatha, Awase and Ag-Im lodges will come together to form our new brotherhood…"
Reference: Awase Lodge 61 Official website

"Kon Wapos Lodge (pronounced kahn wah-pose). Our new totem is the snowshoe hare. The new lodge flap will be unveiled on our official merger date of August 17, 2013. Elections for the new lodge will also be held this weekend."
Reference: Bay-Lakes Council website

Until there is any mention of a lodge number, I will use the lowest number of its predecessor lodges [61] for indexing.

2012:

On 7/8/12, the Lodge Creation Committee, which was formed of equal numbers of youth from the former Mascoutens 8 and Mikano 231 lodges, voted on a new name and totem from among those solicted from the membership. "It was announced [these] would be unveiled at the New Lodge Kickoff on October 20th, 2012". However, the new lodge name and totem weren't announced until 1/6/13 at their inaugural banquet: Kanwa tho Lodge #636. The new lodge is named after a subgrouping of the Potawatomi tribe of indians headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They also chose their council number as their new lodge number. Their totem is the panther, as Kanwa tho translates to "Panther Band".
Reference: Three Harbors Council Wikipedia entry