OA Section List - Central Region Region Updates

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.
Effective: Sep 20, 2014
Reference: Takhonek Lodge Facebook page, and
John Pannell recently announced 9/21/14 on his blog the name and totem of Buckskin Council's new lodge: Takhonek Lodge #617, whose totem is the gray fox.

Ed Evans recently posted on Patch-L that the following names and totems for the new lodge 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:
- Hellbender Salamander
- Gray Fox
- Eastern Screeching Owl
They will also be keeping 617 as their lodge number.
- 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 any mention of a lodge number, the lowest number of its predecessor lodges [61], will be used 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