OA Section List - Eastern Region Updates

1993 - 2021

1973 - 1992

1949 - 1972

1938 - 1948

Mergers and Changes:

Conditional Charter, The Future of Rip Van Winkle Council

Update: Since then, the council has balanced their budget, paid off all of their debt, increased their youth membership and increased the number of units compared to the prior year.

"For all we have gone through in the last four years, we have weathered the storm. We have been resilient. Call it pluck. Call it motivation or drive. It is that part of each of us the refuses to quit. It’s that part that is continuing to provide a quality Scouting program to the youth of Ulster and Greene Counties.

At this point, I am not sure what the future of the Rip Van Winkle Council holds. What I do know is that we should not quit. Delivery of the Scouting program is too important for the youth of Ulster and Greene Counties."
Dana E. Kuhns
Scout Executive/CEO

Reference: Council's March 2024 newsletter
- "During a meeting last month with the National Service Territory #10 (the state of NY) leadership, we were informed the Council would be receiving a Conditional Charter for the upcoming year. The territory cited concerns about our Council’s sustainability. They cited specifically the declining membership of the Council for the last few years.
  
  Last month, at our monthly Executive Board meeting, the Council Key 3 signed a document that gave the Rip Van Winkle Council a Conditional Charter for the year 2023 to 2024. It also outlined the expectations the Council is to meet in order to maintain that Conditional Charter.
  If we do not meet the expectations of the Conditional Charter, the Council will be forced to begin a plan to merge with another Council.
  References: Council's October 2023 newsletter

Tecumseh Council moved its Council Office and Scout Store from their old building Springfield to the Camp Birch Turner Building in Yellow Springs.Special thanks to Bro. Andrew Kosmowski for forwarding this.
Effective: Sep 5, 2023
References: "IMPORTANT NOTICE - WE ARE MOVING!", Tecumseh Council News Blast for August 7, 2023

Mason-Dixon merged into Shenandoah Area Council, and is now called the Mason-Dixon District. This is after both councils in May posting notices on their official Facebook pages advising they have been involved in discussions to merge, with a possible vote by July. On July 18th, Shenandoah Area Council's Facebook page officially welcomed the leaders & scouts of Mason-Dixon Council as part of their new Mason-Dixon District. This conflicts with the Mason-Dixon District website, that claims that merger occurred August 1st.
Effective: by Jul 18, 2023
References: VA OA, and July 12th Shenandoah Area Council press release "Local Boy Scout Councils Announce Merger to Strengthen Scouting Opportunities"

As a result of the Western New York Council merger, Ho-De-No-Sau-Nee 159 and Ashokwahta 339 merged to form Erie Canal Lodge #159.
Effective: after the June Section E15 Conclave, but before July 11, 2023
References: Online posts to Section E15's Facebook page during their conclave held Jun 2nd - 4th listed both Ho-De-No-Sau-Nee Lodge 159 and Ashokwahta Lodge #339 in attendance. The ISCA Council and Lodge Summary of Recent Changes, dated 7/11/23, confirmed the new lodge. On 7/16/23, the wikipedia article "Scouting in New York" was updated to include the new Erie Canal lodge #159.

Western New York Council's website is now live, which shows that they still have two service centers: their new Richard E. Garman Scouting Center in Cheektowaga and their Oakfield Office and Scout Store. It also confirms their council number: #380.
- According to a recent email, the merger of Iroquois Trail and Greater Niagara Frontier to form the Western New York Council will be effective May 1st. Special thanks to Bro. Andrew Kosmowski for forwarding this.
       "As we shared with you in November of 2022, the Iroquois Trail Council and the Greater Niagara Frontier Council have been engaged in merger discussions. We are excited to let you know that effective May 1, 2023 the councils will formally come together to create the new Western New York Scout Council, Boy Scouts of America.
       The Iroquois Trail Council and the Greater Niagara Frontier Council have partnered together for generations on many activities. As a result of this close connection and the desire to grow the Scouting program in WNY, the councils began merger discussions last fall. The result of these careful and detailed discussions was the unanimous realization that the councils were truly stronger if they joined together to share resources and programs. Combining the strengths of each council into one organization will benefit our Scouts and leaders through increased summer and offseason camping opportunities, more frequent training programs, a wider range of council-hosted Scouting events and activities, and a larger council staff to support units.
       The WNY Scout Council will serve youth from all of Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming counties, and most of Livingston County. The new council will continue to operate both Scout service centers in Buffalo/Cheektowaga and Oakfield. The council will also continue to operate Camp Scouthaven and Camp Sam Wood.
       The transition process will take a couple of months logistically as we work with BSA National on many system issues behind the scenes. With a new Council name also comes new imagery including a new council shoulder strip, logo, flags, signage, and website all of which will be phased in over the coming days."
  
  References:
  4/24/23 email from Jim McMullen, Iroquois Trail Council Scout Exective.
  “Merger of Scout Councils, Iroquois Trail and Greater Niagara Frontier, Effective May 1.” Orleans Hub, 24 Apr 2023

Minsi Trails Council's website only shows its address in Allentown, PA, no longer including its Lehigh Valley PO Box.
Reference: 3/31/2023 Internet Archive of Minsi Trails Council's website

According to Tom Elmore, Santee 116 and Muscogee 221 are merging to form Muscogee 116 as previously communicated. Also, its totem will be the red fox and Carolina parakeet.
Effective: Jan 1, 2023
Reference: Indian Waters Council CE Doug Stone

Andrew Jackson Council moved from Jackson to its new service center in Flowood, MS.
Effective: Dec 12, 2022
Reference: Andrew Jackson Council's Facebook page

Indian Waters - Pee Dee Area Council merger: "The voting memberships of the Pee Dee Area Council and Indian Waters Council separately convened on Monday, July 11th and each council unanimously voted to merge, effective August 1, 2022. This was preceded in June by merger approval from both council executive boards after extensive research and a recommendation by a combined-council Merge Study Committee."
Reference: "Historic Merger Approved"
- It has recently been announced that Pee Dee Area Council (Santee 116) will merge with Indian Waters Council (Muscogee 221). The name of the merged council will be the Indian Waters Council #553, while Santee 116 will merge into and become a chapter of Muscogee 221. The announcement states that Camp Coker in Society Hill, the Henry Johnson Service Center in Florence, Camp Barstow on Lake Murray, and the George Fant Scout Service Center in Columbia will all "stay open and provide support to an expanded constituency". Thanks to Tom Elmore of Muscogee Lodge 221 for notifying me of this development.
  Effective: Aug 1, 2022
  Reference: "Proposed Council Merger Overview"

As part of Greater Hudson Valley Council's sale of Camp Nooteeming in Salt Point to Dutchess County in April 2022, they transferred their temporary office at the Nooteeming Visitor's Center to its new office in Fishkill, NY. They were previously headquartered at the former Hudson Valley Council office in Newburgh.
Effective: Aug 6, 2022
Reference: "Come check out the new National Scout Shop", and "Nooteeming Sale"

Georgia-Carolina Council moved from Augusta to a new Georgia-Carolina Adventure and Nature Center in Evans, GA.
Effective: Apr 13, 2022
Reference: Georgia-Carolina Council's Facebook page

Yocona-Pushmataha Council #748 of Tupelo, MS chose a permanent name from the results of an online submission and vote that ended Sep. 2nd: Natchez Trace. The new name was first announced in the September 2022 edition of their newsletter, NE Mississippi Scouting News for Youth.
Effective: Sep. 12, 2022
- In February 2022, the respective boards for the Pushmataha Area Council and the Yocona Area Council voted to merge. The new council was temporarily named Yocona-Pushmataha Council #748, with a permanent name to be chosen by a contest.
  Effective: Apr 1, 2022
  References: PAC-YAC Proposed Council Merger, "Two area Boy Scout Councils plan to merge into one", and Whole Lotta Namin' Going On!
  
  Their respective lodges, Watonala 169 and Chicksa 202, will begin operation as a newly merged Ofi' Tohbi Lodge #748 on Jan. 1st, 2023.
  ~~Even though Chicksa 202 is part of Section E3, and Watonala 169 is part of Section E4, it has not yet been announced which section the new lodge will become a member of. However,~~
  The Section E3 2023 Conclave Fundraiser Set included 9 flaps, each including lodge name, number, and totem and confirmed Ofi' Tohbi Lodge #748. ~~However, Section E3's calendar still shows Chicksa 202 hosting the 2023 Conclave at Camp Yocona, it can be assumed seems that Ofi' Tohbi will be the hosting.~~
  Section E3's website list of lodges and upcoming events confirms that Ofi' Tobhi was the host lodge for 2023.
  Reference: Natchez Trace Council's website, and Owen McCulloch

Suffolk County Council moved from Medford to a new service center in Farmingville, NY.
Effective: Feb 9, 2022
Reference: Suffolk County Council's Facebook page

Narragansett Council moved from East Providence to Cranston, RI.
Reference: Earliest mention of new address: 1/21/2022 Internet Archive of Narragansett Council's website

Ktemaque 15 and Nacha Nimat 86 merged to form Mahicantuck Lodge #15:

"On Sun., Nov. 14th, over 65 members of Ktemaque and Nacha Nimat Lodges gathered at Camp Bullowa for the first official meeting of our new lodge. The new name for the Greater Hudson Valley Council Order of the Arrow lodge will be 'Mahicantuck Lodge #15, W.W.W.' and it's totem will be that of the historic 'Mastadon', where remains have been found in the Hudson Valley area.
The new officers were elected at this meeting."
Effective: Nov 14, 2021
Reference: New York OA Trader
Even though they were both chartered to Greater Hudson Valley Council, according to Project Magellan, Ktemaque 15, as part of the old NE-2B, was assigned to Section E18, and Nacha Nimat 86, as part of the old NE-2A, was assigned to Section E20. Now they've merged, I had to consult both the Project Magellan map and Section E20 website's list of lodges, to decide that Mahicantuck 15 must be part of Section E18. This was confirmed by the logo for their 2022 conclave held at Alpine Scout Camp, which listed all of the attending lodges: 4, 15, 360, 412, and 427.