Survival Of The Scouts SUWANNEE RIVER DISTRICT CAMPOREE OCTOBER 13th 15 th, 2017
Dear Scouts and Scouters: Your Troop is invited to attend the annual Suwannee River District Camporee, to be held on October 13 th 15 th at Fred Lammer s Bug Ranch, located on SW Wildwood Court (off of SW Tustenuggee Avenue), south of Lake City. The theme for the 2017 Camporee is Wilderness Survival, a survival skills exercise that is meant to familiarize participants with ways to function in wilderness survival situations. The morning activities will have your Troop s patrols visit each of the skills stations, to test their skills in areas such as starting a fire without matches, using ordinary household items to survive in the woods, emergency first aid, and other similar skills. The afternoon will have inter-patrol competitions that will test what your patrols have learned and perfected, both in the morning program, and in the several weeks prior to the Camporee itself. The goals that we have for this year s Camporee are: *All the participants have fun *To learn and perfect skills and techniques needed to survive in the wilderness *To work together as a patrol to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the inter-patrol competitions. The registration fee for the Camporee is $15 per person (Scouts and adult leaders). This fee will pay for the facilities (port-o-lets and the use of the property), insurance for each individual, supplies for the Camporee, awards, Cracker-barrel for all participants on Friday night of the Camporee, and an exclusive 2017 Camporee patch. What the fee does not cover are the meals for your Troop s members. While the weekend s activities will have a theme that centers on the abilities to survive in the wilderness, we will not be able to sign off on the completion of requirements for the Wilderness Survival merit badge. If a member of your Troop becomes interested in pursuing this merit badge, we may be able to find counselors that can assist him after the Camporee. In essence, the wilderness survival merit badge will NOT be a part of the Camporee program but if individual troops / patrols would like to do the merit badge, they are more than welcome to do so. We hope that you and your Troop will find the weekend s activities to be worthwhile, as your members will gain confidence in their abilities to cope with emergency situations in the wilderness. As for the Saturday night diner, all the troops in attendance can eat together as this is a time for fellowship between troops. The main course will be smoked chicken. We ask that each troop bring a side dish for at least 20 people.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Directions to Camp 4 General information 4 Camporee policies 5 Event schedule 6 Patrol Competitions / Games 7-8 Wilderness Survival Merit Badge Requirements 9 10 Registration Form 11
SUWANNEE RIVER DISTRICT CAMPOREE DIRECTIONS From the southwest or Trenton: North on State Road 47 to Fort White. Turn right (east) onto County Road 18, approximately 4.7 miles, then turn left (north) onto SW Tustenuggee Avenue (County Road 131), about 7.4 miles. SW Wildwood Court is on the left. From the North or Lake City: South on US 41 (Main Blvd), turn right on SW Tustenuggee Avenue (County Road 131), approximately 7 miles. SW Wildwood Court is on the right.. From the East or Lake Butler: State Road 238 west, turn right (north) on US 41/ 441. Turn left (west) at SW County Road 349 (SW Lutheran Road). Turn right (north) onto SW Tustenuggee Avenue (County Road 131), about 1.2 miles. SW Wildwood Court is on the left. From Live Oak: US 90 east to Lake City, to I-75 (south) to the State Road 47 exit. Turn left (north) for.3 miles, turn right (east) onto CR-242A (SW Superior Street). Turn right onto SW Tustenuggee Avenue (County Road 131), approximately 5.7 miles. SW Wildwood Court is on the right. GENERAL INFORMATION First Aid First aid will be available in the Camporee headquarters area. However, each Troop should be able to take care of minor emergencies. Those requiring medical attention need to be reported to Camporee staff as soon as it is possible to do so. Please have proper medical forms for each member of your Troop. Permission slips Each Scout should have a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian, giving permission for any required medical treatment, in the event of an emergency. These forms need to be kept in the campsite with the Troop and be readily available in the event of an emergency. Uniform We will be asking that all Scouts and Scouters to be in Class A uniform on Saturday afternoon (closing ceremonies and presentation of awards), and on Sunday morning (Church service). The field uniform (Scout shorts and a Scouting-related t-shirt) would be appropriate for Saturday during the skill stations and the competitions. Fees The fee for the weekend for each participant is $15 if paid by October 9 th. After that date, the fee is $18 per person. Fee includes facilities, insurance, materials, awards, patch and a Cracker-barrel for all participants on Friday night. Meals are not included. You must provide your own meals. Register online at www.nfcscouting.org/calendar or use form at end of this guide.
CAMPOREE POLICIES The following rules will help the staff to run a successful and safe Camporee. It is the responsibility of the adults in each of the Troops to see that the Scouts know and understand these rules. Anyone found to be violating these rules may be asked to leave the Camporee. VEHICLES: > Speed limit is 15 miles per hour. > No passengers are allowed to ride in the back of an open pick-up truck or trailer. > Trailers may be kept in the campsite, but the vehicle to which it is attached must be parked in the designated parking area, and out of the campsite. FIRES: NO FIRE PITS ALLOWED. ANY FIRE ON THE GROUND MUST HAVE A NONFLAMMABLE CONTAINER BETWEEN THE FIRE AND THE GROUND. All open fires need to be attended, with sufficient dirt and/ or water nearby for fire suppression. All liquid fuels must be used with adult supervision. WATER: We will be holding the Camporee on a property where the source of water is next to a private residence. In order to create as little disturbance as possible, please bring as much water as your troop will need. CONSERVATION: Please help preserve our natural resources. Be sure to pick up all trash from your campsite, and take it with you when you leave the Camporee site. No cutting of live trees is allowed. LIGHTS OUT: Lights out will be at 11:00pm Friday night and Saturday night. Scouts are not allowed to leave their campsites after lights out, except to go to and from the bathroom facilities. Troop leaders are asked to bring any roaming Scouts to the headquarters area. Please be respectful of others after lights out. RADIOS/ STEREOS: No loud radios, stereos, or music players are allowed. Please be considerate of your fellow Scouts.
CAMPOREE WEEKEND SCHEDULE Friday 5:30 to 8:30 Troop arrival, check-in, and troop campsite set up 9:00 Cracker barrel [food and gathering] for all attendees (near the Camporee headquarters area) 9:30 Meeting with Scoutmasters, Patrol Leaders, Senior Patrol Leaders (Camporee headquarters area). Submission of each patrol s Survival kit for judging. 11:00 Lights out Saturday 7:00 AM Reveille 7:00 to 8:15 - Breakfast each troop is to supply their own breakfast 8:30 to 11:30 Survival skill stations. Each patrol is to visit in rotation. 11:30 to 1:00 PM Lunch each troop is to supply their own lunch 1:00 to 3:30 - Scouts vs Wild Survival inter-patrol competition. Each patrol is to visit in rotation. 4:00 to 4:30 Awards presentation 4:30 to 7:30 Dinner, free time 8:00 to 9:30 Campfire program 11:00 Lights out Sunday 7:00 to 8:30 AM Breakfast 9:00 to 10:00 Non-denominational Chapel service 10:00 to 11:00 Campsite inspection and checkout
PATROL COMPETITIONS Each patrol will participate in each of the competitions. Patrols that place first, second, and third in each of the events will receive ribbons. The patrol that has the best total score will be declared the winner of the Camporee Games. Total score is scored, based on the order of finish for each event (1 point for first place, 2 points for second place, etc); the patrol with the lowest total is the winner. In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker used will be the best patrol score in the survival kit competition. Some quick notes for adult leaders: Due to the nature of this event we are going to have to ask Troop leaders to work with us on this Camporee. Onathequa Chapter, the local chapter of the Order of the Arrow, along with other members of the OA from across the council, is staffing the Camporee, but help may be needed in judging the competitions from adults and senior youth troop leadership. Your assistance, patience, and flexibility would be most appreciated. We will do our best to communicate changes to everyone, but we all have to Be Prepared to accept bumps in the road. The program for the event has many moving parts that will create a rewarding experience for all. Please, Please, Please pre-register your Troop!! The ability of the staff to prepare for the competitions is dependent on the troops turning in the list of participants, and paying the fees in advance. For this reason, the list of participants and the fees are required to be turned in by Friday, October 6 th, to either Harold Scott or Robert Mathis. This is to allow the staff to purchase the supplies for the weekend. Any additions that need to be made can be done after this date, but these need to be communicated as soon as possible. SCOUTS vs WILD Inter-patrol competitions 1. Survival Kit. The members of each patrol, prior to their arrival at the Camporee, are to prepare survival kits, that would adequately deal with the needs of one person who may be lost and otherwise stuck for several days in an environment similar to that of the Camporee location. The contents of each survival kit must be able to be held in a closed, one-gallon Ziplock bag. The best kit in the patrol is to be submitted for judging. The submission must be accompanied with a written, legible list of the contents of the kit, and the importance and uses of each item in the kit. The kits are to be submitted at the beginning of the Friday Night meeting. For competition purposes, each kit will be judged on the contents and usefulness of each of the items in the kit for the circumstances such as for the Camporee (location, weather, environment). For items with more than one use, each use must be described for its utility. Many of the materials needed for the other competitions should be items found in your survival kits, and should be taken with your patrol as it takes part in the other competitions.
The following competitions will take place Saturday afternoon: 2. String Burn, No Matches. A timed event, where each patrol will need to build a fire on the ground, that is high enough to burn a string. But for the first ten minutes of the competition, the patrol will not be allowed to use any matches. 3. Stretcher Race. The youngest member of your patrol has injured his leg, and will need to be carried on a stretcher over a distance to reach medical assistance. Using the materials available, the patrol is to construct a stretcher, and carry that member to assistance. If the patrol member falls or the stretcher fails, the patrol will need to return to the starting area and try again. 4. Quick Shelter. Using the materials available at the site of this competition, and that the patrol has brought with them, the patrol is to build a shelter that is large enough to protect the largest member of the patrol, from a quick-approaching rain storm (bucket of water thrown on the shelter, once the patrol member is underneath). Best time wins, as long as the patrol member stays dry. 5. Rescue Line Throw. One of your patrol members is on one side of a swollen river, unable to cross safely. The patrol is to take the smaller pieces of rope (provided), using the proper knots to fashion a longer rope, that can pull the patrol member to safety (with no help from the patrol member to cross the river). Best time wins, with time added for each incorrect knot. 6. Gathering Water. Your patrol finds a water source, and you cannot use your bucket (provided) to place under the water source to fill it. Using the resources available, the patrol is to gather the water that is at the source, and transport the water to their bucket. The patrol that can transport and place the most water in their bucket in 15 minutes will be the winner.
Wilderness Survival Merit Badge requirements While the Camporee staff will not be able to sign off on the completion of any of the requirements for the Wilderness Survival merit badge, we have included the requirements for the merit badge, in the event that any of your Scouts are interested. 1. Do the following: (a) Explain to your counselor the hazards you are most likely to encounter while participating in wilderness survival activities, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, or lessen these hazards. (b) Show that you know first aid for and how to prevent injuries or illnesses likely to occur in backcountry settings, including hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, blisters, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebites. 2. From memory, list the seven priorities for survival in a backcountry or wilderness location. Explain the importance of each one with your counselor. 3. Describe ways to avoid panic and maintain a high level of morale when lost and explain why this is important. 4. Describe the steps you would take to survive in the following conditions: (a) Cold and snowy (b) Wet (forest) (c) Hot and dry (desert) (d) Windy (mountains or plains) (e) Water (ocean, lake, or river) 5. Put together a personal survival kit and be able to explain how each item in it could be useful. 6. Using three different methods (other than matches), build and light three fires.
7. Do the following: (a) Show five different ways to attract attention when lost. (b) Demonstrate how to use a signal mirror. (c) Describe from memory five ground-to- air signals and tell what they mean. 8. Improvise a natural shelter. For the purpose of this demonstration, use techniques that have little negative impact on the environment. Spend a night in your shelter. 9. Explain how to protect yourself from insects, reptiles, and bears. 10. Demonstrate three ways to treat water found in the outdoors to prepare it for drinking. 11. Show that you know the proper clothing to wear in your area on an overnight in extremely hot weather and in extremely cold weather. 12. Explain why it usually is not wise to eat edible wild plants or wildlife in a wilderness survival situation.
Camporee Registration Form Register online at www.nfcscouting.org/calendar or Mail form w/payment to: North Florida Council, 521 Edgewood Ave. S, Jacksonville, FL 32205 Troop #: Scoutmaster s Name: SPL Name: # senior youth leaders attending (SPL, ASPL, JASM): Patrol name Patrol Leader Patrol name Patrol leader # of Patrol Members # of Patrol Members Patrol name Patrol Leader Patrol name Patrol leader # of Patrol Members # of Patrol Members Total Number of Scouts attending: Total Number of Adults attending: Total Number Attending: x $15 each ($18 if after Oct. 9 th ) = $ x $15 each ($18 if after Oct. 9 th ) = $ Total Amount Enclosed = $ PAYMENT METHOD: Cash Check* Visa MasterCard Discover AmEx Make check payable to: North Florida Council, BSA *When you provide a check as payment, you authorize us either to use information from your check to make a one-time electronic fund transfer from your account or to process the payment as a check transaction. Credit Card Information: Name as it appears on card: Zip Code: Credit Card #: Exp Date: 3-4 Digit Code: Signature for Authorization: NOTE: By submitting a registration form, you are authorizing the North Florida Council, BSA to take photos or video footage of your Scout and family for promotional purposes ONLY. Photos and video will not be sold or utilized for any use outside of youth and volunteer recruitment by the North Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America. Event Code: 288