Camporee weekend was a blast! Troop 66 did an awesome job leading the Camporee this year–thank you. And our Call-Out Ceremony was a great success. We called out 39 candidates at the end of the campfire on
Saturday night. Our Chapter officers and the ceremony team did a great job. We called out candidates from Troop 3, Troop 15, Troop 23, Troop 42, Troop 44, Troop 45, Troop 66, Troop 76, Troop 93, Troop 605, Troop
611, Troop 615, Troop 649.
Now it’s time to get ready for our May Ordeal at beautiful Camp James Ray, May 15-17. This is a “split” Ordeal, with Ordeals being held at James Ray, Cherokee, and Constantin on the same weekend. It is up to
Okiciyapi Chapter to lead the way at James Ray! We need to give strong service as Elangomats, Assistant Elangomats, Service Corps, Ceremony Team members, and Arrow Bistro! Make plans now to come join the fun and to support our new candidates at James Ray on May 15-17!
Also, your help is needed to make sure our new candidates get registered for the May Ordeal. Let’s “go to prepare a trail for them.” Most of the candidates received a “pink card” at the Call-Out ceremony to register for the May Ordeal. But we did not have enough pink registration cards for everyone (especially the adult candidates), so we need your help to get them registered if they want to attend. It would be great to have them complete their Ordeal in May (and James Ray is most convenient), so that they can begin attending Chapter and Lodge events, like NOAC and Fall Fellowship. (If they are not able to attend the May Ordeal, they will be able to attend an Ordeal in the Fall 2009 or Spring 2010.)
Remind your candidates to complete the pink registration card right away (today!), and mail it to the Lodge. A parent must sign the youth registration card. All the instructions are on the pink card. If they do not have a pink card, help them go to the www.miki.org website to register for the Ordeal. And you can go to the www.miki.org website to register to serve at the Ordeal, too! Act now! Let’s be a friend to all our brothers and serve at camp. Please contact Nathan Farmer (903-421-5579) or Roger Virgin (903-815-2948) if you have any questions.
Our Mikanakawa Lodge Inductions Weekend season of 2009 continues at Camp James Ray on May 15-17! If you are available to help staff (Elangomat, Assistant Elangomat, Ceremonies, Service Corps, Arrow Bistro), please pre-register. This is a terrific opportunity show brotherhood to our new members as they take their ordeal! And to provide cheerful service to our council camps! Come to our Okiciyapi Chapter Meeting on Thursday, May 7th (6:00 PM, Trinity Methodist Church, Denison) for more information.
Has it been at least 10 months since you completed your OA Ordeal? Do you have current membership in both Circle Ten Council BSA and Mikanakawa Lodge? If so, it is time for you to continue your quest and seal your membership in the Order of the Arrow by becoming a Brotherhood member. Why should you seal your membership in the Order? Ordeal membership is a time of education and service. Taking the Brotherhood allows you an opportunity to review your dedication to the principles of Boy Scouts and the Order of the Arrow. Your Brotherhood Elangomat (friend) will guide you through the various aspects of Brotherhood membership, explaining the benefits and the responsibilities. Your Elangomat, as well as the other members of Okiciyapi Chapter, can encourage you to seal your membership, but the decision is yours alone. When you are ready, tell any Chapter Officer or Adviser. How much does it cost to become a Brotherhood member? The cost is $15, which covers the price of the Brotherhood sash (red arrow with bars at either end). This cost is in addition to the event fee.
When may you take your Brotherhood? Take advantage of the opportunities this spring or summer to complete your Brotherhood and seal your membership. Brotherhood Walks and Ceremonies will be offered on the following dates this spring:
- 2009 Mikanakawa Lodge Inductions Weekend-Camp James Ray-May 15-17, 2009
- 2009 Circle Ten Council Summer Camps-June and July 2009
Please contact Roger Virgin (Chapter Adviser, 903-815-2948) if you have questions. Yours in the Brotherhood.
Winter Camp, Mikanakawa Lodge style, at Camp Cherokee was a blast. Texoma Valley Troops 23 and 42 survived the storm (not bad) and chilly mornings (not bad) and wrapped up 2008 with an awesome camping adventure. Climbing, horseback riding, biking, hiking, Mountain Man Rendeveous, Indian Village, polar bear swim, merit badge classes, Pow Wow, and campfires filled the days and evenings. And just enjoying the cool-weather camping experience was a treat. Thanks for coming to Winter Camp! And thank you to Okiciyapi Arrowmen Justin C., Markie N., and Keith N. for serving on Winter Camp staff.
A warm thank you to the Okiciyapi Chapter Arrowmen who answered the call to serve and helped with our Salvation Army bell-ringing community service this week. Because of a good turnout, we were able to spread holiday cheer at 2 doors at Hobby Lobby and 2 doors at Wal-Mart on 2 nights (80 hours of service)! The Salvation Army was very thankful for our good service! On Tuesday night the temps were frigid, but Okiciyapi Arrowmen were prepared for the cold. They shared warm and welcome greetings with all the shoppers. Thursday night’s weather was warmer and very foggy. Okiciyapi Arrowmen came through as beacons of holiday lights to welcome the shoppers. Thank you to the Salvation Army and to Okiciyapi Chapter! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We finished the week off in style by getting together Friday for a fun-filled night of bowling.
During the summer of 2008, the Order of the Arrow will conduct 5 events that constitute the largest conservation project completed by the BSA since World War 2.
The events were planned in conjunction with the US Forest Service (USFS) and occurred in the Mark Twain (Missouri), Manti-La Sal (Utah), Washington & Jefferson (Virginia), Shasta-Trinity (California), and Bridger-Teton (Wyoming) National Forests. Each of the projects has its own goals, but they all have one thing in common: if the Order of the Arrow had not volunteered to complete the projects, they may never have been completed due to funding constraints.
ArrowCorps 5 AT THE MARK TWAIN NATIONAL FOREST
MIKANAKAWA: 80 Arrowmen from Mikanakawa Lodge participated in the project to clear invasive Eastern red cedar from the Glade Top trail area of Taney County in southwest Missouri. Now that the cedars have been cut, the area will be treated in the future with prescribed burning to help control the Eastern red cedar and increase species diversity in the native limestone glade ecosystem.
RESULTS: 576 Arrowmen came from across the U.S. to participate in the Mark Twain project. The USFS was extremely pleased with the results. Project planners hoped to clear cedars from 100 acres. When the week was over, 284,750 cedar trees on 134 acres had been cleared–an average of 494 cedar trees cut by each Arrowman! ArrowCorps 5 was the largest volunteer porject ever on the Mark Twain National Forest, with our volunteer service worth an estimated $542,000. USFS personnel expressed their appreciation at the closing recognition ceremony by naming the glade “Arrowmen Glade” in recognition of the contribution made by ArrowCorps 5.
SAFETY: Working with saws and loppers in remote areas in the summer made safety a major concern. At check-in, each Arrowman received his own personal protective equipment (hard hat, safety glasses, glove clip, and emergency whistle). Stainless steel ”dogtags” were issued to facilitate identification in case of an emergency. Every Arrowman received a safety briefing prior to going into the glade. All of this planning paid off! At the end of 6 days of hard work in the wilderness, there were no broken bones or serious injuries.
CAMP: The Mark Twain base camp had the least infrastructure available at any of the ArrowCorps 5 project sites. Generators were brought in to supply power. Showers were available in specially-oufitted cargo trailers. 7,724 gallons of bottled water were provided for all drinking and cooking. A fabulous field kitchen and dining hall were established under tarps. Seating was provided by laying log slabs on inverted, empty 5-gallon buckets. In spite of our wilderness conditions, the inventive communications team from St. Louis improvised an amazing wireless high-speed internet connection sending signals from fire lookout towers down to our valley. This system allowed the incident command team to keep an eye on the weather conditions at all times.
MEALS: With all of the hard work being put forth by Arrowmen, calorie intake had to keep up! Breakfast and lunch were provided by Philmont Scout Ranch–the same meals that crews receive on their Philmont treks. Each of the 3,600 dinners was a FEAST! Whether it was a ribeye steak, half of a chicken, spaghetti, or pork chops, it was cooked to perfection and there were plenty of accompanying vegetables, salad, and desserts.
RECREATION: After all the hard work each day, there were games areas available in camp for the Arrowmen. The most popular features were the 8 cooling pools available. Each Arrowman also had the opportunity for a day of recreation. Choices included canoeing, golfing, a trip to the original Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, or a trip to an amusement park in Branson.
IMPORTANCE: In addition to the thanks expressed by the Mark Twain National Forest Manager, Paul Strong, the importance of the project was also emphasized by those who attended and visited the site. All week long, our National Order of the Arrow Chief, Jake Wellman, and Southern Region Chief, Mason Thomas, were in attendance. Day visitors included these Scouting dignitaries: the National Order of the Arrow Committee Chairman, Brad Haddock, National Order of the Arrow Committee Director, Clyde Mayer, Assistant Chief Scout Executive, Jim Terry, and BSA’s Central Region Director.
OUTCOME: Now that 576 Order of the Arrow members have experienced the cooperative incident command between BSA and the USFS at the Mark Twain, they can take this excellent example of goal-setting, teamwork, project planning, and importance of safety back to their communities. Not only will they be able to plan and execute more effective Scouting projects, but also school, church and community projects will benefit from their time in the Missouri woods.
Keith and Markie Nathan
Okiciyapi Mark Twain Arrowmen
