fall 2014 - alumni association of the northern lights...
TRANSCRIPT
Fall 2014 President’s Message: Steve Lyman
Thank You As the current president, I want to take a minute and say thank you
for all the help and support the association has given to Camp
Wilderness this past summer. When I write this letter I have just
returned home from a very successful summer at Wilderness. For
the first time in a long time, if not ever, the Butler Wilderness
Outpost has had 1,000 visitors this summer. As I told my staff this
year, “we are built on the backs of previous camp staffs.” What I
mean by this is that even though the outpost is only seven years
old, it is the successes of previous staffs that made this goal of a
thousand visitors a reality.
I would also like congratulate Jeff Brown, one more time, as this
year’s Alumni Association Achievement award winner. Jeff has
worked tirelessly these past two years on behalf of the association. I
can only hope to be half as successful as he has been this past year.
As this year’s president, I want to ask all to become involved in the
association and to encourage each other to support the camps and
our projects, such as the Fargo Dome, which supports the Steve Werpy Scholarship Award as well as donating to
this year’s project. As you know it is a goal and privilege of our association to support the camp and staff, so that
every summer can be as
successful as this past summer.
I look forward to an awesome
year and one that will produce
many productive fruits for our
camp and to again sow the
seeds that will keep our
association growing. It takes a
village and the more people we
have, the stronger we are.
Yours in Scouting, Steve Lyman, 2014‐15 President, Northern Lights Alumni Association
2014‐ 2015 Board Members & Committee Chairs
Executive Secretary: Board Members:
Sid Davis Cindie Van Tassel, Bill Beyer,
Chuck Ensign, David Pederson
Committee Chairs:
Adhoc‐Bylaws‐ Chad Swenson, Chris Soper Alumni Achievement‐ Ron Schneider
Camp History‐ Bob Rezac Fall Fellowship‐ Jim & Janice Porter Membership‐ Chris Soper Open House‐ Neil Litton Publications‐ Steve Shark Staff Scholarship‐ Martin Schrage
Staff Week‐ Matt & Jodi Saari
Camp Wilderness 2014 Staff (Boy Scout)
Row 4: 1. Zach Freeman 2. Jordan Krump 3. Trevor Strandskov 4. Korgen Halver 5. Lane Schirado 6. Luke Pettinger 7. Ethan Lovdahl 8. Andy Kietzman 9. Josh Swatzell 10. Adam Marlow 11. Emily Whitaker 12. Missy Halda
Row 3: 1. Brad Olson 2. Nate Koppenhavek 3. Andrew Fugleberg 4. David Thibert 5. Joshua Mork 6. Joe Koesteke, 7. Brandon Van Tassel 8. Nic Jacobs 9. Seth Murray 10. Brock Pearson 11. Michael Norberg, 12. Drew Sagsveen 13. Kaiti Farrell 14. Matt Anfinson
Row 2: 1. Derek Jacobs 2. Dale Malehim 3. Seth Veit 4. John Bisbee 5. Eric Reuss 6. Shannon Pantoja 7. Ian Gilley 8. Charlie Pieper 9. Randy Hanson-Hietala 10. Kaitlyn Lien 11. John Hermes 12. Ryan Hanson 13. Drake Sime 14. Dustin Bethel
Row 1 (Front) 1. Ashley Beeman 2. Josh Ensign 3. MaKayla Ryan 4. Brandon Martin 5. Kathryn O'Keefe 6. Braydon Consley 7. Will Franklund 8. Christopher Wheeler 9. Jon Jones 10. Ian Vicknair 11. Peter Lokken 12. Gabe Crommett, 13. Miranda Tunheim 14. Nancy Stephens 15. Wayne Stephens
Butler Wilderness Outpost 2014 Staff Row 2 1. Jonathon Dodge 2. Davyn Thomson 3. Steve Lyman 4. Brandon Van Den Eykel 5. Brian Norberg 6. Sidler Davis Row 1 (Front): 1. Jermy Quittschreiber 2. Nicholas Norberg 3. Patricia Plumb 4. Ariana Herman
Thank you 2014
staff, from the
NLC Alumni
Association!
Chris Soper: Where We Were, Where We Are
and Where We Should Go For over 20 years I have been coming back to Wilderness each 4th of
July week. At first it was just a few of us spending a few days here
and there, then it was more of us spending the entire week, then it
was more and more people trickling through a few hours or a day,
and then it was an Alumni Association and an Alumni Week. During
this time, there was much work to do at camp, there were buildings
to remodel and storage sheds to organize, signs to paint, trails to
clear and the list of projects went on and on.
Today, Camp Wilderness is a very different place than it was during
the formative years of The Association. It has an extremely qualified
Ranger an Assistant Ranger, a full‐time Camp Director and Kitchen
Manager. The facilities are in excellent condition and the program is
strong. The camp is doing what The Association used to do. We
have accomplished our initial goal. So where does that leave us? It
makes me think about our rolel at camp. Who are we now and what
should our focus be as we spend a week at camp a year?
It is clear to me that we are at a critical point in the history of The
Association. We need to re‐define who we are and what our focus
should be at camp. I, for one, enjoy a week at camp and the
opportunity to meet the new staff and catch up with returning staff.
I enjoy staff development activities and doing projects, but deep in
my heart, I know that The Association is really not about the enjoyment of the members.
We need to remember that we are guests in camp and have no authority, we only come with the desire to serve
and to learn and to lift up those who are the current stewards of the camp. We, each, need to remember that
each one of us is the face of The Association and each one of us has the ability to enhance the perception of The
Association and each one of us has the ability to show it in a bad light. The weight of our organization falls on the
shoulder of each of us. It is a burden that I know we all can bear.
Chris Soper: (continued)
The purpose of The Association as stated in Section I (3) of the Bylaws are as follows:
i) To maintain the Memories, Spirit and Traditions of the Northern Lights Council Camps (past and
present).
ii) To provide a means for alumni of the NLC Camps to maintain affiliation with each other and with the
Camps.
ii) To contribute to the continued maintenance and development of the Camps’ physical and human
resources.
In order to continue to accomplish the purpose of The Association, I believe we each need to develop
relationships with the current staff. We need to be able to share our Memories and instill in them The Spirit of
Wilderness. We need to support and lift up the camp staff and program. So how do we do this?
Traditionally, Alumni Week is the lowest attended week of camp. I believe we all need to step back and come to
camp on different weeks where they really need the help and become involved in program areas. We need to
humble ourselves and become, as if, CIT’s and enter a program area for a week or help out in the kitchen washing
dishes or support the admin staff with visitors or stock shelves in the Trading Post. For this level of service is, to
me, the basis of The Association.
We need to find ways to financially support meaningful projects that enhance the staff life, which in turn
enhances the experience of the Scout. Simple examples of this is contributing to the Steve Werpy Staff
Scholarship fund or providing pens and paper for staff and Scout use or paying for a staff meal at Logging Camp or
Compañaros on a Saturday or a staff night off.
We need to get involved in staff development and training. We need to teach CPR and classroom management
and merit badge grid sheet usage. We need to help the staff with the ‘To‐Do’ list on Saturday mornings. Can you
imagine if the staff finished a hard week of 400+ Scouts in camp on a Friday night and woke up to a completed To‐
Do list on Saturday morning? This is The Association that I believe we need to be. This is the Association in which
I want to participate.
I encourage each of you to take a step back, think about this new vision, and determine your passion. What idea
do you have to fulfill this new vision of The Association, and more importantly, what will you stand up and do to
fulfill this vision?
In Wilderness,
Wischixon
The Interview
Josh Mork Did you attend Camp Wilderness as a Scout? Yes I did. My first time going to Camp Wilderness was as a Bear in Cub Scouts. I then came back every year until I started working there in 2011.
How many years have you been on staff at Camp Wilderness? I have been working for camp for four years‐‐all of them in Scoutcrafts.
Funniest moment at camp? Definitely hanging out with the scouts! They are hilarious and they are why I keep returning to camp. Camp was an awesome place for me as a scout, and I want to make it an even better place for the scouts coming here today.
Most moving experience at camp? For me, (and some people will be quite surprised by this because I am so extroverted) my most memorable experience at camp is quietly walking alone through the different trails on camp remembering what it was like walking them as a scout. Most time the trails are the same as they have always been, but some have changed through the twelve years I've been coming to camp. Even with the changes, the camp still largely remains the same. This timelessness deep among the pines and birches, thinking about the past, the present, and the future at Camp Wilderness, and spending time with my friends and family is by far my most memorable experience at camp.
Favorite location in camp? Many people assume that my favorite location at camp is Scoutcrafts. While Scoutcrafts has been a very special area for me, having worked there for four years, three as the director, it is not the most meaningful for me. Every time I come to camp, I make sure I visit Iowa campsite; it was my home for many summers as a scout and I can never forget
the many friends I made there, the many memories that I have, and the many experiences I had all in Iowa campsite. I will usually spend several hours just sitting there, and often am brought to tears remembering why I love that campsite so much.
Favorite Dining Hall meal? BISCUITS AND GRAVY!!!!!!!!!!!
Favorite summer camp activity? As I said before, spending time with the scouts. Though if I had to name a specific activity, it would have to be building pioneering projects with them. I love showing them what they can do with a little bit of rope, some logs, and some imagination. At the start of the week, they are unsure what they can do, but by the end they have built something fantastic. This is why I love teaching: I can help make the scouts grow while working with them at camp.
Josh Mork (continued)
What are you doing school/work wise, when not at camp? I study history, music, political science, religion, and classical studies (which is Ancient Greek mythology, language, culture, and archaeology) at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.
What would you tell someone that is considering working on camp staff, but still not sure? I would definitely encourage them to try it out! (Even if you have no idea what you're getting into!) I didn't know what would happen once I got to camp to work, but it turned out to be a fantastic place to work my first year and now I've returned three years. However, don't imagine or fool yourself into thinking that this is an easy job. It is a fantastic one, and one I highly encourage people to look at, but it takes a lot of work and a good work ethic to succeed. You are going to be tired, but in a good way. You are going to feel accomplished. You are going to be proud of what you've done. You are going to grow as a person and as a leader. Definitely think about working at
camp!. ҈ _____________________________________________________________
Monte Fronk: 2013 Jamboree Experience
Alumni Association Upcoming Events & Dates 9/2/14 Crackerbarrel: High Adventure Base Opportunities Northern Tier,
Philmont, etc‐ Center For Scouting, Fargo 5:15‐6:30PM
9/2/14 Alumni Social: Old Chicago Fargo 6:30‐9:00PM
9/12‐14/14 Fall Fellowship: Camp Wilderness, Park Rapids, MN
10/2/14 Alumni Social: Old Chicago Fargo 6:30‐9:00PM
11/4/14 Crackerbarrel: Pa‐Hin Lodge, NYLT, Woodbadge, NLC Scouter Religious
Association, Center For Scouting, Fargo 5:15‐6:30PM
11/4/14 Alumni Social: Old Chicago Fargo 6:30‐9:00PM
12/2/14 Alumni Social: Old Chicago Fargo 6:30‐9:00PM
12/2014 Holiday Party: The holiday party will be the weekend between
Christmas and New Years at Camp Wilderness. Contact Brad at the Fargo
Scout office to let them know you are coming.
1/15/15 Winter Aurora Deadline – Have all articles in by Jan. 15, 2015 for the
Winter Edition. Send articles to Steve Shark [email protected]
Fall Fellowship 9/12‐9/14/2014
Please join us for post campsite inspections, some minor carpentry work and a few other tasks to help out Ranger Andy. There will be a cracker-barrel after check-in on Friday
evening, and all meals for Saturday will be provided. You are welcome to stay Saturday night and enjoy a peaceful Sunday morning at camp.
Sunday breakfast will not be provided, but I’m sure Mike and Melinda would love to see you at the Emmaville Café for their famous buffet brunch!
Best of all, it’s all FREE! Please register on the Northern Lights Council web site so that we can get a head count for food. Go to the September Council calendar
page and click on the Fall Fellowship weekend. Or, you can register for the weekend by following this link: http://www.nlcbsa.org/Event.aspx?id=4645
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Death of a Scouter by Howard Kossover Dwight Kalash died on February 2, 2014, at age 66. Dwight is a long time Scouter, Scoutmaster, Eagle, member of Alumni Association and my friend. Starting as Webelos leaders and continuing with Troop 19 (Dwight as SM, me as ASM) well beyond the time when our own sons went to college, Dwight was the main reason for a small but healthy Troop 19 in Thompson for many years. Over many outings and campfires,
Dwight helped boys find their way. Dwight went to Wilderness both as a Scout and as SM. Poor health prevented Dwight from personally visiting Wilderness in recent years but his interest continued. After each of my summer visits he received a full report of how Wilderness looked and what was going on. Everyplace at Camp stirs a memory. You can read more about Dwight at http://www.grandforksherald.com/content/dwight-f-kalash and http://www.grandforksherald.com/content/matters-hand-unheralded-hero-1997-flood Howard Kossover Thompson ND
The Interview “Old Timer” Special
Jeff Pastir Did you attend NLC Camps as a Scout? Yes, in Camp Wilderness in 1974 and 1975. In 1976 we
attended Heart Butte Scout Reservation. How many years were you been on staff? 1977‐1978, 1982‐1989. Back in the day we had rotating summer camps, and I worked at all four of our properties: Heart Butte Scout Reservation, Metigoshe
Scout Reservation, Wabaunaquat, and Wilderness. Funniest moment at camp? Mr. Litton's trailer filled with wood chips.
Most moving experience at camp? During Saturday check‐out, when a Scout would approach you in the parking lot and thank you for being on staff. Favorite campsite and/or location in camp? Favorite campsite: Ojibwa. Favorite location: the waterfront.
Favorite Dining Hall meal? Friday night chicken BBQ prepared by the waterfront staff. Favorite summer camp activity? Order of the Arrow callouts featuring Steve Werpy
What are you doing school/work wise, when not at camp? I staff an urgent care clinic in the Twin Cities. This fall, the Heir to the Throne leaves for college, so we will be making trips to St. Peter to watch him play football. Scouting‐wise I assist with my district's website, teach adult leader training, and help with the council recognition dinner. This winter I will serve on Wood Badge staff.
What would you tell someone that is considering working on camp staff, but still not sure? There is no place better in the world to spend your summers. The friends you
meet will be yours for a lifetime, and the memories are priceless..҈
Put Your Old Uniforms To Use! By: John Bisbee Those uniforms that haven’t been worn since those years on Camp Staff, or those years you attended Summer Camp, can be brought back into commission by a Scout in need. We all have them, those Class A uniforms that are becoming a little too small (or large) and we don’t know what to do with them. The Pa‐Hin Lodge has started up a new program called “Clothe the Scout,” which will allow those uniforms that you no longer wear to go to a good cause: a Scout that cannot afford his own uniform. No matter the style of the Class A, we will take it and put it towards a good cause. We ask that all insignia be removed from the uniform, excluding the American Flag patch and the Council Strip. If you have a Pa‐Hin Lodge flap on your uniform as well, you are welcome to keep it on there. Uniforms may be sent to: Jon L. Wanzek Center for Scouting ATTN: Clothe the Scout 4200 19th Ave South Fargo, ND 58013
Camp Wilderness Order of the Arrow Service Projects One of the primary themes in Scouting and the OA is service. The OA members in our council’s area have provided uncounted hours of service over many decades. Starting in 1995, the National OA Committee started a program that assists local OA lodges with helping to fund their larger service projects. Lodges can submit proposals for projects and if their proposal is accepted the lodge can receive up to $5,000 in a matching grant. The lodge must fund at least 50% of the project cost. Some of the additional project requirements:
Total service project cost is not to exceed $20,000. All lodge projects must be for the improvement of the council’s camp properties or service center. The lodge must contribute at least 50% of the labor necessary to complete the project. The camp property or service center project must be completed by October 31, 2015. A final report of the service project must be sent to the director of the Order of the Arrow by November 30, 2015. Our lodge, Pa‐Hin, received one of the first grants in 1995 to construct the Bog Walk at Camp Wilderness. In 2010 the lodge received a grant to construct an astronomy observatory at Camp Wilderness, ironically located near the Bog Walk. The lodge is once again eligible to submit a project proposal. A project could be done at any of the council properties, including Camp Wilderness, Big Four, or Heart Butte. A project could also be undertaken at the Center For Scouting. What we don’t have is a project idea. If you have a suggestion for a project, please forward to us by email at [email protected]. More information about the national grant is available online at: www.oa‐bsa.org/pages/content/oa‐service‐grant Project proposals that receive funding tend to be for unique ideas. For example what
other camp has an actual astronomy dome or a bog walk? It would be a fitting and significant milestone to receive a 3rd national grant, 20 years after the Bog Walk.
Quill Hill – Order of the Arrow Ceremony Site Project During the summer of 1993 summer camp at Camp Wilderness, Lodge Chief Kent Larson with the assistance of Camp Program Director Chris Soper, past Camp Director Chad Swenson, and others located an area to construct a new ceremony site for the lodge. At the Fall Conclave that year many Ordeal candidates and members worked long hours to clear out the initial area. Over the 20+ years since that conclave, there have been additional projects to further develop the site, growing the grounds from what was an inspiring but very confined area to well established ceremony grounds. Just this spring further landscaping work allowed for the opening of an adjacent ceremony ground that was used at this year’s Fall Conclave for the first time. Today, most Arrowmen refer to the site as “Quill Hill”. Despite 20+ years of work including clearing of trees, landscaping, and more the site still retains an unfinished look. To address this, the lodge has committed itself to a very ambitious project, to build a series of terraces into the side of the hill to serve as seating. This will give the ceremony grounds a very similar look to the new campfire area at Camp Wilderness. Additionally the lodge is hoping to place a storage shed and storage for tipi poles in the site. The goal is to provide a finished looking site that requires minimum maintenance and easy setup and take down for conclaves. The proposed project is fairly ambitious with the construction estimate at $21,000.
With Fall Conclave located at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park in 2015, the goal is to raise enough funding to have the construction next year and ready for use in the spring of 2016. To help with the fundraising, the lodge has approved creation of a fundraiser patch (as pictured above). Each patch will be numbered, 1 through 100. The lodge will create 100 patches for the 100th anniversary. 95 of the patches will be sold at a price of $100 each. Four patches will go to auction and one will go into the lodge’s permanent patch collection.
We are working on additional fundraising efforts for the Quill Hill project, but this is the first step. Associate Lodge Adviser Matt Everson is the lead adviser for the lodge’s patches committee. Questions about the fund raiser patch and other special patches coming out for the OA centennial in 2015 can be addressed to him by email at: [email protected]. Order forms for the fundraiser patch will be available later this Fall.
Alumni Service Project How many CW Alumni and staff does it take to move a donor’s dock? I count 12! This group helped Nancy
Clark with her dock on Bad Axe Lake during Alumni week in July 2014. Nancy is the generous woman who
donated over 30 acres of adjacent Bad Axe shoreline and land to Camp Wilderness this year!
Alumni Achievement Award The Association has developed the Alumni Achievement Award to recognize those individuals and organizations for outstanding service and contributions to the Northern Lights Council Camps over an extended period of time. The Alumni Association seeks nominations for candidates to be considered to receive this award. Nominees may be Scouters, professional staff and even those that do not have any registered affiliation with Scouting. The award is also available to any organization that has provided exemplary monetary and/or physical support. The only stipulation is that awards cannot be considered posthumously. Nomination application forms are on the Alumni Association page of the Council ‘Northern Hi‐Lites’ at this link: http://www.northernlightsalumni.com/Downloads/Alumni%20Achievement%20Award%20Form.pdf. Anyone can make a nomination by completing the Nomination For Alumni Achievement Award form and sending it to the Alumni Achievement Award Chair by June 1st of each year. Please note that the only factors considered will be related to contributions and/or impact to the Northern Lights Council camps themselves. Other Scouting involvement with troops, districts or the council is irrelevant as it pertains to consideration for this award. If you would like to nominate an individual or an organization for the Alumni Achievement Award, download the nomination form, fill it out and mail it to the committee chair person. Ron Schneider 817 South 36th Street Moorhead, MN 56560 (H) 218‐236‐5072 Email [email protected]
Aurora Fall 2014
In This Issue:
Chris Soper Editorial
President’s Message
Josh Mork Interview
Jeff Pastir Interview
OA Ceremonial Grounds Update
Alumni Service Project
So Much More!
Alumni Association of the Northern Lights Camps Northern Lights Council BSA 4200 19th Ave South Fargo, ND 58103
www.northernlightsalumni.com “Staff Today, Alumni Forever”