Del-Mar-Va Council

Del-Mar-Va Council (#081)
Owner	Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters	Wilmington, Delaware
Country	United States
Website delmarvacouncil.org

Del-Mar-Va Council serves Scouts in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.^[1]

Organization

Del-Mar-Va Council is divided into the following districts:

• Cecil District
• Choptank District
• Powder Mill
• Iron Hill
• Sussex District
• Tri-County District
• Two Bays District
• Virginia District

There are two Boy Scout camps: Rodney Scout Reservation, also known as Camp Rodney or RSR, located in North East, Maryland, and Henson Scout Reservation, also known as Camp Nanticoke or HSR, near Galestown, Maryland. Rodney covers 900 acres (3.6 km²) and Henson 1,500 acres (6 km²).

Order of the Arrow – Nentego Lodge #20

Henson Scout Reservation

The lounge in the Administration Building, circa 2003

Henson Scout Reservation, also known as Camp Nanticoke, is an 1,800-acre (7.3 km²) Scout camp located on the Delmarva Peninsula near Galestown, Maryland. One of two Scout camps on the peninsula, it serves thousands of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts throughout the summer months, and is open year-round for special Scout programs and for rental by outside groups. Boy Scout and Cub Scout summer programs are run separately.^[2]

History

Named for the famous aviator and philanthropist from Salisbury, Maryland (Richard A. Henson), Henson Scout Reservation has been in continuous operation by the Del-Mar-Va Council since the summer of 1965. The camp was originally known as Camp Nanticoke, which is now the name of the primary camping area. (The original plan was to develop two camps on a single reservation — Camp Nanticoke and Camp Choptank — but that never materialized.) Today, the entire reservation is still known by many as simply "Camp Nanticoke."

In November 2006, G. Lee Murdoch was named to succeed J. Ray Teat as director of the camp. Murdoch, a ten-year summer camp staff veteran and Eagle Scout, holds a master's degree in recreation management from Indiana University and a bachelor's in recreation and parks management from Frostburg State University. Teat was named the Del-Mar-Va Council's director of support services.^[3] In September 2011, Eric Salser become director after serving in various positions on camp staff including Program Director in the 1990s.

The camp's largely undeveloped 1,500 acres (6.1 km²) are widely recognized as an environmental gem, with habitat for countless birds, mammals and fish, including the bald eagle. The entire camp was protected in a conservation easement in partnership with the Nature Conservancy.^[4]

Boy Scouting programs

Camp Nanticoke offers a wide range of traditional Boy Scout summer camp programs, including swimming, nature/ecology, handicrafts, Scoutcraft (camping and outdoors skills), archery, rifle and shotgun shooting and fishing. Its first-year camper program, known as Brownsea, is extremely popular. Located on the Marshyhope Creek, a tributary of the Nanticoke River, the camp has a thriving waterfront program, offering canoeing, rowing, sailing and motorboating. It also has a fitness program, including physical fitness, biking and golf merit badges.^[5]

For older Boy Scouts, the camp offers a high adventure trekking program, involving a week-long canoe/bicycling trek around the Nanticoke River watershed. Its Eagle Base program is designed to give older Scouts the opportunity to earn specialized merit badges required for the Eagle rank. And Project COPE is an extremely popular low- and high-ropes challenge course. Finally, new to Camp Nanticoke in the 2008 summer will be a Visual Arts area consisting of computers, graphic arts and photography merit badges.

The Admin lounge has a lounge for adults only and seven on-site computers are available for anyone to use.

Cub Scouting programs

While traditionally Cub Scouts have participated in day camps, Henson Scout Reservation offers an overnight/resident camp, designed to introduce Cub Scouts to the basics of camping in a supportive, structured environment. It offers 3-day, 2-night sessions for both Cub Scouts and Webelos and weeklong sessions just for Webelos. Each year's programs are thematic. The summer 2008 theme is Wild West.

The 2007 theme was "Exploring the New World," marking the 400th anniversary of Capt. John Smith's exploration of the Chesapeake Bay.^[6]

Rodney Scout Reservation

Rodney Scout Reservation
Location	North East, Maryland
Founded	1923
Website http://www.delmarvacouncil.org/

Rodney Scout Reservation, operated by the Del-Mar-Va Council, Boy Scouts of America, is located on 900 acres (3.6 km²) of rolling upland woodlands at the head of the Chesapeake Bay and boasts over a mile of prime bay frontage. It has been in continuous operation since 1923.

History

Rodney is located in Cecil County, Maryland, about 6 miles (9.7 km) Southeast of Interstate 95 or Maryland Route 40 off Maryland Route 272 near North East. The camp location provides easy access from Baltimore, Washington, Wilmington, and Philadelphia.

It is on the site of an old abandoned iron mining site formerly titled Whitaker Iron. In 1922, DuPont gave much funding for the fledgling scout camp that has multiple facilities, camp grounds for roughly two dozen troops and many merit badges. Such activities include pottery, archery, sail and power boating, rock climbing, and even Indian lore. Because of the proximity to a large hill, most of the runoff can flow through the camp sites, creating veritable rivers and floods. Visitors are advised to bring ground cloths and/or an elevated platform for the site.^[7]

Campsites

At Rodney, there are three sides of camp: Lenape, Pathfinder, and Wilderness

Lenape

The Lenape side of camp centers around the pool and Bridge House, which is the winter camping headquarters.

• Choptank — Pavilion w/electricity and wall tents in summer; tent site in winter camping season
• Accomac — Winter cabin w/kitchen and wall tents in summer; tent/cabin site in winter camping season
• Wicomico — Winter cabin w/kitchen and wall tents in Summer; tent/cabin site in winter camping season
• Minquas — Winter cabin w/kitchen and wall tents in summer; tent/cabin site in winter camping season
• Alapocas — Winter cabin w/kitchen and wall tents in summer; tent/cabin Site in Winter camping season
• Shawnee — Largest winter cabin w/kitchen and wall tents in summer; tent/cabin site in Winter camping season
• Minsi — Winter cabin w/kitchen and wall tents in summer; tent/cabin site in winter camping season
• Sasquatch — (summer Brownsea area); tent site in winter camping season
• Ute -(summer Archery Range); tent site in winter camping season

Pathfinder

Camp Rodney

• Beachcomber — Tent site w/wall tents in summer, great view of the Cheasapeake Bay, close to the main parade field and the Nature Lodge
• Cheekacoo — Tent site w/wall tents in summer, small "chicken coop" for leaders in Summer, great location next to the main parade field with a great view of the bay
• Ranger — Tent site w/wall tents in summer, shady Site
• Seahawk — Tent site w/wall tents in summer, shady site surrounding an open field, great location next to Brown Lodge, the climbing wall, Scoutcraft, and the main parade field
• Shady Grove — Tent site in winter, serves as Scoutcraft area in summer
• Bayview — Tent site w/wall tents in summer, great view of the bay, right next to the Pathfinder comfort station
• Pioneer — Leader cabin, Adirondacks for the Scouts, tent/Adirondack site in winter, great view of the bay, great central location, right next to the Pathfinder comfort station
• Pathfinder Headquarters — Full service cabin, great location, serves as staff housing in summer
• Barratt Lodge — Nice bunkhouse, serves as staff housing in summer
• Brown Lodge — Great building in camp, serves as meeting room, Scoutmaster's lounge, commissioner's office, chaplain's office, and staff lounge in summer
• Chesapeake  - (old Pathfinder Waterfront Area) - Bunkhouse located on the main parade field, used as staff housing in summer

Wilderness

• Frontier — Bunkhouse w/Kitchen, Tent/Cabin Site in Winter Season, Wall Tents in Summer
• Susquehannock — Bunkhouse w/Kitchen, Tent/Cabin Site in Winter Season, Wall Tents in Summer
• Cliff Dwellers — Tent Site w/Wall Tents in Summer
• Wilderness — Cabin w/Kitchen, Serves as Staff Housing in Summer
• Whitaker Iron — Tent Site w/Wall Tents in Summer
• Windy Point — Bunkhouse/Tent Site w/Wall Tents in Summer, Great View of the Bay, Close to Wilderness Comfort Station
• Lone Pine — Bunkhouse/Tent Site w/Wall Tents in Summer, OK View of Bay, Close to Wilderness Comfort Station, Closest Site to Sailing Base, Farthest Site from Dining Hall
• Fisherman's — Cabin w/Kitchen, Cabin/Tent Site in Winter, Used as Staff Housing in Summer

Summer Camp

For eight weeks during the summer, Rodney is open for long-term summer camping, staffed by paid employees of Del-Mar-Va Council. Merit badges and other programs are offered in the areas of Aquatics (pool, sailing base, and boatyard), Brownsea (1st year camper program), climbing, handicraft, high adventure saling, mountain biking, nature, Scoutcraft, and shooting sports (archery, shotgun, and rifle). "Rodney Outdoor Challenge(ROC)" and technology programs were added for the 2008 season, which was also RSR's 85th summer.

Winter Camping

From September to May, Rodney is open for weekend camping, staffed by the volunteer Rodney Campmaster Crews. Some weekends offer programs put forth by districts in Del-Mar-Va Council. Most weekends include a program such as orienteering, cooking, rifle shooting, or many others put on by the campmaster crews.^[8]

Akridge Scout Reservation

Akridge Scout Reservation, operated by the Del-Mar-Va Council, Boy Scouts of America, is located on 85 acres (0.3 km²) of farmland in Dover, Delaware,^[9] and is the first Boy Scout camp in Delaware. Groundbreaking took place on September 17, 2011.^[10] The first event held there was a Council Jamboree on May 4–6, 2012.^[11]

Order of the Arrow

Nentego Lodge 20 History On July 29, 1925, a charter was granted to Unalachtico Lodge of the Del-Mar-Va Council. The lodge totem was the turkey. By the late 1930s, the lodge had become inactive and was disbanded.

Through the efforts of the Delmont Lodge #43 of the Valley Forge Council, Lodge #20 was reorganized on June 22, 1957. The new name chosen by the membership was Nentego, a derivation of the name of one of the major Delaware Tribes, which means, "People from across the water." Delmont Lodge inducted two youth from each district and the council professional staff to provide the initial core of Nentego Lodge. The Lodge totem is the Rockfish, which can be found in the Chesapeake Bay. The lodge colors are blue, for the water of the Chesapeake, and grey, for the Rockfish. The first lodge flap appeared in 1957, and its basic design remains in use today.

Section NE-4C History Section NE-4C was established in June 1994, following a realignment of the councils and areas of the Northeast Region. The Section had been formerly known as NE-6 until the 1994 realignment, which resulted in the elimination of Area 6 and the transfer of NE-6 charte lodge Ahthuhquog #540 to Section NE-5. Section NE-4C is now one of the three Order of the Arrow Sections in Area 4 of the Northeast Region. Section NE-6 was formed on May 22, 1982 when its five charter lodges were transferred with their respective councils from SE-9 in the Southeast Region to the Northeast Region. A sixth lodge, Black Eagle, transferred from NE-3A to NE-6 in June 1982. Section NE-6 continued as a group of six lodges until a 1988 realignment of the Northeast Region. In November of that year, Susquehannock and Tuckahoe Lodges from NE-5B and Wunita Gokhos from NE-5A joined Section NE-6. Since the formation of NE-4C, three lodges have been transferred to other sections, Ahthuhquog, Black Eagle, and Wunita Gokhos. Information for this page came from the 2002 Section NE-4C Conclave Handbook.^[12]

See also

• Scouting in Delaware
• Scouting in Maryland
• Scouting in Virginia

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scouting in Delaware.

• Henson/Camp Nanticoke history site (unofficial)

References

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