On Wednesday, July 1 Samoset Council will begin Phase II of our Scouting reopening plan.  The Wausau Home Scout Service Center (WHSC) will allow a limited number of visitors in the facility and Scout Shop under social distancing restrictions.  Wearing a face covering is optional.  All visitors will be screened in the vestibule before entry.  Visitors will be required to provide basic information (name, phone #) for our new visitor log.  A summary of services (while maintaining social distancing standards) available are:

• Scout Shop shopping (mail order and curbside pick-up still available)
• General customer service actions
• Meeting with staff
• In-person volunteer Council Committee meetings (Schuette Hall will have a max. of 20 people and the Eagle Room a max. of 5 people).

Its important for everyone to know that the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes is NOT opening to visitors at this time.  Please be mindful of this when you visit the WHSC.

In addition to in-person services at the WHSC, unit meeting, activity and outing restrictions are being reduced as of July 1.  Please use the Can My Scout Unit Hold Our Meeting, Activity or Outing decision guide.  Most counties in the 13 county Samoset Council area are moving to 50 people or less mass gatherings with social distancing.  As a unit leader, you need to ensure you have a comfort level of this many people.  If you are not, you are encouraged to provide guidance to your unit that has less people per gathering.  Look at your county’s website for more information.  Continue to reference the Campout Safety Checklist and updated Event Screening Checklist and the new National BSA Restart Scouting Checklist.  Through a little preparation, your Scouting unit can have more people at meetings, activities and outings in a safe manner.

Our summer camp programs are on track to open July 5.  Please review the resources below to prepare for resident camp. Besides overnight programs in Rhinelander, we have several day camp programs.  Pre-registration for these programs is required.  See this page for more details.

• Updated Tesomas Leader Guidebook
• Updated Akela's World Leader Guidebook
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Video of Camp Changes (from May 21)

On Monday June 29 at 7:00 PM, Camp Leadership will be holding a special webinar to address questions related to resident camp.  Please register for this webinar.

Samoset Council is excited to celebrate 100 years of Scouting in north-central Wisconsin.  The council was granted a charter from the Boy Scouts of America in July of 1920.  Join us on July 30 at Camp Phillips to celebrate this milestone.  For the safety of all attending, pre-registration is required.  The event will be broken into two blocks (3:00 - 4:45 PM and 5:15 - 7:00 PM).  During this event, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about our history and participate in some traditional camp activities.  Food  & drink concessions will be available.

Register online:  www.samoset.org/rsvp

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On November 5, 2016, Jack, an 11-year-old Scout, was on an overnight backpacking trip with his father as well as with adult leaders and Scouts from his troop. The group was in the backcountry portion of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The unit camped at a location that had what may be called a hazard tree. The label “hazard tree” includes dead trees, live trees with dead parts, and live trees that are considered unstable (due to structural defect) and are within striking distance of people or property. A hammock was tied to a dead tree that later fell on Jack’s tent after everyone retired for the evening. Tragically, Jack was killed when the tree struck him.

Continue reading to learn what you can do to prevent this situation from occurring on your next camping trip.