The mosquitos are reported to be ferocious at Camp Mach this year. In addition to insect repellant (NON-AEROSOL), campers should have mosquito netting. It’s usually available at REI (http://www.rei.com/product/729006) but they may be sold out. It’s also available at Sports Authority and probably other outdoor stores. Instructions for making a mosquito frame can be found on our website here. If you have any questions about the instructions for building the frame, please contact Ray.

All of our leaders should have completed Youth Protection Training before attending Camp Mach. It’s likely you have already done so, but new BSA guidelines require the training to be repeated every 2 years. To take the course or to see the status of your training certificates, visit http://olc.scouting.org/ The online class takes only about 20-30 minutes to complete. If you do not complete the class online (recommended), you will have an opportunity to take the class at camp.

Parents: you may have wished you had the time available to go to Camp Mach. Since one of our adult leaders is going for a half-week, we have the other half-week available to you! If you are interested in attending Camp from July 27-July 30, please contact Nancy Hopkins ASAP.

Some scouts signed up for merit badge classes at Camp Mach that may be difficult to complete at camp unless they work on some requirements before they leave. If a scout does not complete a merit badge while in camp, a partial completion will be issued stating which requirements were successfully completed. The scout then has 12 months to complete the remaining requirements. A couple of other merit badge classes require you to bring specific supplies to camp. In case you don’t remember what you signed up for, here are the merit badges that may not be able to be completed entirely at camp without advance work:

REQUIRE WORK BEFORE CAMP

Bird Study – Joe R
Bird Study Requirement 5 requires observing 20 different species of birds at camp and may be difficult to complete at camp

Camping – Sam C, Casey C, Peter F, Mitchell H, Karl J, Max M
Camping Requirement 9 requires a scout to have completed 20 days and nights of camping as well as specific activities on those campouts

Cooking – Ryan B, Brady C, Casey C, Christopher G, Brian J, Nick J, Joey J, Max M, Christopher O, Mike R
Cooking Requirements 3 & 4 require that the scout plan a 2-day campout menu and prepare 4 of the meals. Requirement 7 requires that a scout plan and prepare meals at home.

Environmental Science – Alex B, Brady C, Ben C, Sam C, Tyler P, Mike R, Joe R
Environmental Science Requirement 3e requires research on an endangered species found in Illinois. This should be done prior to camp.

Nature – Alex B, Austin M
Nature Requirement 4 requires the study of various facets of nature. Work at home prior to camp can help toward earning the badge at camp.

Orienteering – Casey C, Max D, Mitchell H, Christian K, Max M, Jeff R
Orienteering Requirement 7 requires that the scout take part in 3 orienteering events and write a report on each one. Requirement 8 requires the scout to set up an orienteering course.

Pioneering – Connor C, Karl J, Austin M
Pioneering Requirement 2 requires completion of 1st Class requirement 7a, b, c. Requirement 9 requires design and construction of a pioneering project.

REQUIRE SUPPLIES TO BE BROUGHT TO CAMP

Fishing – Giancarlo V
Bring to camp: fishing gear

Swimming – first year campers, Brian J
Bring to camp: long pants, long-sleeve button-up shirt, socks, old shoes, all of which will go in the water

Wilderness Survival – Ryan B, Connor C, Max D, Christopher G, Christian K, Tyler P, Jeff R, Jason S, Drake Z – Scouts should be aware that this class requires them to build a shelter from natural materials, and spend a night in the shelter.
Bring to camp: Wilderness Survival Requirement 5 requires scouts to make a personal survival kit. An example of a survival kit can be found here: http://www.e-scoutcraft.com/film_can/survival_kit.html

REQUIRE PURCHASE OF KITS AT CAMP (BRING MONEY)

Basketry – Sam C, Abraham O

Leathercraft – Max D, Stuart M, Abraham O, Calvin P

Woodcarving – Michael D, Peter F, Christopher G, Cody L, Giancarlo V

An optional Troop 24 rafting outing is available during Camp Mach for our older scouts. Scouts who plan to go rafting at Camp Mach need to fill out a permission slip. In order to go on the rafting outing, scouts must: (1) be entering 8th grade or above; (2) be First Class or above; and (3) have earned the Swimming Merit Badge. Permission slips have been received from Ben C, Sam C, Karl J, and Giancarlo V. If you wish to go on the optional rafting outing, please drop off a permission slip at Nancy Hopkins‘ house. You should also plan to take enough money to camp to pay for the rafting outing ($50 or less).

Thanks to the six scouts who have turned in their medical forms for Camp Mach. We still need forms from the other 27 of you, as well as the leaders. Forms for scouts can be found here. Leaders (over age 40) have a different form. Please turn in forms to Nancy Hopkins as soon as possible.

Troop 24 will hold an Eagle Court of Honor for Kyle M. this Sunday, June 22, at 1:30 p.m. at the Riverside Presbyterian Church. The rank of Eagle is the highest award available to youth members of the Boy Scouts of America and is a recognition by the National Court of Honor, presented through the local council and a local court of honor. Only about 2% of all scouts achieve the rank of Eagle, and it is a great achievement for all involved: the Scout, his family, his community, his unit, and the Boy Scouts of America.

Don’t forget – there is a mandatory meeting for scouts going to Camp Mach, and for parents of scouts going to Camp Mach for the first time, on Tuesday, June 3 at 7:00 p.m. at RPC.

We have 33 scouts signed up for Camp Mach and nine leaders. On Tuesday scouts will be signing up for the merit badge classes. Please refer to pages 20-24 of the Camp Leader’s Guide for descriptions of the classes available. First-year campers should take (guess what?) the First Year Camper (FYC) class. This class is offered in the morning opposite Swimming. Most new scouts will want to sign up for FYC and Swimming in the morning, and one additional merit badge in the afternoon.

Call of the Wild is available only for scouts 15 years and older. See page 26 of the Camp Leader’s Guide.

If you have not already paid for the bus, please bring a check for $100 made out to Troop 24.

The permission slip for the Shabbonah Lake Father’s Day outing on 6/13-15 is due tomorrow night, 5/29, at the Court of Honor.  This will be our last troop meeting.  Full uniform is required, and a scout must have an adult present to advance.

For all boys and leaders who will be going to Camp Mach, Troop 24 has contracted for a bus at a cost of $100 per scout. We are assuming that all scouts and leaders will be riding the bus, with the exception of three leaders who will be driving to pull the trailer and provide transportation for the rafting outing. For those of you who have not been to Camp Mach before, mapquest.com estimates that it is a 5-hour, 45-minute drive. It’s 331 miles, one-way. If your car gets 25 miles per gallon, at $4/gallon in gas, it would cost $106 in gas to drive up and back. For scouts who may be a little nervous about being away from home for a week, it’s usually easier if the scouts leave their parents, rather than parents leaving scouts at camp. Please reserve your space on the bus as soon as possible by dropping off a check to Nancy Hopkins, or by bringing it to the Troop meeting on Thursday. Checks should be made out to Troop 24. Please don’t delay in reserving your spot on the bus. If we have any extra seats we want to try to “sell” them to scouts from other troops.

If you haven’t signed up for Camp Mach yet, it’s not too late!