Ockanickon Scout Reservation

Environmental Science was first introduced to the BSA in 1972. While not originally being an Eagle required merit badge it became required in 2010. Our Ecology Department houses this badge. Currently this badge is taught by our Councils Conservation Chair. Environmental Science has been a heavily attended badge at OSR and has become a favorite of many scouts. Make sure to stop by our Eco Lodge and find out why some many people love this badge!

With only 39 days left until opening day lets introduce you to another member of the OSR staff. Henry Nolan will be the Assistant Civics Director at Ockanickon this year. He is 20 years old, and this will be his sixth season at Ockanickon. He has been working at Ockanickon since he was a Counselor in Training, then worked in Ecology for two seasons, and is now in his third season in Civics. Henry earned his Eagle Scout in 2018 while in Troop 167 in Cherry Hill. Outside of scouting, Henry is a Junior Biology and Political Science Major at The College of New Jersey. He is looking forward to discussing the details of global and national government with the scouts of the 2021 season!

Don't miss these amazing trainings at OSR! Click the pictures for dates & times in the captions and click the links to register. We hope to see you there!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing Scout moms out there!! We would like to wish a big Happy Mother’s Day to three of our Ockanickon moms. First picture our wonderful Business Manager, Michelle. Second picture our great Health Officer, Tina. Finally our amazing Food Service Director Jessica.

The Ockanickon Iron Man was introduced to OSR in 2018. This program lives true to the scout oath of keeping its challengers Physically Strong. In order to complete this challenge, you must complete the following activities while at camp in a 24-hour period: a 5 mile continuous run, swim a continuous mile and climb the climbing tower in under a minute. You will check in with the Field Sports Director the day you wish to start the challenge, he will issue you a record sheet. ...Your start time of the challenge will be recorded on your activity sheet. Once you complete each element that areas director will sign off. Once you complete all the elements you will turn your form back into the Filed Sports Director for verification. This challenge has been attempted by many but finished by few. Do you have what it takes to be an Ockanickon Iron Man? This Challenge is open to both Scouts and Leaders while at camp. See more

Ockanickon Scout Reservation has limited opportunities for units to conduct primitive camping through the summer. Contact Todd Warner, [email protected] for more information.

Looking for something to do this summer? Check out our Camp in a Box program! The Washington Crossing Council in partnership with 5 other councils has the perfe...ct non-typical camp set up for your not-typical summer. ' ! Registration and more here: https://scoutingevent.com/533-campinabox2020 For additional information contact Todd Warner at [email protected] See more

Way to go Team Panos!! Who else is up to the Challenge? Sign up today! https://bsawcc.org/scout-strong-challenge/

It's Global Running Day! Celebrate by signing up for the WCC Scout Strong Challenge . There's something for everyone click the link for details. (BSA membership not required to participate.)

From the desk of the OSR Program Director and Family Camp Committee: I hope that this letter finds you all well. The Family Camp Committee has been hard at work over the past year to create an amazing event for the whole family. It is the goal of the committee, Ockanickon Scout Reservation, and Washington Crossing Council to make all our events the safest that they can be. After much careful consideration, the decision has been made to postpone family camp from its original ...date of June 12-14 to September 4-6. Registration for this event is currently closed. When registration opens for the new dates, and announcement will be made. If you are already registered for this event. your registration will be automatically carried over to the new event date. If you have a conflict with this date and can no longer attend, please contact the council’s program assistant Michelle Cathers at [email protected]. We hope that you are all staying safe and healthy during this time. As always with any questions please feel free to reach out to us directly at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you all in the fall! Yours in Scouting, Charles Kinsky, Program Director Ockanickon Scout Reservation

OSR Continuing to Evaluate (Update 5/1/20) Dear camp leaders and coordinators, As we start off the month of May, I wanted to reach out to give you an update. We are starting to hear of camps around the region make some decisions regarding their season. We are still trying to understand the various plans and announcements coming from the Pennsylvania Governor’s office and the Department of Health. There is still too much uncertainty for us to make a particular decision. We co...ntinue on our timeline of making some decisions by mid-May. In so doing, the originally scheduled May 2nd leaders meeting is postponed until tentatively May 16th. It will be conducted in a virtual webinar format. We will also hold off publishing any campsite signups and lottery Merit Badge signups. Our hope is we have a better picture of what a summer resident camp might look like. In the meantime, Program Director Charley Kinsky, is meeting with each area director to understand how their program areas might be impacted by various restrictions. Ranger Josh Kuhns is looking at sanitization practices and housing capacities based on various scenarios. Food Service Director Jessica Stugart is preparing a plan for distribution of take-out food. Health Officer Jason Page is working with our Council Health Supervisor Dr. Brett Harrison on pre-screening and screening protocols while at camp. Assistant Camp Director James McCabe is reviewing modifications to trading post operations. It goes without saying that camp in 2020 will most certainly not look like 2019. There are many questions circulating around the Annual Health and Medical Record. It is probably the most asked question on weekly webinars hosted by the National Outdoor Program team for camp directors. We’ve been told the National Health and Safety committee intends to have recommendations to Councils the first week of May. From those recommendations, our Council health supervisor and camp health officer will be able to provide guidance. We realize there may be attrition in the number of attendees as some families will not be willing or able to send their Scouts to camp. To allow more time for families to make the decision, the Tier 2 discount rate of $440 has been extended until May 31st. I understand how frustrating and hard to plan it can be without definitive answers. I will make every effort to keep you informed as we work to gain clarity around our camp season. If you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I wish you and your extended Scouting family well. With my regards, Todd