The Staten Island Advance has an article about a rally to save Camp Pouch Scout Camp.

In an attempt to prevent a beloved piece of Island history from falling into the clutches of private developers, approximately 1,500 Scouts and supporters of William H. Pouch Scout Camp braved the cold yesterday evening to rally against the potential sale of the Sea View site.

Armed with candleholders reading “Scouting without Pouch… Ouch,” the hundreds in attendance filled the lawn in front of Susan Wagner High School prior to the camp’s annual holiday lighting ceremony. They came from all five boroughs, with some even from Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Florida to sign petitions preventing the site from being sold.

Read the rest of the article and see pictures at the Staten Island Advance.

Citing financial stress, the Greater New York Councils’ Board of Directors has approved the marketing of Camp Pouch for full or partial sale, with ongoing efforts to secure a conservation easement the preferred arrangement for Scouts and the community. The camp is one of only two key assets that can be strategically leveraged to ensure the Council’s financial stability, as necessitated by steep declines in corporate and community funding amid rising operational and outreach costs.

William H. Pouch Scout Camp is wholly owned by the Greater New York Councils, Boy Scouts of America without restrictions. The property encompasses 120.7 acres, including the 20-acre Ohrbach Lake. The entire property is located within the Staten Island Greenbelt and is primarily used by island residents.

Ongoing economic and fundraising conditions have presented the Council with an unprecedented financial challenge. The Board of Directors is exploring all assets to increase liquidity while minimizing disruption to its mission of delivering Scouting to young people. The Council serves a diverse population of children throughout the five boroughs, providing substantial financial assistance to low-income families to ensure that no child is turned away from a quality program and camping opportunities.

In discussions with the Staten Island Greenbelt Conservancy and city, state, and federal elected and appointed officials, the Boy Scouts have sought a conservation easement at Pouch Scout Camp, which would preserve the camp land as green space in perpetuity.

The Scouts seek to relinquish their rights to develop the property through the proposed conservation easement, which would permanently preserve the land as open space and prevent the potential of housing or commercial development. An easement would be a mutually beneficial agreement to ensure that the land remains an outdoor activity/camping area for both Scouts and the community.

The Council has made a series of decisions to ensure its future strength and high quality of service to youth as it celebrates its 100th Anniversary in February 2010. The Council has taken prudent cost-saving steps, including reducing office space by 60%, cutting paid staff by 40% and slashing its overall budget from $15 million to $10 million while maintaining its core programs for children.

The Boy Scouts’ respect for the environment, natural resources and the quality of life in our community are beliefs integrated in Scouting programs. A conservation easement would preserve green space for generations of Scouts and city residents. The Greater New York Councils maintains two additional camps: the widely-used 12,000 acre Ten Mile River Scout Reservation in Narrowsburg, NY, at which other cashproducing options are explored, and Alpine Scout Camp, in Alpine, NJ, which is a deed-restricted asset in that it must be perpetually used as a Scout camp or be returned to the state.

The Greater New York Councils, Boy Scouts of America provides traditional Scouting and unique outreach programs of character education, life skills, citizenship training, and personal fitness available to all New York City youth.

Source: Greater New York Councils Press Release (pdf)

The Greater New York Councils, Boy Scouts of America will honor Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ExxonMobil Corporation, at its 2009 Eagle Scout Hall of Fame Induction on Monday, November 2nd at the Hilton New York.

This annual event honors Eagle Scouts who have made significant contributions to society, and past Eagle Scouts inducted into the Hall of Fame include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman and CEO of Marriott International, J.W. Marriott, Jr., and John C. Whitehead, Chairman of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, who will serve as the Honorary Chairman of the Event.

Tillerson is a member of the national executive board of the Boy Scouts of America and is slated to become President of the Boy Scouts of America in 2010. President Barack Obama serves as Honorary President of the Boy Scouts of America. Both the Boy Scouts of America and ExxonMobil are based in Irving, Texas. Tillerson has said, “I think the highlight of my youth and adolescent years were my achievements in Scouting,” and “Scouting has always been a part of my life. I continue to believe that it’s the best thing going for young men today.” Tillerson’s father was an executive of the Boy Scouts of America during his youth.

As an Eagle Scout, Tillerson attained the highest rank in the merit-based Scouting program, a distinction that only about 2% of Scouts can claim. Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges and demonstrating Scout spirit, service and leadership, including an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads and manages. Prominent business and political leaders having earned the Eagle rank include astronaut Neil Armstrong, President Gerald Ford, Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Academy Award-winner Steven Spielberg, and journalist Walter Cronkite.

Three Eagle Scouts from Staten Island’s Troop 21 will also be recognized at the event for their efforts to rescue a woman from her burning home earlier this year. They employed their Scout training in a lifesaving attempt and they are being presented a heroism award for their selfless actions.

The Greater New York Councils, Boy Scouts of America serves tens of thousands of young people in New York City through a variety of youth development programs that promote character, leadership, and life skills, including substantial outreach to boys and girls in the most disadvantaged communities of the five boroughs. Hundreds of thousands of community service hours are logged annually by Scouts and the almost 6,000 adult volunteers in New York City.

The Boy Scouts of America will celebrate its 100th Anniversary on February 8, 2010, with prominent national and local highlight activities to honor Scouting’s service to our country and more than 100 million youth in the past century. Local highlights include Scouts ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on February 8, 2010, a citywide service day on April 24, 2010, and a New York City Scout weekend from July 30- August 1, 2010 with a Times Square celebration on July 31, 2010. Additional engagement programs are planned, and national highlights include a partnership with Major League Baseball and U.S. Mint production of BSA Centennial Silver Dollar commemorative coins.

ExxonMobil is the world’s largest publicly traded international oil and gas company. Tillerson assumed the top position on January 1, 2006.

For more information on Scouting in New York City and the Eagle Scout Hall of Fame Induction, please visit www.bsa-gnyc.org. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org, with 100th Anniversary details at www.scouting.org/100years. More information on Exxon Mobil Corporation is available at www.exxonmobil.com.

Source: Greater New York Councils Press Release