Selecting an Event Date and Location

District and Council events can be held on any property that meets the event’s needs, is safe for Scouts, and is available.  When selecting a camp, always consider Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse, The Guide to Safe Scouting and the National Camp Accreditation Program Standards.  All locations must be approved by the event Staff Advisor before publishing the location information.   Most Council level events are hold on Council owned properties, while District events are held on Council Own properties or local locations.  More information about  location options is included below:

• Council Owned Properties
  • Council owns seven camps, each of which can be used by Council or District events or units.  Costs, facility amenities and camp regulations are included for each camp on their websites:
    • Lost Pines Scout Reservation
      • Camp overview and maps
      • Camp regulations and amenities
    • Camp Top Wooten (for Cub Scouts)
      • Camp overview and maps
      • Camp regulations and amenities
    • Griffith League Scout Ranch
      • Camp overview and maps
      • Camp regulations and amenities
    • Camp Alma McHenry
      • Camp overview and maps
      • Camp regulations and amenities
    • Camp Green Dickson
      • Camp overview and maps
      • Camp regulations and amenities
    • Roy D Rivers Wilderness Scout Camp
      • Camp overview and maps
      • Camp regulations and amenities
    • Smilin’ V Scout Ranch
      • Camp overview and maps
      • Camp regulations and amenities
  • For the more heavily used camps (Lost Pines Scout Reservation, Camp Tom Wooten and Smilin V), a lottery is held for districts to be able to use one of two dates each year.   The lottery is held each November for the dates in the year after next.
  • When making your reservation, please reserve only what you will need and leave the rest open for unit camping options.
• Non Council owned facilities
  • Commonly used non Council owned facilities include
    • Neighborhood, District, County, State or Federal Parks
    • Other non-profit organizations with properties, such as VFW or Conservation Groups
    • Community organizations, such as MUD or HOA facilities
    • Schools, Colleges or Universities
    • Churches
    • Privately owned facilities with rentable space
    • Stores or shopping centers with space or parking lots

Council owned facilities are reserved via the Annual Calendaring Process.   A timeline of this process is available here.  Each year the calendaring process starts in October.  Council and District committees can request facilities for the following June – May.   This process allows Council and District events to reserve facilities before reservations are open for units.

If a reservation needs to be made outside of the Annual Calendaring Process, please use the following steps:

1. Pick the time frame and location you would like to reserve.
2. Reach out to your Staff Advisor and ask him/her to find available facilities in your time frame.
3. If facilities are available, you will need to provide your Staff Advisor with the following information to complete the reservation:
   1. Campsites, pavilions or other facilities at the camp needed,
   2. Number of adults expected,
   3. Number of youth expected,
   4. Onsite volunteer contact information,
   5. Expected arrival time of the first volunteer,
   6. Expected departure time of the last volunteer,
4. Make sure to request the Black Pug Transaction Log showing your reservation information.   Verify that all facilities you have requested are reserved.

For Council owned facilities:

• Reviewed copy of transaction log (always verify your reservation to ensure you have the facilities you want.)
• Meet with the Ranger and your Staff Advisor about two weeks before the event. The event leadership, the Staff Advisor and the Ranger should meet to discuss the property and any needs.
• Event roster is due to the Ranger upon arrival to the facility.  If you use Black Pug, this report can be printed out or downloaded. 

For Non-Council owned facilities:

• Copy of Council Insurance
• MOU – must be approved and signed by a Council Professional Staff member.   Volunteer lead for the event can serve as the onsite contact for the event. 
• NCAP Site Assessment – required for overnight events, suggested for all events
• Event roster – due to your staff advisor upon arrival to the facility.   If you use Black Pug, this report can be printed out or downloaded. 

To be on the Council Calendar, the event must have an event registration.  Reach out to your Staff Advisor about creating the reservation and see the Registration Page of this guide for more information. 

In the calendar, an event can be set up as a registration or a meeting.  The differences between the two include:

• Registration:
  • Have mechanisms for collecting registrations and fees,
  • Includes more information,
  • Can have multiple sessions.
• Meeting:
  • Does not allow for collection of registrations or feeds,
  • Includes about a paragraph of information or can link to a website,
  • Can be reoccurring (weekly, monthly, etc.).

NCAP Standards can be found here.   Most Council and District events will fall under Short Term NCAP – information specific to Short Term Camp standards is available here. 

NCAP Standards that should be reviewed in relation to this topic include:

• FA-701—Camp Facility Evaluation and Pre Camp/Post Camp Inspection
• FA-702—Drinking Water
• FA-703—Fire Detection and Protection
• FA-707—Toilets and Latrines
• FA-711— Motor Vehicles
• FA-714— Shelter in Inclement Weather
• AO-801—Permits and Compliance
• AO-802—BSA Authorization to Operate
• AO-803—Insurance
• AO-804—Camper Security
• AO-805–Emergency Procedures
• AO-807 –Communication Systems

• How many toilets or latrines will I need to have for a 300 person overnight event?
  • According to FA-707, there must be 1 toilet for every 30 participants. This means that for a 300 person event, you will need 10 working toilets or latrines available to your participants.
• What do I need to do about Fire Detection and Protection (FA-703) when we are using a church or school building?