Winter 2021 Issue Volume 28Issue 1  

Upcoming Events

Election Season

Hello Orca Arrowmen! Election season is upon us! It is vital that we reach out to troops in 2021 to show them the Order of the Arrow is still around! There’re a few things that we need from you in this election season!

1. SCOUTMASTERS: Check your emails! We've sent out info asking about your elections for this season.
2. SCOUTS: Make sure your Scoutmaster checks their email!
3. TAKE ON ELECTIONS!  If there is a date for an election that you're free on, take on the election! We need people to get out there and host them!
4. BE THE BEST ARROWMAN YOU CAN BE! At the elections you represent the Lodge, make sure you put on your best face and remember your obligation

Momentum: Discover

The Order of the Arrow’s national leadership invites you to join us for Momentum: Discover, a national virtual event taking place from April 23-24! After months of isolation and quarantine, it’s time to get back into the outdoors! At Momentum: Discover, we’ll come together as a movement to prepare for a successful summer camp season and recommit ourselves to the joys of camping and the outdoors.

Current OA members and non-Arrowmen are encouraged to join us for a weekend of fun, trainings, competitions, games, and more! With more than 20 hours of original programming, you surely won’t want to miss out on exciting updates and interactive games with your 2021 national officers.

Anyone can view the live stream of the Momentum: Discover content at no cost, and no registration is required. The programming will be publicly available online. However, premium delegates, for a fee of $25, will receive exclusive benefits during this special event experience, including:

• A mailed patch and sticker.
• Access to an archive of streamed program content to view anytime.
• A chance to participate in the event-wide game.
• Access to the Momentum community platform, Slack, to connect with Arrowmen from across the nation.
• Additional opportunities for engagement and interaction.

We hope to see you at Momentum: Discover in April! Registration is now open at registration.oa-bsa.org.

Spring Induction

Currently we are scheduled to hold our spring induction at Camp Tamarancho, April 30-May 2. Hold the date, and more information will come in April.

Summer Fellowship - 2021

Fellow Arrowmen,

Join us this summer for a fellowship at the scenic Camp Noyo. This is a great opportunity to meet your fellow Arrowmen and make new friends while enjoying fun activities! In the past these are some activities that we did:

• shotgun and rifle shooting
• service projects to help the camp prepare for the incoming campers
• enjoyed time swimming and boating at the "balmy" Noyo Waterfront
• held a campfire for cub scouts
• gone on nature hikes. 

If you have any questions, please email chief@orca194.org

Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

Yours in Brotherhood,
Tyler Wills

National Leadership Seminar & Developing Youth Leadership Seminar

In November (19-21) our Area will be host again to the National Leadership Seminar (NLS) and Developing Youth Leadership Conference (DYLC).  Participants will be split into crews consisting of Arrowmen from across the Western Region. (postponed from 2020)

The National Leadership Seminar (NLS) is a weekend training program focusing on leadership development. Run by the Region Chief and his Advisers, it provides an in-depth look at leadership skills and techniques. You will learn how these skills can be applied in your role in the OA and in other aspects of your life. The National Leadership Seminar is a weekend conference on the skills and attributes of leadership. It is intended primarily to enhance the leadership skills of the Order of the Arrow’s key youth and adult members as they seek to improve their services to the Boy Scouts of America and the greater community. Near the end of the seminar, participants make a contract with themselves to apply the skills studied in the seminar on projects in their lodge, council, and community.

Adults age 21 and older are eligible to attend the Developing Youth Leadership Conference (DYLC) and do not necessarily need to have previously attended NLS but it is recommended. Adults who are currently or will soon hold a lodge-level or chapter-level adviser position are encouraged to attend DYLC. The NLS training is open to anyone seeking to hone their leadership skills applicable to Scouting as well as daily life.

Recent Events

Section Conclave 2020

This last September at our yearly Conclave (held online and jointly with Section W-3S), two of our very own Arrowmen were elected into the Section W-3N leadership, this being Stephen Smilie a Vigil Honor me member, serving as Section Vice-Chief and Landon Reese serving as Section Secretary. Alongside them, replacing Doctor Joe Barton the former Section Adviser, is Patrick O'Neill who now serves as the Section W-3N Section Adviser. We are excited to see what our Arrowmen can do for the section as leaders over the next year!

Section Report - Landon Reese

Other News

Due-tiful Arrowmen

Fellow Orcas, it’s that time of the year again. That right, dues for the 2021 year are now being collected. If you did not attend the Lodge dinner last November, you’ll need to get up to date if you’d like to attend any OA events.

Please note, you do not have to pay back dues if you haven't paid in several years. Your dues entitle you to participate in all lodge activities this year. If you have not paid your dues, pay online. Arrowmen who have not paid their dues will be dropped from the list of active members.

Because of the costs involved with creating the newsletter, coupled with the costs that the lodge pays to recharter inactive members, Orca Lodge can no longer afford to keep inactive members on the mailing list. If you wish to continue receiving the newsletter, and retain your membership, it is imperative that your dues be current ASAP.

Please pay online if at all possible. If this is not possible, you may submit a 2021 dues form to the council offices. Checks are payable to "REC-BSA" If mailing, send to:

Orca Lodge
c/o Redwood Empire Council, Inc.
Boy Scouts of America
1000 Apollo Way - Ste 106
Santa Rosa, CA 95407

Lodge Officer Introductions

Vice Chief

Hello, I’m Emilio C., your 2021 Orca Lodge Vice Chief. I am a Star Scout in Crew 27 and a member of the Miwok Chapter. As a chapter member I have done multiple chapter leadership positions, such as Chapter Chief. I have been involved in scouting since I was 5 years old as a Lion Cub. Some of the non-orthodox scouting activities I have participated in include; National Order of the Arrow Conference 2018, World Scout Jamboree 2019, Section W3-N Conclave and many other scout functions. I hope to lead Orca Lodge into the future alongside the other newly elected lodge officers.

Treasurer

Hi! My name is Annalee, and I’m the new Lodge Treasurer for 2021! I joined Scouts in February of 2019, and I love every bit of it! I’m currently a Star Scout in Troop 42. I enjoy listening to music, reading, bodybuilding, and going on night hikes. I’ve wanted to get more involved in the OA ever since I’ve joined, and I’m really looking forward to serve my wonderful lodge as treasurer this year!

Secretary

My name is Cate C. and I am a Lodge Secretary recently inducted into the OA and looking forward to helping grow the lodge and experience more from this part of Scouting. I am a Life Scout working toward my Eagle Rank, Outdoor Ethics Guide, and Den Chief in Troop 848 as well as a Leave No Trace trainer. I was a part of the 2020 National Youth Leadership Training staff for Redwood Empire and Marin Councils.

From the Chief

Hi everyone,

My name is Erik and I have the pleasure of serving as your 2021 Lodge Chief. A little about myself: I’m currently studying for a degree in civil engineering at the Santa Rosa Junior College. In my free time, I work a part-time job at Target, serve as the Redwood Empire and Marin Council's NYLT 2021 SPL, and hang out with my friends and family.

I received my Eagle in 2018, am a proud member of Crew 27 in Sebastopol. I served as the 2020 Lodge Chief and served as our Section’s Vice Chief for 2017-18. As we develop a robust youth leadership for 2021, I will bring my experiences in OA leadership to bear, and more importantly, lay the groundwork for future direction.

I’ve got a lot I want to do but put simply I have 3 key goals: 1) increase membership; 2) make events more fun; 3) make it easier for new arrowmen to become new leaders. If that last one has you wondering how to get involved, then I am but an email away: chief@orca194.org

My fellow Arrowmen I look forward to in-person events and meeting you all.

Erik C. | Lodge Chief

Chapter Notes

Miwok

Hi, my name is Isabella T., and I will be the Chapter Chief for the Miwok chapter during the 2021 year. I am a Life Scout from troop 848 and a venture scout in Crew 48 and am currently working on my eagle project. My favorite aspects of scouting include service projects and outdoor activities. I recently joined the OA in the Fall of 2020. While I am still learning the ins and outs of the OA, I am incredibly excited to drive right in.

Wonkatonk

Hello! My name is Marcus R. I am the Chapter Chief for Wonkatonk Chapter. I am a Star Scout from Troop 55. I enjoy serving my community and spending time with my family and friends. I was inducted to the OA in October of 2019. Since then I have been active in the Lodge and my Chapter. Last year I went to Conclave and had a lot of fun. I hope to make other's experiences as enjoyable as mine and I look forward to another successful year.

Staff Adviser Challenge

Dear fellow Arrowmen:

The new year 2021 brings with it the excitement of many changes that sometimes come with a new calendar year. 

Especially exciting is the induction of our first female youth OA members in October, and November, and the December election of two female members to key lodge officer roles.  Also exciting will be our emergence from social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although we will have to remain vigilant in maintaining health standards regarding our in-person activities.

Order of the Arrow has been my special passion within the Scouting movement since my own induction in June 1976.  Like for me, I hope each of you will enjoy opportunities to learn new leadership skills and enjoy the experiences of giving back to Scouting through cheerful service. 

May the year 2021 be a year of successful achievements for all in Orca Lodge.

Yours in WWW,
Charlie Howard-Gibbon
Lodge Staff Adviser

Adviser's Minute

To my fellow Arrowmen it is with great anticipation that I look forward to the year ahead.  Orca Lodge has found ways, like all scouts do, to work around the stay at home life.  We are now turning a new page and headed back to the outdoors.  The Lodge is planning inductions, and the Area is planning an Areaclave to be held in person.  The Area event will be at Coast Guard Island in Alameda in September, and Orca Lodge will be having an induction at camp Tamarancho in April/May.  We will also begin planning our trip  to NOAC 2022.  These are just a few things that are going on in the Lodge this year.  So watch for more information, or come to a meeting and get involved.

Yours in Brotherhood,

Brian Wills
Orca Lodge Adviser

Orca 2021 Leadership

For the latest Orca Lodge calendar, please visit:

www.redwoodbsa.org/oa/calendar

Official Publication of the Orca Lodge #194, Order of the Arrow,
Redwood Empire Council, Boy Scouts of America

Publications Advisers ~ Bruce Mayfield & Jason Kracht
Orca Spouts is a quarterly publication.
We will email all four issues.
We welcome all submissions, both articles as well as photographs.
Sending articles and digital photos via email is highly encouraged.
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