Southern Shores Field Service Council is a field service council of the Michigan Crossroads Council.

History

2012 Merger

The Scouting program in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan saw a drastic drop in membership beginning in the early 2000s. The decrease in population was due to the economy in Michigan and the resulting out-migration of population, jobs and industry. The Area 2 Project was created in 2010 and studied the impact on Scouting and presented the Crossroads Recommendation, which proposed that the ten councils in Michigan merge into one large council. As a result, in 2012, four field service councils were created consisting of former councils. The Southern Shores Field Service Council is the result of a merger between the

Great Sauk Trail Council The Great Sauk Trail Council is a defunct local council of the Boy Scouts of America which was based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan serving Livingston County, Washtenaw County, Jackson County, Lenawee County, Hillsdale County, Monroe County, East ...

and

Southwest Michigan Council Southwestern Michigan Council is a defunct local council of the Boy Scouts of America that served youth in Kalamazoo, Michigan serving Northern Van Buren County, Kalamazoo County, St. Joseph County, Branch County Branch County is a county ...

2020 Merger

In 2020, the Michigan Crossroads Council made a decision to merge its Field Service Councils to create one central Council.

Organization

The council is administratively divided into districts: * Lenape District serving Lenawee County and

Hillsdale County Hillsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 45,746. The county seat is Hillsdale. Hillsdale County is the only county in Michigan to border both Indiana and Ohio. Due to an a ...

* Three Fires District serving Livingston County * Running Waters District serving Monroe County and the city of Flat Rock * Huron Trails District serving

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat and largest city is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county ...

* Wabano District serving Van Buren County and Berrien County * Pathfinder District serving

Kalamazoo County Kalamazoo County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. , the population was 261,670. The county seat is Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo County is included in the Kalamazoo–Portage, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Etymology The nam ...

and St. Joseph County * Nottawa Trails District serving Western Calhoun County and

Branch County Branch County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 44,862. The county seat is Coldwater. One of the "cabinet counties", it was named for John Branch, U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President ...

* Cascades District serving Jackson County

Properties

Operating as of 2020

Camp Teetonkah

Located on Wolf Lake in Jackson, MI; Camp Teetonkah claims to be the second oldest scout camp in the United States. It boasts 240 aches of land and currently caters to Cub Scout programs.

Closed as of 2020

Camp Rota-Kiwan

Formerly located in Texas Township south of Kalamazoo, MI; Camp Rota-Kiwan formerly occupied nearly 200 acres of land and was closed by the council in 2019 for financial reasons.

Camp Munhacke

Formerly located on Bruin Lake in Gregory, Michigan, Camp Munhacke was closed by the council on December 31, 2019, for financial reasons.

Camp Kanesatake

Formerly located on Washington Lake in Cambridge, MI, Camp Kanesatake was purchased in 1926 and operated for roughly 50 years.

Wrights Lake Scout Camp

Formerly located in Evart, MI, Wright's Lake Scout Camp was closed by the council after the 1995 season for financial reasons.

Order of the Arrow

Kishahtek Lodge (2012–2020)

Kishahtek Lodge, maintained the lodge number 88, and served as the Field Service Council's

Order of the Arrow The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the honor society of Scouting America, composed of Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Promise, Scout Oath and Scout Law, Law in their daily lives as elected by their peers. It was founded as a camp fr ...

Lodge. The name is translated as "Northern Lights" in Lenne Lenape, and the totem is the

wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

. The lodge was formed from merging Manitous Lodge 88 and Nacha-Mawat Lodge 373 after the Great Sauk Trail Council and Southwest Michigan Council merged into the Southern Shores Field Service Council. Similar to the Field Service Council, the lodge is divided into chapters, which correspond within district boundaries * Allohak Chapter in the Huron Trails District. This name comes from a prior lodge which served the

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

area. * Carcajou Chapter in the Wabano District. Named after the Carcajou Lodge 373 that served the Southwestern Michigan Council prior to merging with the Fruit Belt Area and Nottawa Trails Councils in 1973. Carcajou Lodge had the Camp Madron Dance Team. * Lenape Chapter in the Lenape District * Mandoka Chapter in the Nottawa Trails District. Named after the Mandoka Lodge 315 that served the Nottawa Trails Council prior to merging with the Southwestern Michigan and Fruit Belt Area Councils in 1973. * Munhacke Chapter in the Three Fires District. This name comes from a prior lodge which served Livingston County * Tecumseh Chapter in the Running Waters District. This name comes from a prior lodge which served Monroe County * Teetonkah Chapter in the Cascades District. This name comes from a prior lodge which served Jackson County * Wakazoo Chapter in the Pathfinder District. Named after the Wakazoo Lodge 203 that served the Fruit Belt Area Council prior to merging with the Southwestern Michigan and Nottawa Trails Councils in 1973.

Manitous Lodge (1995–2012)

The Manitous Lodge was formed as a result of the merger of the Land'o'Lakes Council and the Wolverine Council, the merger forced the Allohak and Teetonkah lodges to restructure into the new lodge. The Manitous lodge totem was the medicine wheel. Manitous Lodge was the home lodge of the 1995 National Chief Josh Feigelson

=Allohak Lodge (1973–1995)

= The Allohak lodge was formed when the Wolverine council absorbed the Portage Trails council. The Allohak lodge totem was the Wolverine.

Munhacke Lodge (1936–1973)

Tecumseh Lodge (1946–1973)

The Tecumseh lodge served the Wolverine council from 1946 until its merger in 1973. The lodge totem was a 4-leaf clover due to the lodge's location in the area locally known as the Irish Hills.

=Teetonkah Lodge (1941–1995)

Nacha-Mawat Lodge (1973–2012)

=Wakazoo (1941–1973)

=Mandoka (1945–1973)

=Carcajou (1948–1973)

References

{{Scouting Local councils of the Boy Scouts of America Central Region (Boy Scouts of America) Youth organizations based in Michigan 2012 establishments in Michigan