Next Jamboree Site Chosen?Plus New High Adventure Base

[FieldSports]

FYI

From: bsa.communications@scouting.org [mailto:bsa.communications@scouting.org]

Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 1:18 PM

Subject: BSA Must Read: National Executive Board News

This is an official BSA Demand-based Communication.

To: Scout Executive
CC: Assistant Regional Directors;regional directors;Area- Directors;Wayne Brock;Group Directors;Al Kugler;James J Terry;Richard Mathews
From: Robert Mazzuca

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BSA Must Read: National Executive Board News


I am writing to share some exciting news. Today, our National Executive Board took another significant step toward establishing a permanent home for future national jamborees and creating another premier outdoor adventure Scouting site. The board approved the purchase of more than 10,000 acres of some of the most spectacular land you've ever seen. It's located in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia-an area that offers some of the best rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and mountain biking anywhere in the country. It is a perfect site for the full complement of activities we intend to offer at our new facility: extreme sports, leadership training, camping, high adventure-anything you can imagine doing in the great outdoors, and, of course, the national jamboree.



We still have a lot of work to do, but under Jack Furst's tremendous leadership, we are well on our way toward going from vision to reality. As Jack said to board members, "We are only limited by our own creativity and ingenuity." And as we know, with Jack at the helm, that means there are no limits to what we can accomplish through this effort.

Stay tuned for further details and a formal unveiling of our plans in November. Until then, my sincerest thanks to the team for its tireless efforts in bringing this exceptional opportunity to our Scouting family. It is, truly, one of the best investments we will make in serving Scouts for the next 100 years.

[wagionvigil]

It's West Virginia It's West Virginia the Home Of Every Mountaineer.
Great news for the Boys and leaders and exceptional News for the State OF West "By God" Virginia.

[smtroop168]

Sounds good but what is an "Official BSA Demand based Communication"???

[wagionvigil]

It means the CE Must read it and distribute the information to the staff

[wagionvigil]

Spoke to a Riend from Beckley WV last night that is very involved in SCouts. The Site brings the total acreage to 20600 it is about 15 miles north of Beckley. The Jamboreee site is 2000' above the New River
It is 2.5 to 3 hours south of SW Pa

[wagionvigil]

BSA held the dedication ceremony for the New High AdventureBase,Training Center and the Site of the 2013 National Jamboree today in West By God Virginia. They also announced they are applying for the 2019 World Jamboree and fully expect to get it. The site is just north of Beckley WV
Country Roads Take Me Home!


http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=33923

[Billiken]

Fantastic news.

One interesting comment I got from a fellow Scouter last night.
He's attended the last two World Jamborees.

He said to be prepared for Scouts from other countries smoking.
He also said that contraceptives were available at the recent jambo in England.

[wagionvigil]

Yep you are very correct. We had a youth attend the jamboree several years ago. Can you say Culture shock? It will be interesting. The last world we had was in Idaho I believe.

[smtroop168]

:lol: Yep you are very correct. We had a youth attend the jamboree several years ago. Can you say Culture shock? It will be interesting. The last world we had was in Idaho I believe.

We had Hippies in Idaho in '67!

[wagionvigil]

sorry The sad part for me is I will be and a Hippie But if I am able I will be There.

[wagionvigil]

This is a rough outline of the property in WV

[FieldSports]

Who owns the Island in the middle?

[wagionvigil]

Will know when I get the detailed map . May be a secret Military Installation Ya never know in WV.There are alot of radio towers etc in the Mountains there may be an area that has these.

[FrankJ]

Oh. I thought that was your house.

[jr56]

Right, maybe a mountain top where they have towers located.

[wagionvigil]

ALso There is an AMtrak station just up the river. This is a main line from Chicigo to DC so that will help with travel.

[jr56]

Sounds like a really great location, hope it all works out

[PaulSWolf]

Wagionvigil sent me a topo map to go along with the Google earth image of the site he posted, and I've uploaded both to the USSSP server so others can see them. See:
http://usscouts.org/images/New-Jambo-Site-Photo.jpg
http://usscouts.org/images/New-Jambo-Site-Topo.jpg

A close look on Google Earth doesn't show what, if anything, is in the "island", and the topo map doesn't show a radio tower there, but does elsewhere (just south of Greenstown). I also saw (with a "street view" shot at the crossing) that the RR Spur line just north of the "island" which is shown on both images has been removed, but you can see the old right of way as a clear path on each side of the road.

Note that there is an exit from I-77 just SW of the site in Prosperity, WV, and TWO Amtrak stations are located on the New River at Thurmond, WV, NE of the site, and at Prince, WV, east of McCreery. The Thurmond stop is a "Flag" stop, while the one in Prince is the one that serves Beckley. The Amtrak stations are on the "Cardinal" line between Chicago and New York via Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Charleston, DC, Baltimore, & Philadelphia, which runs 3 days a week. Schedules might not work though.

As for Airports, the NEAREST are in Beckley and Charleston, WV, but would require charter flights for contingents. Charleston could be used for individual staff travel. The nearest MAJOR airports would be those in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Washington DC. Each would be an easy (4.5-5 hour) drive on Interstate highways, with PGH the shortest. (I-75 and I-64 from Cinci, I-79 from Pgh, and I-66, I-81, I-64 from DC) So touring in DC can still be part of the experience.

From the topo, it looks like they'll need a LOT of work to develop relatively flat areas for the sub-camps, exhibit areas, parking, and an amphitheater, etc., and I understand they'll be damming some streams to create some lakes for boating, fishing, etc.

[WVBeaver05]

From the topo, it looks like they'll need a LOT of work to develop relatively flat areas for the sub-camps, exhibit areas, parking, and an amphitheater, etc...

Flat areas? What's that? This is WV.

YiS

[wagionvigil]

Remember all if you flatten out the state of WV it would be bigger than Alaska