Tidewater Council is a local council of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

(BSA). It serves the region of southeastern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and north-eastern

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. This region is often referred to as South Hampton Roads or the ''Tidewater'' or ''Tidewater Virginia'' area; hence the name of the council. Its Order of the Arrow counterpart is the Blue Heron Lodge; which was founded in 1946 when a team from Octoraro Lodge in Pennsylvania inducted the first members of Blue Heron Lodge.

Organization

Tidewater Council is divided into four districts:

History

The Tidewater Council was founded in 1911 as the Norfolk Council, changing its name in 1935 to its current name. In 1916, the Portsmouth Council (#597) was founded, changing its name to the Portsmouth Area Council in 1924. Portsmouth merged with the Norfolk Council in 1930.

Pipsico Scout Reservation

Pipsico Scout Reservation is located in Surry County, Virginia between Surry and Spring Grove on the banks of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

. Pipsico is subdivided into four camps: Camp Lions, Camp Kiwanis, Camp Rotary and Camp Powhatan.

Pipsico offers year-round Scouting opportunities in one of our four Scout camps as well as a summer camp and high adventure experience during the summer. Summer camp activities include:

Scoutcraft Scoutcraft is a term used to cover a variety of woodcraft knowledge and skills required by people seeking to venture into wild country and sustain themselves independently. The term has been adopted by Scouting organizations to reflect skills and k ...

, climbing and rappelling tower, shooting sports, aquatics, hiking trails, a 17th-century archaeological dig site and handicrafts. In October 2008, Pipsico celebrated its 50th anniversary and included staff members from 1958 to 2008 as part of the celebration. The James River Adventure Base at Pipsico Scout Reservation programs include a week-long

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

program, a week-long sailing program, and the ultimate experience of a week-long adventure program called PEX.

Order of the Arrow

Blue Heron Lodge #349 is the local chapter of the Order of the Arrow affiliated with Tidewater Council. In 1946, the council formed an Order of the Arrow lodge when ceremonialists from Octoraro Lodge #22 inducted the first members. In 1947, the totem of a blue heron was selected and the lodge was named Blue Heron Lodge #349.

References

{{Scouting Local councils of the Boy Scouts of America Youth organizations based in Virginia Southern Region (Boy Scouts of America) 1911 establishments in Virginia

Organization

History

Pipsico Scout Reservation

Order of the Arrow

See also

References