Welcome to the Suwannee River Area Council!

Our council’s goal is to provide a quality, dynamic program of learning and adventure that builds well-rounded young people. The Suwannee River Area Council, Boy Scouts of America was incorporated on January 22 1924. Since then it has been our honor to instill in the youth we serve the character, values and traditions that make Boy Scouts of America stand apart in the crowd.

Join Cub Scouts!

Need help finding a unit for you?  No problem!
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Starting August 1, 2023, the Boy Scouts of America is increasing the membership fee for Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouting, and Exploring. While efforts are made to keep the annual membership fee as low as possible, with rising operating costs, the fee must be increased to maintain the program.

To ensure we have the resources to fulfill the promise of Scouting, the following fee structure will take effect August 1, 2023. This includes both National and Council fees.

  • $160 for Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts participants (increase of $1.33 per month)
  • $25 one-time joining fee for new program participants in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting (Not prorated and no change in fee)
  • $90 for all adult volunteers (increase of $1.50 per month to provide general liability insurance and enhanced background checks)
  • $30 for Scoutreach (Not prorated)
  • $25 for Merit Badge Counselors (New Fee applies only for Merit Badge Counselors not already registered as leaders)
  • $80 for Exploring participants Youth & Adult (increase of .67₵ per month)
  • $100 for a unit charter/affiliation fee (no change in fee)
  • $15 for Scout Life magazine
BSA Will No Longer Prorate Fees for New Members beginning August 1, 2023

Beginning August 1, 2023, all new youth and adult members who join Scouting will be enrolled in a 12-month membership cycle and BSA will cease prorating fees. Both youth and adults will pay the full annual membership fee and will renew their membership on the anniversary date of joining Scouting. All proration of membership fees will be eliminated. Each registered member of the BSA will receive an email notice with a registration renewal link beginning 60 days before the anniversary date they joined Scouting. Unit leaders will receive a copy of the email and should stay engaged in the membership renewal process just like rechartering.

For full details and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), please click the button below.

Changes to 72 Hour Rule – Barriers to Abuse

Effective Sept 1, 2023
 
Starting Sept 1st, 2023, National is changing adult requirements for who must register at the unit level. All adults in the Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Exploring program that attend an overnight event are required to submit an application for that unit, and any adult that is not the parent or legal guardian enrolled in Cub Scouts, or a Cub Scout volunteer that holds a position such as Den Leader where they are interacting with more than just their child that attend an overnight are required to submit an application for that unit. All Cub Scout parents and guardians are recommended to submit an adult BSA application.
 
All adults who accompany a unit camping must be approved by that unit’s Charter Organization Representative. District and Council Activities have a similar stipulation that all adults are registered at the unit or the District/Council level. The key takeaway and best mindset to approach this is to consider who has “overnight access” to youth, and if an adult does have access to any Scouts BSA Scout, Explorer, or Venturer or a Cub Scout that is not their biological or legal responsibility, they should be registered.
 
While this may be a change from how things have been in the past, this change is solely for the safety of the youth, for which we are responsible. As a unit, a council, and a program we must continually strive to ensure that our children, friends, and family are in a safe and nurturing environment.
 
Resources
  • Guide to Safe Scouting Link
  • The PDF version is still being updated. The HTML version of the Guide to Safe Scouting is always current.
  • Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse Link
  • Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse FAQs Link
  • Information on “What is a Legal Guardian” Link

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SRAC!

Well… Almost!

 

Did you know that the Suwannee River Area Council was originally established in late summer 1924 at a meeting in Madison, Florida. Individual troops had been active in the area since 1912, but the founding of the SRAC marked a big milestone in the effort to make Scouting in our region more organized and effective. And, the SRAC has operated without interruption since 1924. This is a remarkable feat for a local council, and it represents the commitment of both our Scouters and our communities to serving local youth.

That’s right, in 2024 our council will celebrate 100 years of scouting as the Suwannee River Area Council! To celebrate, we’re working on a whole host of plans that will kickoff in late 2023 and run through 2024. We’re excited to be working on this celebration and we just can’t wait to share the details with you, as they are developed.

We’re currently forming an SRAC Centennial Committee, led by co-chairs, Josh Goodman and Ken Griffin. Our committee will have several focus areas for the centennial planning; to celebrate the council’s 100th anniversary with rich, engaging programs that will excite today’s Scouts and Scouters while also paying homage to the council’s remarkable past; to educate both our own Scouts and Scouters and the general public about the extraordinary history of this council and its century of service to youth; and to maximize this anniversary’s potential as an opportunity to promote Scouting in our communities.

If you may have interest in one of these focus areas, please feel free to reach out to Josh and Ken and they will connect you with the right focus lead to get involved. In the meantime, stay tuned to the newsletter, council website and our social media for upcoming news and information about the #SRAC100 Celebration!

Almost forgot! One thing that will be coming up soon, is that we want to replace this borrowed image you see in this article with an appropriate celebration logo. We’re thinking of having a design contest to get everyone scouts and adults in on the fun! So, watch for details on that coming soon in your inbox and social feed!

SRAC Health and Safety Action Plan

Updated January 11, 2022

The health and safety of all of our members is paramount to the Suwannee River Area Council (SRAC). We have put in place preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19; however, we cannot guarantee that you or your child(ren) will not become infected with COVID-19. Further, attending activities, functions and meetings of SRAC and SRAC properties, including the Wallwood Boy Scout Reservation (Camp Wallwood) and the Council Service Center, could increase your risk and your child(ren)’s risk of contracting COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends a shorter isolation period for COVID-19 patients, from 10 days to five — if asymptomatic — followed by five days of mask wearing. The Suwannee River Area Council has adopted the new CDC Guidelines for our membership, as well.

From the CDC release:

“Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation for the public. People with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.”

For more information, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html for the full release on this latest Guidance.

As new guidance from the CDC is released, the Suwannee Area Council will continue to adapt to the latest guidelines provided. See https://www.cdc.gov/ for additional information on the latest COVID-19 and any updated recommendations.

So... what's going on around #SRACBSA?

So, you came here looking for information on what’s going on around our council? Wow! That’s great, there are a number of ways to keep up with what’s up around SRAC. Obviously, this website is one of them. There also several other channels available to help you keep up with Scouting stuff.  We’ll list them below with links for accessing each one.

  • For detailed information on what’s coming up on the schedule of events, see our “Events” page
  • Subscribe to our electronic mailing list, so that you can receive our monthly e-newsletter.  You can subscribe by clicking here or you can simply text “SRACBSA” to 22828 and follow the text prompts.
  • Like our Facebook page
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Join our SRAC Volunteers Facebook group , where members can also post announcementsof interest.
  • Attend a monthly roundtable meeting. 
  • Ask your Den Leader, Cubmaster, Crew Advisor or Scoutmaster.

The Suwannee River Area Council, Boy Scouts of America was incorporated on January 22 1924. Since then it has been our honor to instill in the youth we serve the character, values and traditions that make Boy Scouts of America stand apart in the crowd. Thirteen counties throughout south Georgia and north Florida are served by Suwanee River Area Council. If you are not involved in Scouting today please let us know how we can serve you!