Beavers' Moore sinks his teeth into completing ticket

Joel assists the Beavers gear up on Day 5
before departing for the outpost overnighter.

The Beavers are in the house with the completion of the patrol's first ticket by Joel Moore. As a troop committee chair for Troop 371, chartered by Lakeview Baptist Church, immediate past chair of the Saugahatchee District Committee, and current council vice president for programs on the Chattahoochee Council Executive Board, Joel's ticket items focused on his vision of leaving his unit, district and council better than he found it. "In this way," he said, "I can help not only current members of Scouting, but also future members." Those ticket items, which benefit his troop's communications and "duty to God" efforts, as well as users of the council's camping facilities, included:

• Goal 1: replace the troop's website, which was old and outdated, with a new, public website built on a modern content management system to enhance prospective-Scout recruitment, keep Scouts and their families updated on troop news and information, and help Scouts maintain their advancement records and troop involvement
• Goal 2: increase the troop's "duty to God" emphasis by supporting the appointment of one of Lakeview Baptist Church's associate pastors as the troop's chaplain through developing a job description and chaplain training specific to the needs and requirements of the troop, and assembling resources for the chaplain to use in meetings and on campouts
• Goal 3: develop a curriculum for the troop to use to teach appropriate religious emblems at the troop level, as well as recruit religious emblems instructors and offer an overview of the religious emblem program to Scouts in the troop
• Goal 4: develop a fire safety plan for users of both Camp Frank G. Lumpkin and Camp Pine Mountain based on the fire danger rating as published daily by the Georgia Forestry Commission, to be enforced by the camp ranger
• Goal 5: create a development and use plan for a primitive, back-country camping area at Camp Frank G. Lumpkin for consideration and approval by the Council Executive Board, and execution by the Council Camping Committee

One of Joel's ticket items, a fire safety plan for the council's
two camping facilities, includes signage on each property
and a website that updates daily with fire danger
ratings. Check out the website at http://fire.campfgl.com.

Out of his five ticket items, Joel noted it is the primitive camping area at Camp Lumpkin that was his most-rewarding project.

"I'm most excited about the creation of the primitive camping area at FGL," he said. "It will serve as an 'outpost' destination once our new waterfront is fully operational this coming spring. Hopefully this area will be used as a back-country site by hundreds of Scouts in the coming years."

"All of my tickets have room for me to continue 'working my ticket,'" Joel noted. On that list is continuing to maintain, and train others on maintaining, the troop's new website; continuing to mentor the troop's new chaplain; assisting in implementing the God & Church and God & Life curricula he created; developing a brochure for the camp fire safety plan; and promoting the camp's new primitive camping area.

Joel will be among the four reported beadings announced to date that will occur at the council's Jan. 3 Wood Badge Reunion. Other beadings include the Bear Patrol's James Ormsby, Eagle Patrol's Jeff Ayers, and the Buffalo Patrol's Terry Booton.

S9-91-14 Wood Badgers honored at council banquet

At its Saturday, June 21, annual council banquet, Chattahoochee Council honored three of our S9-91-14 course Wood Badgers with well-deserved recognition of their volunteer efforts and council-wide leadership.

SILVER BEAVER AWARDS

S9-91-14 Silver Beaver Award recipients Debbi Lytle (center) and
Joel Moore (right) with fellow Wood Badger Cliff Christian (left)

Recipients of this year’s Silver Beaver Award included Muskogee District's Debbi Lytle, who served as assistant scoutmaster for programs; and Saugahatchee District's Joel Moore, a course participant and member of the Beaver Patrol.

Debbi Lytle with husband and fellow banquet honoree Tom

Debbi Lytle

Debbi's Scouting volunteer experience spans 30 years and three councils. Wherever her husband, Tom’s, military duties took him, Debbi found opportunities to serve, which included in a variety of pack, troop, district capacities. Since beginning her service to Chattahoochee Council in 1991, Debbi has been a stalwart force in district- and council-level training programs. An Eagle Patrol member of Greater Alabama Council’s (Birmingham) Wood Badge Course SR-CS4, the pinnacle of her council training service has been staffing four Wood Badge courses. Her Scouting accolades include the Commissioner’s Arrowhead, District Award of Merit, Ft. Benning District’s Follow Me Award, Ft. Benning District’s Scouter’s Award, Chattahoochee Council’s Gilwell Award, and both the bachelor’s and master’s of Cub Scouting through the University of Scouting. [read more in Debbi's course staff bio]

Joel Moore

An Eagle Scout with Scouting roots dating back 45 years, Joel Moore grew up as a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Explorer, and Order of the Arrow Arrowman in the Birmingham Area Council (now Greater Alabama Council). In 1993, he began his service to Chattahoochee Council by helping to establish Pack 371 and Troop 371 — both chartered by Auburn’s Lakeview Baptist Church, where he and his family worship and serve. Beyond his unit-level service, which today includes his continued service as the troop’s committee chair and ad-hoc assistant scoutmaster, Joel was elected in 2013 as the council’s vice president for programs after two consecutive terms of service as the district chair for Saugahatchee District. In 2013, he helped lead the Chattahoochee Council’s Troop A223 Jamboree contingent as an assistant scoutmaster. His Scouting service has resulted in honors such as the Good Shepherd Baptist Adult Religious Emblem, awarded by the Association of Baptists for Scouting (2010); the District Award of Merit, awarded by the Saugahatchee District (2014); and several other awards for unit-level service and training. He carries on the tradition of Scouting service as a second-generation Silver Beaver Award recipient; his father, Bob Moore, received the Silver Beaver in 1982 from the Birmingham Area Council.

Silver Beaver Award medal

About the Silver Beaver Award

The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award presented by the National Court of Honor on behalf of councils. Recipients of this award, first bestowed in 1931, are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council through their efforts to deliver the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self-sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service. It is given to those who do not actively seek it. Honorees are presented with a medal consisting of a silver beaver pendant suspended from a blue and white ribbon worn around the neck. Recipients may wear the corresponding square knot, with a white strand over a blue strand, on the BSA uniform. Using the United States Military as the model, silver awards are the highest awards bestowed by the Boy Scouts.

NESA OUTSTANDING EAGLE SCOUT AWARD

Receiving the council’s National Eagle Scout Association’s (NESA) Outstanding Eagle Scout Award was S9-91-14 course director and Muskogee District Scouter Tom Lytle.

Tom receives the NOESA from Council President
Luke Mansour (left) and Scout Executive
Anthony Berger (right)

Tom Lytle

From his days as a Cub Scout to now, Tom Lytle has spent more than a half century benefiting from and serving the Boy Scouts of America. Starting his Scouting journey in 1959 as a Cub Scout in Missouri’s Heart of America Council, Tom earned the rank of Eagle in 1965. He began his adult volunteer service there before a military career found him traveling the globe — and finding ways to serve Scouting in every place his assignments took him, which included four different councils, including the Transatlantic Council based in Heilbronn, Germany. After retiring from the U.S. Army as a master sergeant, Tom continued his Scouting service in the Chattahoochee Council. The council has benefited from his diligent Scouting service as a district commissioner for 10 years, as a long-time member of district and council training teams, and as the council’s advancement chair. A proud Bobwhite Patrol member of Wood Badge Course SE-273-11 (Occoneechee Council, 1988), he staffed four Chattahoochee Council Wood Badge courses before being selected to lead the council’s most recent S9-91-14 course in 2014 as course director. Tom’s Scouting accolades include bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees through the College of Commissioner Science, the District Award of Merit, Commissioner’s Arrowhead, the Silver Beaver, BSA Heroism Award, Scouter’s International Award, and the council’s Gilwell Award. [read more in Tom's course staff bio]

NESA Outstanding Eagle
Scout Award medal

About the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award

The National Eagle Scout Association’s (NESA) Outstanding Eagle Scout Award is a prestigious recognition granted by a local council’s NESA committee to Eagle Scouts who have demonstrated outstanding achievement at the local, state, or regional level. Each recipient’s actions and accomplishments should elevate the stature of Eagle Scouts in the public eye, and each recipient is held to the standards set forth in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, and national BSA standards for membership. Often, these men have devoted a lifetime to their profession, avocation, community, and beliefs, at great sacrifice to themselves and their families. Each recipient should receive recognition worthy of a lifetime’s accomplishments. Recipients receive a medal consisting of the NOESA emblem suspended from a blue ribbon worn around the neck, and can wear both a pin-on uniform version of the medal on their Eagle Scout square knot or a civilian-wear lapel pin.

Meet our permanent patrol leaders

Wood Badge tradition includes the selection of permanent patrol leaders by the members of each patrol during their Saturday evening outpost overnighter. Permanent patrol leaders serve to rally their patrol members during the time participants work their tickets following the course, and often times serve to maintain patrol relations and communications years after a course ends and participants receive their beads.

The permanent patrol leaders of Wood Badge Course S9-91-14 are:

Beaver Patrol Leader Lamont Baeringer, who is a unit commissioner
in the Muskogee District

Bobwhite Patrol Leader Jolene Davis, who is cubmaster of
Pack 518 in the Yellow Jacket District

Erik Heiss, a troop committee member of Troop 203
in the Muskogee District

Sonja Wolfe-Eddy, pack committee chair for Pack 13
in the Saugahatchee District

Mark Aderholdt, an assistant scoutmaster for
Troop 15 in the Saugahatchee District

Mark Davis, a Webelos den leader
for Pack 518 in the Yellow Jacket District

Michelle Newman, troop committee members and treasurer for
Troop 356 in the Saugahatchee District

Michael Batson, Wolf den leader for Pack 100
in the Muskogee District

Beavers 'rocket' into Day 3 of first course weekend

The Beaver Patrol entered Day 3 of Course S9-91-14 having received the "best looking" rocket award and looking forward to teaching the Scouts in their respective units.

The Beaver Patrol's "best looking" entry in the rockets competition.

The patrol also named Troop Guide Jody Sellers as its "Beaver Patrol Member of the Day" for her willingness to attempt to keep the patrol members out of trouble.

The Beaver Patrol of S9-91-14, with "Patrol Member of the Day"
and Troop Guide Jody Sellers (far right)

Saugahatchee Beavers receive District Awards of Merit

As part of its annual district banquet on March 13, Saugahatchee District honored a pair of Wood Badge Beavers by awarding them the District Award of Merit.

Wood Badgers Michael Tullier (left) and Joel Moore (right) receive
the District Award of Merit from Saugahatchee District.

S9-91-14 Beaver Patrol member Joel Moore currently serves as the troop committee chair for Troop 371, chartered by Lakeview Baptist Church, and vice president for program on Chattahoochee Council’s Executive Board. An Eagle Scout, he began his adult volunteer service 20 years ago by helping to establish both Pack 371 and Troop 371. His progressive duties on the Saugahatchee District Committee, which began as membership chair, led to serving two terms as district chair. Through his leadership as chair, he strengthened and expanded a variety of existing district events as well as added additional ones; established the district’s Eagle Coach program; and expanded district communications. In 2013, under his leadership, Saugahatchee District was the only JTE gold-level district in the council. Over time, his volunteer service has included Webelos den leader, cubmaster, assistant scoutmaster and scoutmaster. In 2013, he attended the National Scout Jamboree as third assistant scoutmaster for the Chattahoochee Council contingent. He is also a recipient of the Good Shepherd religious emblem.

Staffer and SR-1078 Beaver Michael Tullier currently serves as the chartered organization representative for both Auburn United Methodist Church, which charters both Pack 29 and Troop 29, and the Auburn Rotary Club, which charters Troop 50. He is also currently the district’s public relations chair, previously served as district training chair, and frequently supports district-level fundraising through both Friends of Scouting and the Distinguished Citizens Award Dinner. An Eagle Scout, his 20 years of volunteer service has included unit- and district-level service in two councils in his native Louisiana in addition to the Chattahoochee Council. In his current role, he implemented the district’s monthly “District Digest” e-newsletter and has leveraged traditional, social and electronic media to keep volunteers, Scout families, and the community better informed of Scouting efforts in the district. Previously, he has served in unit-level capacities that include cubmaster, assistant scoutmaster, and troop chaplain. He is the recipient of the Order of the Arrow’s Vigil Honor membership and youth Founders’ Award, as well as Saugahatchee District’s Boy Scout Leader of the Year, and the God and Service Protestant religious emblem.

Meet Professional Adviser Jared Bertram

Serving as professional adviser for Wood Badge Course S9-91-14 is senior district executive of the Muskogee District, Jared Bertram. As the course's professional adviser, Jared provides administrative and council support for the course and its director and staff.

Jared has nearly 22 years of Scouting experience — with more than half of that time as a Scout who earned the rank of Eagle Scout and attended the 1997 National Jamboree. His adult Scouting experience includes service as both a volunteer and professional Scouter. As a volunteer, he has served as an assistant scoutmaster of Troop 400 in the Central Georgia Council (Macon, Ga.). He was also a summer camp staff employee from 2000-09 at Camp Benjamin Hawkins (Central Georgia Council) in Macon, Ga., and Camp Woodruff (Atlanta Area Council) in Blairsville, Ga. A professional Scouter since 2009, Jared previously served as district executive of Chattahoochee Council’s George H. Lanier District before his current service to Muskogee District. A Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, he is also a recipient of the OA’s Founders’ Award.

A Beaver Patrol member from Chattahoochee Council Wood Badge Course SR-1078, Jared was also elected by his patrol as its permanent patrol leader. While S9-91-14 is his first opportunity to staff a Wood Badge course, he has previously staffed summer camp at Camp Frank G. Lumpkin as aquatics director the summers of 2004-07, and as program director the summers of 2009 and 2010.

Meet Volunteer Adviser Lisa Sandt

Serving as volunteer adviser for Wood Badge Course S9-91-14 is Lisa Sandt. Lisa also serves as committee chair for Troop 15 and associate crew adviser for Crew 15 — both chartered by the Auburn Supply Chain Institute Inc. — as well as the council’s training chair and member of the council’s Executive Board.

Lisa has been an adult Scouting volunteer for 13 years, during which time she has served in unit, district and council positions. At the unit level, in addition to her current roles, she has been a Webelos den leader and assistant scoutmaster. In the past, she has served on the Saugahatchee District Committee as both its training chair and membership chair. She has also served the council as its vice president for program. As a result of those experiences, she has received several training- and service-related awards — most notable among those are the District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver Award, Order of the Arrow Vigil Honor membership, and council’s Gilwell Award.

A Beaver Patrol member during Chattahoochee Council’s Wood Badge Course SR-321 in 2000, Lisa has been a frequent Wood Badge staffer since then. Her Wood Badge staff experience includes serving as troop guide (SR-464, 2002), assistant scoutmaster for program (SR-585, 2003), senior patrol leader (SR-942, 2009), assistant scoutmaster for troop guides (SR-1078, 2010), and scoutmaster/course director (S9-91-12, 2012). She has also staffed five of the council’s National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) courses — including course director in 2011 — and numerous Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, BALOO, and other programs to train Cub Scout and Boy Scout leaders.

Professionally, Lisa serves as director of planning and economic development for the Lee-Russell Council of Governments. With her husband Todd, a scoutmaster and crew adviser who is also an active Scouter in council and Wood Badge programs, she has one daughter who currently in Girl Scouts, and an adult step-daughter.

Meet Head Quartermaster James Pierce

Leading Gilwell Troop 1’s Quartermaster Corps is Head Troop Quartermaster James Pierce of the Saugahatchee District. He is also an assistant scoutmaster, equipment coordinator and merit badge counselor for Troop 858, chartered by First Baptist Church in Opelika.

In addition to his six years of experience as a Scout, James has been an adult volunteer for six years. In addition to his current duties in Troop 858, he has served as pack/troop committee chair and den leader, which has led to several training and service awards. He recently completed Commissioner Basic Training, joined the Saugahatchee District Committee, and was inducted as an Ordeal Member of the Order of the Arrow's Chattahoochee Lodge 204.

James attended Chattahoochee Council Wood Badge Course S9-91-12 in 2012 and was a member of the Beaver Patrol. This is his first opportunity to serve on Wood Badge staff.

Professionally, James is a mechanical designer and machinist with Rexnord, as well as the owner of a mini-storage business. He and his wife Daffny have two children: a daughter Kaylee, and a son Jacob who is a First Class Scout on his way to earning the rank of Star in Troop 858.

Meet Troop Guide Kelly Anderson

Yellow Jacket District Scouter Kelly Anderson is one of Gilwell Troop 1 troop guides. Kelly is also an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 10, chartered by the Troup County Sportsman Club, and a district commissioner. As a troop guide, he will mentor his patrol, facilitate some patrol activities, and assist patrol members as they prepare and complete their Wood Badge tickets.

Collectively, Kelly touts more than 25 years in Scouting, having first joined as a Cub Scout in the Chattahoochee Council, and later crossed over into Boy Scouting — and into the very troop he now serves as an adult leader. He was inducted into the Order of the Arrow as a youth, and is today a Brotherhood member of the OA. After serving in the U.S. Army, he became involved in Scouting again through the Lagrange Jr. Chamber of Commerce by sponsoring and chairing the Yellow Jacket District Spring Camporee for several years. As a volunteer leader, Kelly has served as a den leader at the pack level, committee chair and assistant scoutmaster at the troop level, and as committee chair at the Venture crew level. He is a frequent staff member of various district and council training, program and advancement events — including as a two-time course director for Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills/Outdoor Webelos Leader Skills events; a three-time assistant course director for the council’s National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) in 2011, 2012 and 2013; and is slated to be the council’s NYLT course director in 2014. He is a 2012 College of Commissioner Science doctoral candidate and a 2012 recipient of the Silver BEaver Awar

Kelly attended Chattahoochee Council Wood Badge Course SR-321 in 2000 and was a member of the Beaver Patrol. Since then, he served as an assistant quartermaster for Course S9-91-12 in 2012.

Professionally, Kelly is the quality and purchasing director for New Ventures Inc. He is married to Della, and together they have two children: Brian and Abbie, who are both attending the University of West Georgia.

Meet Head Scribe Michael Tullier

Leading Gilwell Troop 1’s scribes is Head Troop Scribe Michael Tullier, an adult volunteer in the Saugahatchee District. In addition to his Wood Badge duties, Michael holds responsibilities at the pack, troop, district and council levels.

Michael joined Scouting in 1979 as a Cub Scout in the Attakapas Council (Alexandria, La.) and eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1989. A survivor of the 1985 National Scout Jamboree’s Hurricane Bob, he solidified his long-standing involvement in the Order of the Arrow by attending the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) the next year. Smitten by the allure of “urban camping” in college dorms, he attended the next three NOACs in 1988, 1990 and 1992 — the latter as a member of the national vice chief’s conference staff. As a youth Arrowman, Michael held many elected lodge positions — including serving as Ouxouiga Lodge 264’s first three-term lodge chief — as well as several terms as a section secretary. In recognition of his service to the Order, Ouxouiga Lodge bestowed on him both Vigil Honor membership and its youth Founders’ Award. His 20 years of adult volunteer experience has included unit and district service in the Attakapas Council, Istrouma Area Council (Baton Rouge) and Chattahoochee Council. Currently, he serves as chartered organization representative for both Auburn United Methodist Church (which charters Pack 29 and Troop 29) and the Auburn Rotary Club (which sponsors Troop 50). He also currently serves as district public relations chair and co-chair of the council’s Friends of Scouting campaign. He was selected as Saugahatchee District’s 2011 Boy Scout Leader of the Year and earned the God and Service Protestant religious emblem in 2011.

A Beaver Patrol member of Chattahoochee Council Wood Badge Course SR-1078 (2010), Michael previously staffed Course S9-91-12 (2012) as a troop guide and chaplain. As a previous district training chair, he has facilitated and staffed several district and council training programs.

Professionally, Michael is manager of development communications and marketing for Auburn University’s Office of Development. He and his wife Dianna have three children: Davis (a Life Scout in Troop 50), Sophie, and Jack (a Webelos II who will crossover from Pack 29 to Troop 50 this spring).