Eagle Bluff - Answers to Your Scouting Questions

Click on the highlighted links for further help with these answers.

What if I don't find the answer here?

Feel free to contact anyone on the District Committee or Commissioner staff for help. If they can't help you, they can probably identify someone who can! Also feel free to contact our District Executive.

You should also check out the council web site or the national BSA site. The Eagle Bluff site focuses on things that happen at the district level. The council site's Links area leads to a broad range of scouting-related web sites.

How does a boy join Scouting?

Every fall, local Cub Scout packs host Join Scouting Nights to recruit new members. Click here for information.

To join Cub Scouting (ages 6-10), click here for information
To join Boy Scouting or Venturing, click here for information

The Eagle Bluff District

What's the difference between the District and the Council?

The scouting movement relies on volunteers. The Council organizes volunteers into geographical districts, and the volunteers of the Eagle Bluff District support the scouting units (packs, troops, crews, posts, etc.) in its part of the council.

Does the district run the packs, troops, and other units falling in its area?

The units run themselves. The district's purpose is to help the packs, troops, and other units provide the best scouting program they can.

What does the district do?

District volunteers support scouting units by organizing regular outdoor activities, training, recruitment drives, and some fund-raising. The district also helps with important cases of advancement and awards, like Eagle boards of review. A special team of district volunteers, the commissioners, provide service to individual units and organize monthly Roundtables for unit leaders.

Who runs the district?

Current and former volunteer leaders from troops, packs, and other units take jobs on the District Committee and on the commissioner staff, and they "run" the district. A group called the Key Three organizes the district. The Key Three consist of:

District Chair - the chairman of the District Committee
District Commissioner - the head of the district's commissioner staff
District Executive - the professional scouter assigned to the district by the Council.

Where is the Eagle Bluff District?

Click here for a map and description of the district.

Activities and Events with Eagle Bluff

What outdoor events does the district arrange?

There is a Camporee in the fall (late September), the Klondike in the winter (mid-January), and the Scout Expo in the spring (mid-May). These are described on the Activities page.

What service projects does the district arrange?

The district organizes an annual Scouting for Food drive in the spring (April) and an annual Ice Cream Social to raise funds for scouting programs in disadvantaged communities. These are described on the Activities page. If you have an idea for a service project that can and should take place at the district level, contact the Activities Committee.

Advancement and Awards

The district is your first stop for all questions of advancement or awards that you can't seem to handle in your unit. The district also plays a major role in Eagle advancement.

I'm an adult. How do I become a merit badge counselor?

Fill out the Council's Merit Badge Counselor application, which you can find on-line in the Forms area of the Council web site. Also fill out an Adult Leader Application if you are not already a registered leader. Get the necessary signatures from your unit and then send your application to the Council office. The Council will take care of collecting the signature from the District Advancement Chair.

What are the qualifications to be a merit badge counselor?

There are two requirements:

You must be eligible for a BSA leadership position, which means that you must fill out the application completely and submit to a criminal background check (this rarely poses a problem).

You must have some knowledge and/or experience in the topics of the merit badges you sign up for. You need to briefly describe your background in each topic on the application. For example, if you have practical experience in the merit badge's topic, describe your experience. If you read a lot about the topic, say so. You don't have to be a member of the city government to counsel Citizenship in the Community, or be a diplomat to counsel Citizenship in the World, but you should have some qualifications you can describe.

I'm an adult leader. How do I earn training awards?

Adult leaders can earn awards after being trained for their position, serving in that position for some period of time, and completing tasks that leaders typically do in that position. The awards are usually indicated by knot insignia that leaders wear on their left uniform pocket. Training awards are handled by the Training Committee. Click here for more information about training awards.

Who do I contact about awards for heroism or exceptional merit?

Contact our District Executive. Nominations for these awards are handled at the Council level. In previous instances, the district Advancement Committee has interviewed witnesses of the exceptional event as part of the application process, but this takes place after the Council has reviewed the nomination.

Click here for more information on these awards. Click here for a list of Eagle Bluff recipients of such awards.

Are there awards for exceptional volunteers?

Yes!

Every year, each unit in Eagle Bluff can submit the name of one of their volunteers to receive the Outstanding Unit Volunteer award. Unit leaders can also earn the annual Unit Award of Excellence.
Every year the district also presents the District Award of Merit to two or three district volunteers who have made an exceptional ongoing contribution to the service of youth. Click here for a list of past Eagle Bluff recipients.
Every year the Council presents the Silver Beaver award to a number of volunteers for significant service to youth at the council level. Click here for a list of past Eagle Bluff recipients.

Why is the district involved in Eagle advancement?

Since the Eagle rank is the highest a scout can earn, it is important that all scouts face roughly the same challenges. The district's role is to ensure that the Eagle Project and the Eagle Board of Review are reasonably consistent across all troops, so an Eagle is an Eagle, regardless of his troop. Specifically, the district has two jobs:

Review a scout's plan for his Eagle Project before the project starts.
Conduct the Eagle Board of Review once all Eagle requirements are completed.

Click here for more information on the district's Eagle advancement activities.

Commissioner Staff

The Commissioner Staff consists of volunteers dedicated to providing service to the scouting units in Eagle Bluff.

Who can I contact about the Roundtables?

The Roundtables are operated by the Roundtable Commissioner Staff, which includes an Assistant District Commissioner (ADC) for Roundtable as well as Roundtable Commissioners for Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting.

Who is my unit commissioner?

Contact the District Commissioner to find out which Unit Commissioner has been assigned to your unit.

Eagle Bluff District - Northern Star Council

Home | Calendar | Activities! | Questions? | Points of Contact

Answering Your Scouting Questions