West Central Florida Council

West Central Florida Council
Owner	Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters	Seminole, Florida
Location	Pinellas County, FL, west Pasco County, FL
Country	United States
Founded	1917
Scout Executive	William Davis
Website http://www.wcfcbsa.org

West Central Florida Council serves Pinellas County and west Pasco County in Florida. Two main Scout camps are Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Spring Hill and Camp Soule in Clearwater. There is also a smaller facility at Bigfoot Wilderness Camp near Dade City. Over 20,000 youth and 6,000 adult volunteers are currently served by the West Central Florida Council. More than 100 young men earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2008. The West Central Florida Council earned the prestigious 2008 Centennial Quality Council Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

History

West Central Florida Council was originally chartered as the Pinellas Area Council in 1917. When the Pinellas Area Council accepted west Pasco County in the late 1970s, the council changed its name to the current title.

Organization

West Central Florida Council is divided into four distinct geographical Districts to best serve the youth of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties.

• Calusa District (northern Pinellas County): Is named after the Calusa Native American tribe native to Southwest Florida. More than 55 Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, and Venturing Crews serve areas including Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Dunedin, and Tarpon Springs.

• Osceola District (central Pinellas County): Is named after Osceola, a famous war chief of the Seminole Native American tribe. More than 35 Packs, Troops, and Crews serve areas including Seminole, Pinellas Park, and Largo. 2007 and 2008 Centennial Quality District.

• Skyway District (southern Pinellas County): Is named after the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that crosses the mouth of Tampa Bay. More than 80 Packs, Troops, and Crews serve areas including St. Petersburg, Tierra Verde, South Pasadena, St. Pete Beach, and Treasure Island. 2008 Centennial Quality District.

• Twin Rivers District (Pasco County, west of the Suncoast Parkway to the Gulf coast): Is named after Anclote River and Pithlachascotee River found in western Pasco County. 40 Packs, Troops, and Crews serve communities including Trinity, New Port Richey, Shady Hills, and Hudson. 2006 & 2008 Centennial Quality District.

Camps

Sand Hill Scout Reservation

Sign for the entrance to the Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Spring Hill, Florida.

Sand Hill Scout Reservation is a Scout camp of over 1,212 acres (4.90 km²) in the west central Florida region, located near Spring Hill, Florida. Sand Hill Scout Reservation belongs to the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, and Venturers of the West Central Florida Council and Gulf Ridge Council and is intended for their instruction and enjoyment. Sand Hill Scout Reservation offers many different activities including archery, small-bore rifle, shotgun trap and skeet shooting, hiking, camping, Project COPE course, climbing wall, repelling tower, swimming pool, large athletics fields, 10 improved campsites (complete with shelters, water, latrines, and hot water shower facilities), handicapped accessible campsite and facilities, 2 primitive campsites, chapel, large air-conditioned dining hall, trading post, camp medical center, activities shelters, nature center, 18 staff cabins, and training buildings. This camp is also the residential Boy Scout Summer Camp for the West Central Florida Council. Hundreds of boys from the Greater Tampa/St. Petersburg area and throughout Florida attend camp every summer. Thousands of Scouts, leaders, and outside organizations use Sand Hill Scout Reservation every year for camping, training, and other activities. A full-time Camp Ranger and his family live on the property. Sand Hill Scout Reservation is large enough to host more than 1,500 Scouts at one time. Sand Hill has hosted Scouts and other organizations since the early 1980s. Sand Hill is also home to the Brooksville Raid Civil War battle reenactment every January.

Sand Hill Grace

The "Sand Hill Grace" is customarily said by campers before meals:

"Sand Hill Grace"

For the hills, for the sand,
for the bounty of the land,
for water bright
and the pristine sunlight.
For all who guide our programs path
for all opportunities that Scouting hath
We thank Thee, O Lord.

Camp Soule

Camp Soule serves the West Central Florida Council. It is located on 53 acres (210,000 m²) of pristine wilderness, in the heart of Clearwater, Florida. It offers protected trees, wildlife, and beauty centered in the most populous county of Florida. Camp Soule offers five improved campsites (with Adirondack shelters, latrines, and showers), nine primitive campsites, a dining hall, trading post, large activity fields, Olympic-size swimming pool, pool house, BB gun range, Cub Scout and Boy Scout archery ranges, two cabins, Council campfire ring, chapel, and a home occupied by a full-time camp ranger and his family. Camp Soule is constantly utilized for short-term Boy Scout camping, Cub Scout family camping, Cub Scout Summer Day Camp, Tiger Growl, training courses, and various other activities. Camp Soule has served the West Central Florida Council since the 1930s.

Camp Bigfoot

Bigfoot Wilderness Camp is a hidden gem at Green Swamp, east of Dade City, Florida. It is located within a 30,000-acre (120 km²) wildlife preserve owned by the State of Florida - Southwest Florida Water Management District. The facility includes a 1,200-square-foot (110 m²) cabin with electricity and indoor plumbing, two wood stoves for heating, an outdoor shower, a campfire area, and primitive patrol campsites. There is a 5-mile (8.0 km) hiking loop starting and ending at the cabin. This loop intersects with a segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail extending over 35 miles (56 km) to the north and 10 miles (16 km) to the south. Bigfoot Wilderness Camp provides a great opportunity for camping in a rustic, primitive "Old Florida" setting.

Timuquan Lodge

The Timuquan Lodge delegation in Washington, D. C., enroute to the National Order of the Arrow Conference at Central Michigan University (1986)

The West Central Florida Council's Order of the Arrow Lodge is Timuquan Lodge 340, founded in 1946. The Order of the Arrow is Scouting's National Honor Society that recognizes youth and adult leaders who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Scout Law in their daily lives. The lodge is named in honor of the extinct Timucua Native American tribe of northern and central Florida. Timuquan Lodge hosted the S-4 OA Section Conference at Sand Hill Scout Reservation from April 17–19, 2009. Nearly 1,100 Scouts and leaders from throughout Florida and southern Georgia attended the event.

See also

• Scouting in Florida