Scouting salute visits home of the original forest keeper

Pre-centennial celebration kicks off at Grey Towers, By Linda Fields Milford — How do you celebrate one-hundred years of success? For the Boy Scouts of America, Hudson Valley Council, the answer is you start with a five-county bus tour beginning at an appropriate place: Milford’s Grey Towers, once home to Governor Gifford Pinchot and now home to The US Forest Service. The Boy Scouts of America was founded on February 8, 1910 making the organization 99 years old this Sunday. But the centennial celebration countdown is underway. The Scouts have numerous events planned this year and throughout 2010, as part of what is dubbed “a purpose-driven anniversary celebration” to strengthen scouting and its vision. Charting a course to the centennial, the Boy Scouts announced their plans on Tuesday at Grey Towers. The Grey Towers National Historic Site and the Boy Scouts of America create a synergy, noted Steve Gray, CEO of the Boy Scouts Hudson Valley Council: “Our scouts here in Pike and in the entire Hudson Valley stand ready to assist in conservation projects that will continue to honor and further Governor Pinchot’s ideals of conservation and service.” Lori McKean, Grey Towers assistant director, agreed, “Our connection with scouting is very appropriate; Gifford Pinchot really was dedicated to conservation in America … and I know that the ideals of scouting are very tied to conservation and to the outdoors.” Jason Barlow, president of the Scouts, Hudson Valley Council, noted that to mark the Scouts’ 100th anniversary, the organization will be “reintroducing scouting to the American public.” He said the focus in the next year will be on increasing awareness, support and encouraging the engagement of the public. For example, the BSA will try to connect with the 50-million alumni of the Boy Scouts and to reach out to various partners. One partner is the Arbor Day Foundation, with which they will encourage families to plant trees together. Another program, “Pitch for Scouting”, will begin in the spring of next year and involve professional baseball. Locally, the Scouts will team up with the Dutchess County (N.Y.) Renegades to throw out the first pitch, for example. Numerous planned events will continue this year and next and include a gala on the 100th anniversary on February 8, of next year. The youngest speaker to address the audience at Grey Towers was Benjamin Cunningham, from Troop 77 in Matamoras. He outlined what scouting has taught him, that among other things: “…I can spend the night alone in the woods; I know that you can still go camping in the wintertime; I know I can pass the swimming test on the first try” and after a well-timed pause, he added “and my dad can’t.” It brought a huge roar of laughter from the audience, including Benjamin’s dad, Doug Cunningham of Clarion Safety in Milford, who serves on the scout’s marketing committee. The Hudson Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America serves more than 9,600 young people in Pike, as well as Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties in New York. Its mission: to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime, to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader, guided by the Scout Oath and Law. As it celebrates its centennial, the organization hopes to influence families to choose scouting for their children. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, call 845-566-7300 or visit: www.hvcbsa.org.