At 6:30 PM on Monday, April 27, 2020 the stakeholders for the Alameda Council, the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council and the San Francisco Bay Area Council overwhelmingly approved to merge the three Scout councils into a single new entity called the Golden Gate Area Council. The official merger date of the new council was Monday, June 1, 2020 and the first leaders of the council were Scout Executive John Fenoglio and Council President Dan Walters.
Originally the vote of the stakeholders was scheduled for March 30, however due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the in-person meetings were canceled and ballots ultimately mailed to each of the voting members with the new date.
The discussions to merge the councils actually started back in 2012 when the leaders of the Mt Diablo Silverado council approached the San Francisco Bay Area council about a possible merge. Those initial discussions ultimately ended on August 29, 2012 with a no merge vote. However eight years later, those discussions again were the topic of the day due to the vacancies left by the Scout Exec positions in the SFBAC and MDSC Councils. National guidelines require that Councils review possible merging when Scout Executive positions are vacated as a way to possibly save money. This time, the merge made sense.
The merging of these three great councils into one, united over 19,000 youth members in Cub Scouts, ScoutsBSA, Venturers and Sea Scouts from six Bay Area counties into one strong council with over 7000 dedicated adult volunteers along with five Scout Camps. The camps of the Golden Gate Area Council are comprised of Camp Royaneh (est. 1925), Camp Wolfeboro (est. 1928), Camp Herms (est. 1930), Rancho Los Mochos (est. 1944) and Wente Scout Reservation (est. 1959).
The three service centers of the council continued to be operated with one in Alameda (1714 Everett St), one in San Leandro (1001 Davis St) and one in Pleasant Hill (800 Ellinwood Way). The Pleasant Hill office became the new headquarters of the combined council.
Although our new council is called the Golden Gate Area Council, our history with the Boy Scouts of America actually started some 104 years earlier in 1916 when our original legacy councils were formed. The original eight scout councils of the Golden Gate Area were the following: Berkeley Council (formed 1916), Oakland Area Council (formed 1916), San Francisco Council (formed 1917), Alameda Council (formed 1917), Napa Council (formed 1917), Contra Costa Council (formed 1922), Solano Council (formed 1922) and the Luther Burbank Council (formed 1923).
The first council shoulder patch (CSP) for the GGAC was designed by Venturer Melody Fewx which was selected from more than 70 entries by the various youth of the council.
The diagram below gives a basic pictorial overview as to the merger history, name changes and council identifiers for each of the original legacy councils along with the Order of the Arrow Lodges associated with the councils.
Over the years these various councils merged to form larger councils in order to broaden the reach of Scouting and provide more program for the youth in both the cities and suburbs.
GGAC – Golden Gate Area Council / Yerba Buena Lodge
SFBAC – San Francisco Bay Area Council / Achewon Nimat Lodge
OAC – Oakland Area Council / Machek N’Gult Lodge
SFC – San Francisco Council / Royaneh Lodge
MDSC – Mt. Diablo Silverado Council / Ut-in Selica Lodge
MDC – Mt. Diablo Council / Oo Yum Buli Lodge
BCCC – Berkeley Contra Costa Council
ALC – Alameda Council / Kaweah Lodge
SC – Silverado Council / Swegedaigea Lodge
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1714 Everett Street
Alameda, CA 94501 | (510) 965-5631
1955 West Texas St. Suite 1
Fairfield, CA 94533 | (925) 674-6166
508 Contra Costa Blvd, Suite K2
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 | (925) 674-8500
6601 Owens Drive, Suite 100
Pleasanton, CA 94588 | (925) 674-6100
The Golden Gate Area Council has instituted a refund policy to ensure our Scouts receive high quality programs & activities. A great deal of advanced planning and purchasing takes place for programs and events of the Golden Gate Area Council during the months and weeks prior to an event.
The Council will refund up to 100% of the costs for any event it cancels. In order to maintain the most cost effective and positive program impact activity, camping, and event refunds of 100% cannot be given. Refunds are not given for No-Shows, schedule conflicts, weather conditions, or behavior issues occurring before or during the event. Refunds are considered based upon the following criteria and timeline and are returned to the person or entity and in the manner in which they were received.
Time Until Start of Event | Percentage Refund |
Up to 14 days prior | 80% refund |
Up to 7 days prior | 60% refund |
7 days or less | No refund* |
*Participants who cancel from an event within 7 days will be considered for up to a 60% refund if the refund request is accompanied by a Doctor’s note. Requests under these circumstances will not be considered if not received at the Council Service Center less than 14 days after the start of the event.
The Golden Gate Area Council believes each Scout should be given every opportunity to attend Camp. At times it can be hard for a family to raise the money, and Camperships can help cover part of the cost of a week of Camp for Golden Gate Area Council members attending one of the Golden Gate Area Council Camps. Campership applications are due by March 27th for continuing Scouts and May 29th for newly bridged Arrow of Light Scouts.
ALL of our Camps are CLOSED and the Staff is off duty from 11:00 AM on Saturday to 11:00AM on Sunday each weekend.
No Troop……..No Problem! You don’t have to miss out on all the fun just because your troop isn’t going to summer camp or because other summer plans mean you won’t be able to go to camp with your Troop. You may even want to do an additional week of camp just because you had such a great time.
New Friends…….New Experiences! Provisional Camping is just like camping with your home troop, except you’ll have the opportunity to camp with new friends as you join Scouts from all over the council and beyond. You’ll meet new people and have the opportunity to develop friendships that can last a lifetime. Provisional Scouts will partner with a selected Golden Gate Area Council Troop with an experienced leader. You’ll have a full time Scoutmaster for the week that, just like your Scoutmaster back home, will make sure you have a safe and fun camp experience. Provisional scouts can participate in all of the camp’s exciting programs including advancement, competitions, and patrol events. It’s a great way to finish additional Merit Badges, or to try a new part of the program that you weren’t able to try before.
NOTE:
SO, sign up now if you’d like to attend camp as part of the provisional camping program!
Provisional Camping is the creation of a temporary Troop or an opportunity to work with another unit. Provisional camping allows youth to attend camp without their home unit. Provisional camping is not new; it is used during many different Scouting events including National Jamborees and High Adventure trips.
The Scout’s family is responsible for transportation to and from Camp. Please contact the Golden Gate Area Council Camping and Outdoor Programs Department ([email protected]) for questions or more information.
First, try to connect the Scout and counselor in Scoutbook. If that is successful, the counselor is registered and qualified. If unsuccessful, go to the counselor’s home council and search for their Advancement Administrators. Most will have an email address for either the Council Advancement Committee or Professional Advisor. Send an email asking if the counselor has been registered and qualified for the merit badge(s) in question and the status of their Youth Protection Training. Ask California councils if the counselor has completed AB506 training and LiveScan. The unit leader’s “blue card” signature verifies their counselor credentials verification.
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Order of the Arrow
