Golden Empire Council

Golden Empire Council (GEC) is a local council #047 of the Boy Scouts of America located in the states of California and Nevada. It serves a large section of Northern California, primarily the Sacramento Valley and the northern Sierra Nevada mountains. As of 2017 they serve over 15,000 youth members.

• GEC-BSA.ORG - Official Website

History

The Golden Empire Council was founded in 1920 as the Sacramento Council. The council changed its name to the Sacramento Area Council in 1933, and to Golden Empire in 1937. In 1927, the Kit Carson Council (#46), founded in 1924, merged into the council. In 1969, the Tahoe Area Council (#048), founded in 1924, merged into the council. In 1992, the Mount Lassen Area Council (#036) and Buttes Area Council, both founded in 1924, merged into the council. The Mount Lassen Area Council had absorbed the Mount Shasta Area Council (#037), founded in 1923, in 1926.

GEC Current council boundaries range north to south from Redding, CA to Elk Grove, CA and west to east from Vacaville, CA to Pollock Pines, CA. Its council headquarters and Service Center is located in Sacramento, CA. The council also operates a field office in Chico, CA. Scout Shops selling BSA merchandise are located in both Sacramento and Chico.

Districts

GEC is organized into 12 separate districts that cover 16 different counties, each operated by a professional District Executive and volunteer leadership.

1. Amador District: Covers Amador County. Includes Jackson, CA and Sutter Creek, CA.
2. Buttes Area District: Colusa, Sutter, and Yuba Counties. Includes the communities of Yuba City, CA and Marysville, CA.
3. Capital City District: Yolo and Sacramento Counties. Includes the communities of West Sacramento, CA, South Sacramento, and Rancho Cordova, CA.
4. Discovery District: Covers Placer county. Includes the towns of Roseville, CA, Rocklin, CA, and Lincoln, CA.
5. El Dorado District: El Dorado County and eastern Sacramento County. Include Placerville, CA, El Dorado Hills, CA, and Folsom, CA.
6. Gold Country District: Parts of Nevada and Placer counties including Auburn, Colfax, Grass Valley, Meadow Vista, Nevada City, Newcastle and Penn Valley.
7. Northern Rivers District: Shasta and parts of Tehama Counties. Includes Redding, CA and Red Bluff, CA.
8. Pioneer Express District: North Sacramento county including the communities of Antelope, Elverta, Natomas, North Highlands, Rio Linda, Carmichael, Arden-Arcade, parts of Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks and Orangevale.
9. Ranchero West District: Buttes, Glenn, and parts of Tehama County. Includes Chico, CA and Orland, CA.
10. Soaring Eagle District: Covers communities throughout south Sacramento County. Includes Elk Grove, CA, Wilton, CA, and Rio Vista, CA.
11. Trailblazer District: Dixon, CA and Vacaville, CA in Solano County.
12. Yolo District: Covers Yolo County. Includes Davis, CA and Woodland, CA.

Activities

Council Camps

GEC also owns and operates four camp properties:

1. Camp Winton - Combination wilderness and aquatic camp featuring overnight canoe treks on Bear River Reservoir in the Central Sierra Nevada mountains. Featuring complete summer camp program.
2. Camp Lassen -
3. Camp Robert Cole - Beautiful High Sierra wilderness adventure camp near Lake Truckee.
4. Yuba County Leadership and Adventure Camp -

Wilderness Adventures

GEC scouts have access to the following wilderness adventure venues in or near their council:

Lodge

The council is served by the Order of the Arrow Lodge