Scouting and Guiding in California

Scouting in California has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

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California Scouting and the 2020 Pandemic

The Governor of the State of California has canceled his "Stay-At-Home" orders and has allowed the following facilities to open. However closures may still be in effect for Los Angeles County, the Bay Area and select other locals.

• Outdoor Museums may open - with appropriate social distancing restrictions.
• Select County Parks, Campgrounds and Beaches are open - see local county for details.
• Angeles National Forest Reopens May 16th will reopen popular trails, trail heads, roads and campgrounds with new social distancing rules.

Early history (1910-1950)

Many Scouts in California prior to the charter of the BSA were the youth auxiliary of the California Highway Patrol (similar to Law Enforcement Explorers, while others belonged to the Peace Scouts of California, another pre-BSA Scouting association.

Recent history (1950-1990)

The 1953 National Scout Jamboree was held at Irvine Ranch, California. Jamboree Road in Newport Beach, California, commemorates the site of the 1953 Jamboree.

The 1973 National Order of the Arrow Conference was held at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

On May 1, 2006, Old Baldy Council merged into the San Gabriel Valley Council and the California Inland Empire Council.

Boy Scouting in California today

• California Eagles Nest - Noteworthy California Scouters.
• Crews, Ships and Posts of California - partner for great adventure exchanges.
• Scout Camps in California - Summer Camps, Aquatic Bases, Hi-Adventure Treks and Wilderness Areas.

BSA Councils Active in California

There are twenty-four Boy Scouts of America local councils in California.

• Western Region OA
• Western Region Venturing

	ID#	Council Name	Office	Status	FB Link	OA Lodge	Notes
001	045	California Inland Empire Council	Inland Empire	Active	FB Link	Cahuilla Lodge 127]	all of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties
002	491	Crater Lake Council	Central Point OR	Active	FB	OA	Southern & Central Oregon and Northern parts of California. (Redwood, Siskiyou and Modoc Counties)
003	047	Golden Empire Council	Sacramento Valley	Active	FB Link	Amangi Nacha 047	serves a large section of Northern California, primarily the Sacramento Valley and the northern Sierra Nevada mountains.
004	xxx	Golden Gate Area Council	San Francisco Bay Area	Active	FB Link	OA Lodge	New in 2020 from Merger of San Francisco, Mount Silverado and Alameda Councils.
005	033	Greater Los Angeles Area Council	Los Angeles	Active	FB	Tuku'ut Lodge 141	Combines the LA region and the San Gabriel Valley in 2015.
006	059	Greater Yosemite Council	Modesto	Active	FB Link	Toloma Lodge 64	Modesto, Stockton, Calaveras and San Joaquin Regions.
007	238	Las Vegas Area Council	Las Vegas	Active	FB	Nebagamon Lodge 312	Covers Southeastern corner of California including Needles and Blythe.
008	032	Long Beach Area Council	Long Beach	Active	FB	Tribe of Tahquitz
009	053	Los Padres Council	Santa Barbara	Active	FB	Chumash Lodge	Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties on the Central Coast.
010	035	Marin Council	Marin Co	Active	FB	Talako Lodge	North SF Bay Area
011	239	Nevada Area Council	Reno NV	Active	FB	Tannu Lodge	covers Northeastern California and most of Northern Nevada
012	039	Orange County Council	So. Calif	Active	FB	Wiatava Lodge
013	031	Pacific Skyline Council	San Mateo County	Active	FB	Ohlone Lodge	serving youth in the San Mateo County and Santa Clara County regions. It was created in 1994 from a merger of the San Mateo and Stanford Area Councils.
014	042	Piedmont Council	Piedmont CA	Active	FB	Hungteetsepoppi Lodge	Not to be confused with Piedmont County NC in North Carolina of the same name.
015	041	Redwood Empire Council	Santa Rosa CA	Active	FB	Orca Lodge	Covers Sonoma and Mendocino Counties in Northern California. Founded 1919.
016	049	San Diego-Imperial Council	San Diego	Active	FB	Tiwahe Lodge	covers all of San Diego and Imperial Counties.
017	027	Sequoia Council	Fresno CA	Active	FB	Tah-Heetch Lodge	The Sequoia Council covers Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare Counties.
018	055	Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council	Monterey CA	Active	FB	Saklan Lodge	serving Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, and Monterey County.
019	030	Southern Sierra Council	Bakersfield CA	Active	FB	Yowlumne Lodge	Covers Kern, Inyo and Mono Counties.
020	057	Ventura County Council	Camarillo CA	Active	FB	Topa Topa Lodge
021	058	Verdugo Hills Council	Glendale CA	Active	FB	Spe-Le-Yai Lodge
022	051	Western Los Angeles County Council	Van Nuys CA	Active	FB	Malibu Lodge	Covers Northern and Western L.A. County

Discontinued BSA Councils

• Alameda Council - in 2020 was One of the seven smallest councils in BSA and one of six serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Merged in 2020 to create Golden Gate Area Council.
• Desert Pacific Council - Renamed to San Diego-Imperial Council
• Forty-Niner Council - 1997 merger to create Greater Yosemite Council
• Los Angeles Area Council - merged in 2015 to create Greater Los Angeles Area Council.
• Monterey Bay Area Council - merged in 2012 to created Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council
• #023: Mount Diablo Silverado Council - merged in 2020 to create Golden Gate Area Council.
• Old Baldy Council - Split in 2006 and merged into San Gabriel Valley Council and California Inland Empire Council.
• #028: San Francisco Bay Area Council - merged in 2020 to create Golden Gate Area Council.
• San Gabriel Valley Council - merged in 2015 to create Greater Los Angeles Area Council.
• Santa Clara County Council - merged in 2012 to created Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council

BSA Scout Camps

See Main Article :

• Scout Camps in California - Summer Camps, Aquatic Bases, Hi-Adventure Treks and Wilderness Areas.

Girl Scouting in California

GSUSA Scout Councils

• A Council in the greater Los Angeles area: A new council, name to be decided, will be in the greater Los Angeles area and will be a merger of Angeles Girl Scout Council, Girl Scout Council of Greater Long Beach, Joshua Tree Council, Mt. Wilson Vista Council, Spanish Trails Council, and the San Fernando Valley Girl Scout Council.
• Angeles Girl Scout Council Santa Monica, CA, http://www.angeles.org
• Girl Scout Council of Greater Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, http://www.gscglb.org
• Girl Scouts - Joshua Tree Council, Bakersfield, CA, http://www.girlsfirst.org
• Girl Scouts - Mount Wilson Vista Council Arcadia, CA, http://www.gsmwvc.org
• San Fernando Valley Girl Scout Council, Chatsworth, CA, http://www.sfvgsc.org
• Girl Scouts - Spanish Trails Council, Montclair, CA, http://www.gsspanishtrails.org
• Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast
• Girl Scouts of Monterey Bay, Castroville, CA, http://gsmontereybay.org
• Tres Condados Girl Scout Council, Santa Barbara, CA, http://www.gstc.org
• Girl Scouts Golden Valley Council, Fresno, CA, http://www.girlscoutsgvc.org
• Girl Scouts of Northern California, http://girlscoutsnorcal.org/
• Girl Scouts of Konocti Council, Santa Rosa, CA, http://www.konoctigirlscouts.org
• Girl Scouts of San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland, CA, http://www.girlscoutsbayarea.org
• Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County, San Jose, CA, http://www.girlscoutsofscc.org
• Girl Scouts of Sierra Cascade, Chico, CA, http://www.girlscoutssc.org
• Girl Scout Council of Napa-Solano, Fairfield, CA, http://www.gscns.org
• Girl Scouts Heart of Central California
• Girl Scouts Muir Trail Council, Modesto, CA, http://www.girlscoutsmtc.org
• Girl Scouts of Tierra Del Oro, Rancho Cordova, CA http://www.tdogs.org
• Girl Scout Council of Orange County, Costa Mesa, CA http://www.gscoc.org
• Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council, San Diego, CA http://www.girlscoutssdi.org
• Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council, Redlands, CA http://www.gssgc.org

GSUSA Scout Camps

See Main Article :

• Scout Camps in California - Summer Camps, Aquatic Bases, Hi-Adventure Treks and Wilderness Areas.

International Scouting in California

• Mataguay International Camporee (annual event at Mataguay Scout Camp) held in May each year, is attended by hundreds of International Scouting units from around the world, including many from Mexico, Central and South America.
• Cambodian Scouting in exile existed at least into the early 1990s in Los Angeles, alongside fellow Vietnamese Scouting in exile and Laotian Scouting in exile groups.
• Colonel Oleg Pantyukhov, Chief Scout of Russia, moved to the United States, where large troops of Russian Scouts were established in cities such as San Francisco, Burlingame, Los Angeles, etc.
• Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség Hungarian Scouting maintains four troops in Los Angeles and two in San Francisco.

Hi-Adventure Treks

See Main Article :

• Scout Camps in California - Summer Camps, Aquatic Bases, Hi-Adventure Treks and Wilderness Areas.
• California State Parks - California state-operated Parks, Beaches, Historic Sites and more.

Scouting by County

Alameda / Alpine / Amador / Butte / Calaveras / Colusa / Contra Costa / Del Norte / El Dorado / Fresno / Glenn / Humboldt / Imperial / Inyo / Kern / Kings / Lake / Lassen / Los Angeles / Madera / Marin / Mariposa / Mendocino / Merced / Modoc / Mono / Monterey / Napa / Nevada / Orange / Placer / Plumas / Riverside / Sacramento / San Benito / San Bernardino / San Diego / San Francisco / San Joaquin / San Luis Obispo / San Mateo / Santa Barbara / Santa Clara / Santa Cruz / Shasta / Sierra / Siskiyou / Solano / Sonoma / Stanislaus / Sutter / Tehema / Trinity / Tulare / Tuolumne / Ventura / Yolo / Ventura

See also

• Mount Baden-Powell, California
• Silver Moccasin Trail
• Asociación de Scouts de México, A.C.

External links and references

• Randall, Laura. "Topanga, down to earth and yet worlds away." The Los Angeles Times October 13, 2002