Dear Scouting Family:

​​Starting tomorrow, March 18th, the Bay-Lakes Council Center for Scouting in Appleton will be closed until further notice to help mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus. Our staff team members will continue to be available via e-mail and phone for questions and to provide service to you.

Bay-Lakes Council continues to monitor the rapidly evolving situation regarding the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The State of Wisconsin has recently issued an emergency order stating that all public and private schools will be closed for the duration of the current public health emergency and banning gatherings of ten or more people. On March 10, Michigan’s Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency and has encouraged residents to follow the recommendations from MDHHS and the CDC to protect themselves and slow the spread of COVID-19.

With these things in mind, listed below are updates to our earlier communications:

Camps Closed
Bay-Lakes Council camps will be closed for the duration of the current public health emergency. Our camps will reopen after the emergency is over. We will communicate further once more information is available. At this time, we do plan to hold our summer camp programs.

Council & District Activities
All Council and District activities will be conducted virtually, canceled or postponed until school resumes. Click here for the latest information on Council and District Activities.

Scout Shop Closing
Effective 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, the Bay-Lakes Scout Shop will be closed until further notice. Please consider shopping online at scoutstuff.org while our local Scout Shop is closed.

Unit Meetings
Scout units should not hold in person meetings, activities or outings during the public health emergency. We encourage unit leaders to consider ways to continue your Scouting programs via virtual meetings including conference calls and video conferencing. There are also many Scouting activities that can happen at home.

Bay-Lakes Council Scouting @ Home

The Bay-Lakes Council, in an effort to give our members tools to stay engaged in Scouting during increased time spent at home during the current COVID-19 situation is launching a new page to our website called Bay-Lakes Council Scouting @ Home. It’s just getting started — but with your help it will continue to get better. Please check it out at: https://baylakesbsa.org/scouting-at-home/

Since a Scout is Helpful, one unique feature of our Scouting @ Home Page is that we will be promoting its use by the general public.  Many parents that are not members may be happy to have the activities we make available for their children and their families at home. Stay tuned for how you can both benefit from and make this page better.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact Doug Ramsay at (920) 495-3646 or doug.ramsay@scouting.org.

We will continue to update you on new developments.  As always, the safety of our Scouts, volunteers and Council employees is our top priority.

​I continue to be deeply grateful for our Scouting community. Together, we will overcome any challenges that may face us in the future.  For now, Scout on safely and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.

​In Scouting,

William Braun
Bay-Lakes Council President​​​​​