Editing Scouting in Arkansas (section)

====Quapaw Area Council====
{{main article|Quapaw Area Council}}
{{Infobox WorldScouting 
 | name             = Quapaw Area Council (#018)
 | image            = Quapaw Area Council.png 
 | alt              = Quapaw Area Council  
 | caption          = {{nowrap begin}}{{Legend inline | #E96C2D | Cherokee}}&nbsp;&nbsp;{{Legend inline | #FFCD00 | Delta}}<br />{{Legend inline | #4B088A | Diamond Lake}}&nbsp;&nbsp;{{Legend inline | #00FFFF | Foothills}}<br />{{Legend inline | #DC652A | Mohawk}}&nbsp;&nbsp;{{Legend inline | #FFFF80 | Saracen}}<br />{{Legend inline | #8A084B | Nischa Sipo}}&nbsp;&nbsp;{{Legend inline | #00FF00 | Three Rivers}}<br />{{Legend inline | #FF80C0 | Thunderbird}}&nbsp;&nbsp;{{Legend inline | #FFAEFF | White River}}{{nowrap end}}
 | type             = council 
 | owner            = [[Boy Scouts of America]] 
 | headquarters     = [[Little Rock, Arkansas]] 
 | location         =
 | country          = United States 
 | coords           = 
 | f-date           = 
 | defunct          = 
 | founders         = 
 | founder          = 
 | members          = 
 | chiefscouttitle  = President 
 | chiefscout       = 
 | chiefscouttitle2 = Council Commissioner 
 | chiefscout2      = 
 | chiefscouttitle3 = Scout Executive 
 | chiefscout3      = 
 | prev             = Pulaski County Council
 | website          = [http://www.quapawbsa.org quapawbsa.org]}}

The Quapaw Area Council is the largest in Arkansas in both area and members, and is headquartered in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]].<ref name=EofA>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Quapaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=3754|encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture|publisher=The Central Arkansas Library System|access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref> In 1927, the Pulaski County Council was renamed the Quapaw Area Council and covered several counties. In 1934, the Kanawha Area Council of Jefferson County was split between the Quapaw Area Council and the De Soto Area Council, which had a council office in El Dorado (Union County).<ref name="CSP Book"/>

In 2002 and 2012 respectively, the Eastern Arkansas Area Council and Ouachita Area Council merged with the Quapaw Area Council.  These mergers enlarged the Quapaw Area Council from seventeen counties to thirty-nine.

On October 26, 2023, the Quapaw Area Council Executive Board and voting membership held a special meeting  and voted in favor of merging with the Westark Area Council to create the "Natural State Council". Westark Area Council's Executive Board and Membership held a similar meeting and vote on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, and also voted in favor of the resolution. The Natural State Council will be officially formed on December 1, 2023. https://www.quapawbsa.org/merger

The council serves over 18,000 youth and 3,600 adults in thirty-nine counties divided into nine districts, and approximately 100 boys become Eagle Scouts each year.<ref>{{cite web | title=Quapaw Area Council - About the Council | url=http://www.quapawbsa.org/about/ | publisher=Quapaw Area Council | access-date=12 March 2013 | year=2000 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021222655/http://quapawbsa.org/about/ | archive-date=October 21, 2013 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Council members who have received national honors include [[List of recipients of the Silver Buffalo Award#2002|Dr. Raymond V. Biondo]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Raymond V. Biondo - Obituary|url=http://www.ruebelfuneralhome.com/obituaryindividual.php?id=556|publisher=Ruebel Funeral Home|access-date=12 March 2013|year=2008}}</ref>  and [[List of recipients of the Silver Buffalo Award#2005|Dr. David Briscoe]], both of whom received the Silver Buffalo Award.<ref>{{cite web|title=Silver Buffalo Award Winners 2008-2000|url=http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Awards/SilverBuffalo/Previouswinners/2008-2000.aspx|publisher=Boy Scouts of America.|access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref>

=====Order of the Arrow=====

The Order of the Arrow Quapaw Lodge 160 was formed with fifteen members in June 1939 and inducted sixty-two members during the summer of 1939. Today, the lodge has about 500 members.<ref name=EofA/>

=====Camps=====

Currently the Quapaw Area Council owns and operates the Gus Blass Scout Reservation,<ref>[http://www.camprockefeller.org/ Gus Blass Scout Reservation]</ref> west of [[Damascus, Arkansas|Damascus]].<ref>{{coord|35.373777|-92.450513|display=inline|name=Gus Blass Scout Reservation}} -  Gus Blass Scout Reservation</ref>

The first permanent camping facility for the Quapaw council was Camp Quapaw, opened in 1925.  It was located on the Saline River west of Benton in Saline County.  This early facility was limited, so between 1930 and 1931, fifty-five additional acres were purchased, and a mess hall was constructed.  The numbers of scouts attending camp increased, which led to overuse of the facilities. Additionally, the Army Corps of Engineers was considering a dam on the Saline River.  This would have flooded a section of the camp.<ref name=EofA/>

In 1975, the council acquired Camp Kiwanis in order to accommodate more Scouts and camping activities. This was an unimproved site which included over 2,900 acres west of Damascus. It was renamed the Cove Creek Scout Reservation and opened in 1976. Camp Quapaw was then closed and later sold.<ref name=EofA/>

In 1981, the portion of Cove Creek that was used as a permanent summer camp was named Camp Montgomery, after Nile Montgomery, a previous scout executive. The lake was named Lake Butler, for Richard C. Butler Sr., a supporter of the local scouting program.<ref name=EofA/>

In 2001, the Cove Creek Scout Reservation and Camp Nile Montgomery were renamed the Gus Blass Scout Reservation and Camp Rockefeller in honor of Gus Blass II and Lieutenant Governor Winthrop P. Rockefeller, both of whom were supporters of the Boy Scout program for many years.<ref name=EofA/>

The Gus Blass Scout Reservation also includes the Donald W. Reynolds Scout Training Center. This facility includes a 320-seat dining hall with commercial kitchen, 88 person/28 room sleeping wing including two ADA compliant rooms, three large classrooms, an area with a large fireplace, two large terraced areas and additional camping on the adjacent property.<ref>{{cite web|title=Donald W. Reynolds Training Center|url=http://www.quapawbsa.org/facilities/blass/reynolds/|publisher=Quapaw Area Council|access-date=12 March 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918171721/http://www.quapawbsa.org/facilities/blass/reynolds/|archive-date=September 18, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>