Editing Scouting in Alaska

{{short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Infobox WorldScouting
|name=Scouting in Alaska
|image=Mount McKinley Explorer Trek.png
|caption= Alaska Council's Mount McKinley Explorer Trek
}}
'''Scouting in Alaska''' has a long history, from the 1920s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. Alaska shares a communal Scout history, only being broken into smaller councils in the 1960s.

==Early history (1920s-1950)==
Scouting came to Alaska in the 1920s, and the ''Alaska Territorial Council'' was created in the 1930s.

==Recent history (1950–1990)==
{{Empty section|date=May 2010}}

== Boy Scouting in Alaska today==
There are two [[Boy Scouts of America]] local councils in [[Alaska]].

===Great Alaska Council===
{{Infobox WorldScouting
|name=Great Alaska Council (#610)
|image=Great Alaska Council CSP.png
|image_size  = 250px
|type=council
|owner=[[Scouting America]]
|headquarters=[[Anchorage, Alaska]]
|location=
|country=United States
|coords=
|f-date=1934
|defunct=
|founders=
|founder=
|members=
|chiefscouttitle=President
|chiefscout=Gregory Hobbs
|chiefscouttitle2=Commissioner
|chiefscout2=Curtiss Clifton
|chiefscouttitle3=Scout Executive/CEO
|chiefscout3=Samuel Giacalone
|website= [http://www.scoutingalaska.org scoutingalaska.org]
}}

The ''Western Alaska Council'' and ''Southeast Alaska Council'' merged to form the '''Great Alaska Council''' in January, 2006.  The combined ''Supercouncil'' has 3,000 volunteers serving 16,000 youth.<ref name="CSP Book">{{cite book |last1=Hook|first1=James |last2=Franck |first2=Dave|last3=Austin|first3=Steve |year=1982 |title=An Aid to Collecting Selected Council Shoulder Patches with Valuation |url=https://www.angelfire.com/tx6/patch/cspbook.html}}</ref> The Western Alaska Council was formed in 1954 from a part of the [[Seattle Council]], which had absorbed the  [[Alaska Council]] in 1954.

[[Russian Association of Scouts/Navigators|Scouts]] in the [[Russia]]n [[oblast]] of [[Magadan]] have a relationship with the Great Alaska Council.

====Organization====
*Bear Paw District (serves the [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough]] and [[Valdez, Alaska|Valdez]])
*Denali District (serves Southern [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] and [[Girdwood, Anchorage|Girdwood]])
*Eklutna District (serves Northern Anchorage, [[Chugiak, Anchorage|Chugiak]] and [[Eagle River, Alaska|Eagle River]])
*Maritime District (formerly of Southeast Alaska Council, serves [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]], [[Haines, Alaska|Haines]], [[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]] and [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]])
*Totem District (formerly of Southeast Alaska Council, serves [[Petersburg, Alaska|Petersburg]], [[Wrangell, Alaska|Wrangell]], [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]], [[Prince of Wales Island, Alaska|Prince of Wales Island]], and environs)
*Tustumena District (serves [[Kenai Peninsula]], [[Cordova, Alaska|Cordova]], [[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]], and Western Alaska)

====Order of the Arow====
Nanuk Lodge was created in 1947, and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022. Nanuk Lodge #355 was established July 1, 1947, with the inception of the Alaska Council of the Boy Scouts of America, based out of the State Capital of Juneau. Initially the Council was responsible for the entire State of Alaska. Nanuk Lodge #355 absorbed Kootz Lodge #523 when Western Alaska Council merged with Southeast Alaska Council.<ref>{{Cite web |title=快猫视频-re01.cc回家导航 |url=https://www.kmaa4.com/?agentId=6425070 |website=www.kmaa4.com}}</ref>

The Lodge Totem is the great Alaskan Polar Bear, which the Inuit people call “Nanook”, the lodge name is a variation of that name. By 1957, scouting was developed enough in the Anchorage area to support a new council. The Western Alaska Area Council was formed on July 1, 1955 and retained the original lodge name. Southeast Alaska formed a new lodge, named Kootz, which merged into Nanuk Lodge in 2006, thus becoming the lodge of the Great Alaska Council. Nanuk Lodge is responsible for OA programs across 297,833 square miles, covering the Aleutian Islands, Western Alaska Coast, South-Central Alaska, and the Pan-Handle to the South-East.

===Midnight Sun Council===
{{Infobox WorldScouting
|name=Midnight Sun Council (#696)
|image=Midnight Sun Council CSP.png
|image_size  = 250px
|type=council
|owner=[[Scouting America]]
|headquarters=[[Fairbanks, Alaska]]
|location=
|country=United States
|coords=
|f-date=
|defunct=
|founders=
|founder=
|members=
|chiefscouttitle=President
|chiefscout=
|chiefscouttitle2=Council Commissioner
|chiefscout2=
|chiefscouttitle3=Scout Executive/CEO
|chiefscout3=Stephen Smith
|website= {{url|http://www.midnightsunbsa.org}}
}}

The '''Midnight Sun Council''' serves interior and northern Alaska, and is headquartered in Fairbanks.

====Organization====
*Tanana Valley District
*Bush District<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.midnightsunbsa.org/tanana_valley_district.html  |title=Bush District}}</ref>

====Camps====
*Lost Lake Scout Camp<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.midnightsunbsa.org/lost-lake-scout-camp/lost-lake-scout-camp.html|title=Lost Lake Scout Camp - Alaska scouting - Midnight Sun Council BSA|website=www.midnightsunbsa.org|date=8 July 2016 }}</ref>
*Northern Lights High Adventure<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskahighadventure.org  |title=Northern Lights High Adventure}}</ref>

====Order of the Arrow====
Toontuk Lodge #549 was founded in 1961.  The lodge is named after the barren ground [[caribou]], which is known to the [[Yupik peoples|Yupik]] Eskimo people of Western Alaska as Toontuk.  Toontuk Lodge was recognized with the National Service Grant in 1997. The money was used to rehabilitate the waterfront at [[Lost Lake Scout Camp]]<ref name="midnightsunbsa.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.midnightsunbsa.org/lost_lake.html |title=Lost Lake Scout Camp |access-date=2013-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616112905/http://www.midnightsunbsa.org/lost_lake.html |archive-date=2013-06-16 }}</ref> with sand and a lifeguard tower.  In 2006, Toontuk Lodge celebrated its 45th anniversary. Among its projects that year, the Lodge gave the Council a large amphitheater sited on Lost Lake at Lost Lake Camp.
{{-}}

==Girl Scouting in Alaska {{anchor|Girl Scouts of Alaska}} ==<!--- When the alignment is complete, please change the section title and delete this line. This anchor is required for the redirect from [[Girl Scouts of Alaska]]. Redirects should also be implemented for each of the legacy council wikilinks. --->

As of October 2009 two [[Girl Scouts of the USA|Girl Scout]] councils exist in Alaska.

===Farthest North Girl Scout Council===
{{Infobox WorldScouting
|name=Farthest North Girl Scout Council
|image=Farthest North Girl Scout Council.png
|type=council
|owner=[[GSUSA]]
|headquarters=[[Fairbanks, Alaska]]
|location=
|country=United States
|coords=
|f-date=
|defunct=
|founders=
|founder=
|members=
|chiefscouttitle=President
|chiefscout=
|chiefscouttitle2=Council Commissioner
|chiefscout2=
|chiefscouttitle3=Scout Executive
|chiefscout3=
|website= [http://www.fairbanksgirlscouts.org fairbanksgirlscouts.org]
}}

The '''Farthest North Girl Scout Council''' serves the largest geographical area of any of the more than 100 Girl Scout Councils in the United States, serving everything from the [[63rd parallel north|63rd parallel]] north of the [[Alaska Range]], more than {{convert|350000|sqmi|km2}}.

This council was started in 1925 by a handful of girls in [[Fairbanks, Alaska]] headed by Jessie Bloom. Girl Scouting expanded to rural Alaska in 1945 with the establishment of the first troop in [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]].  Since English was not the predominantly spoken language, they learned the Girl Scout Promise in [[Yup'ik language|Yup'ik]] and English.{{Dubious|date=January 2012|reason=The Natives in Nome are predominately Iñupiaq speakers rather than Yupik speakers.}}
{{-}}

===Girl Scouts of Alaska===
{{Infobox WorldScouting
|name=Girl Scouts of Alaska
|image=
|type=council
|owner=[[GSUSA]]
|headquarters=[[Anchorage, Alaska]]
|location=
|country=United States
|coords=
|f-date=
|defunct=
|founders=
|founder=
|members=
|chiefscouttitle=President
|chiefscout=
|chiefscouttitle2=Council Commissioner
|chiefscout2=
|chiefscouttitle3=Scout Executive
|chiefscout3=
|website= [http://www.girlscoutsalaska.org girlscoutsalaska.org]
}}
Girl Scouts of Alaska was formed on October 1, 2009 by the merger of Girl Scouts Susitna Council and Tongass Alaska Girl Scout Council and serves all of Alaska, south of the 63 parallel. Girl Scouts of Alaska is the proven leadership development program for girls in grades K-12. Girl Scouts provides a safe, inclusive environment for Alaska’s diverse population of girls, regardless of income or socioeconomic background. With the help of adult volunteers, Girl Scouts of Alaska (GSAK) serves girls from Bethel to Ketchikan. GSAK is headquartered in Anchorage, with a field office in Juneau.

====Camps====
Camp Togowoods in [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]] and Camp Singing Hills in [[Chugiak, Anchorage|Peters Creek]].

==See also==
*[[Scouting in British Columbia]]
*[[Scouting in Yukon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.sectionw1n.org/ Section W-1N], [[Order of the Arrow]]

{{Scouting in the United States}}

[[Category:Youth organizations based in Alaska]]
[[Category:Scouting in the United States|Alaska]]
[[Category:Western Region (Boy Scouts of America)]]