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spring of 2009, and the camp is currently (2010) served by a part-time, volunteer, interim Camp Ranger. The second
District Executive resigned in the early fall of 2009, and the council Executive Board did not hire anyone fill that position. The Scout Executive announced in November, 2009 that he was resigning, and as of April, 2010, the Scout Executive position is still vacant. The BSA Regional Director is acting as the official Scout Executive for the council until one is hired. The Regional Director is in another state, and is not present to oversee day-to-day operations of the council. The council is being operated by a small corps of volunteers, and the 2010 FOS campaigns are being run by volunteers with no professional guidance or assistance.
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713:, the white egret. The totem is usually shown in profile, facing the viewer's left, and headed upward in flight. There are numerous variations of this design, with the totem image varying slightly with each new patch issue. The lodge issues a new lodge flap every two or three years, and sometimes issues specific patches for OA events, such as
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When fully staffed with professionals, the
Pushmataha Area Council has a Scout Executive, two District Executives, and a full-time Camp Ranger. One District Executive resigned in 2007, and the Executive Board of the council did not hire a replacement for the position. The Camp Ranger resigned in the
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were in the
Columbus District. Later the council evolved into having three districts, the Running Bear District, the Talking Warrior District, and the Tombigbee District. In 1990s, these three districts were reorganized to create two new districts, the Choctaw District and the Chickasaw District.
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The climate at Camp
Seminole is considered temperate. Winter temperatures rarely drop below freezing, and summer temperatures reach their peak in July and August, when it can reach 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit (35-38 degrees Celsius). The rainy season is early December through late March. Rainfall
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Compared to many OA lodges, Watonala Lodge has always been comparatively small in membership numbers. This is due largely to being in a rural council having only ten counties. Because of smaller membership, the quantity of
Watonala memorabilia available is usually smaller than most OA lodges.
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Chief
Pushmataha once told a group of chiefs that he was not born, but instead stepped, full grown and dressed for battle, from the split in a tree that had been struck by lightning. This story has been incorporated into the Pushmataha Area Council Shoulder Patch shown above. The patch shows a
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in the middle of downtown
Columbus, Mississippi, as part of a national effort in the Boy Scouts to erect 200 of these statues. Fewer than 100 of these statues still exist, and even fewer exist intact. The Pushmataha Area Council statue is one of the few intact ones that exist today.
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Camp
Seminole was built on 285 acres (1.15 km) of land purchased by the Pushmataha Area Council in 1982. The need for building the camp came about when the lease on the previous council camp (Camp Palila) expired, and the Mississippi legislature did not renew the lease.
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groups contribute to the council, and most United way funding has remained strong. United way of
Oktibbeha County is an exception, as they have cut their funding to the council by over half in recent years. The Pushmataha Area Council is a 501(c) non-profit organization.
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648:, and learned about the purpose and mission of the Order. Upon returning to the Pushmataha Area Council, an application for a charter was submitted to the National Order of the Arrow office. The initial charter was issued in the latter part of September, 1939.
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A Brownsea-22 training course was held on the grounds of the new camp in 1982, before any structures or other improvements had been made. Several council camporees were conducted on the grounds before Camp
Seminole was fully operational.
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The Pushmataha Area Council (#691) was established by the Boy Scouts of America in June, 1925. The council was originally named the East Mississippi Council (#691), but this name was changed in 1929 to honor Chief
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When the initial charter was issued, it was issued in the name of the local council, as Pushmataha Lodge. In January, 1942, Pushmataha Lodge chose its Native American name, Watonala Lodge. In the
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The Pushmataha Area Council is one of the smallest Boy Scout councils in America. It is not unusual for other councils to have districts larger than the entire Pushmataha Area Council.
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full-grown Pushmataha emerging from a tree struck by lightning. Camp Seminole has a sign on its grounds noting the tree from which Pushmataha supposedly appeared.
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events. Camp Seminole was named for Seminole Manufacturing of Columbus, Mississippi, which donated significant financial support toward the camp's construction.
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The original council camp was Camp Pine Springs, in Monroe County, located along the Buttahatchie River north of Columbus, Mississippi. Camp Palila, located in
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The Council President, George Purnell, has been in office for six years. All previous council presidents (1925–2004) served a maximum of three years.
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is represented by the Watonala Lodge. It supports the Scouting programs of the council through leadership, camping, and service.
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The Pushmataha Area Council is funded by donations made by civic organizations, businesses, and individuals. Several different
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Camp Seminole has a dining hall that seats 200 people, a 12-acre (49,000 m) lake, nine camp sites, a
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The current council camp for the Pushmataha Area Council is Camp Seminole, about five miles north of
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The Chickasaw District also covers five counties: Monroe, Winston, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Calhoun.
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Watonala Lodge devotes much of its service time to development and maintenance of their home camp,
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When the council began, each town with a Scout troop was its own District. For example, troops in
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ranks were earned in the Pushmataha Area Council, and 20 Scouts earned the God and Country Award.
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In June 1986, Camp Seminole was declared officially "open" when the Pushmataha Area Council
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The Choctaw District covers five counties: Clay, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Webster, and Noxubee.
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programs, the Pushmataha Area Council serves youth ages 6 through 21. The council offers
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The founding of Watonala Lodge in 1939 is well documented, although there is an
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The Pushmataha Area Council hosts numerous events each year. These include:
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The grounds of Camp Seminole average 230 feet (70 m) above sea level.
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camp, and is used for camporees, summer camps, Scout leader training,
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An Aid to Collecting Selected Council Shoulder Patches with Valuation
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The dominant theme of most Watonala patches and memorabilia is its
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that places the origin of the lodge ten years earlier, in 1929.
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Nature Trail, a trading post, and the Nita Chito Scout Museum.
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Roads on the camp are mainly of red clay gravel construction.
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units, for Mississippi Hunter Safety Education Training, for
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The first lodge event was held in the spring of 1940 at the
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Training sessions, and other community and civic events.
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Lodge, an activity field, a shooting sports arena, an
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leaders from the Pushmataha Area Council attended an
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814:Local councils of the Boy Scouts of America
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780:Watonala's Where To Go Camping Guide
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278:MSU Scout Baseball Day (spring)
242:Council Pinewood Derby (spring)
284:Family Weekend (semi-annually)
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735:Scouting in Mississippi
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699:Starkville, Mississippi
590:Associate Lodge Adviser
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403:Starkville, Mississippi
396:Louisville, Mississippi
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662:Game Preserve, near
617:http://Watonala.org/
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54:Headquarters
705:Memorabilia
574:Lodge Chief
439:summer camp
148:Eagle Scout
137:Mississippi
808:Categories
746:References
593:Tom Holder
566:Membership
510:Topography
468:Activities
459:Chakchiuma
445:Facilities
415:Wood Badge
298:United Way
270:Wood Badge
169:Pushmataha
638:Boy Scout
504:First Aid
497:Red Cross
478:Cub Scout
474:Boy Scout
411:Cub Scout
319:Venturing
282:Cub Scout
264:Boy Scout
258:Cub Scout
212:Districts
141:Venturing
729:See also
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672:camporee
668:Arrowmen
493:R.O.T.C.
451:C.O.P.E.
350:Location
689:Service
632:History
613:Website
558:Founded
518:Climate
425:History
383:Website
360:Founded
305:Service
292:Funding
252:Webelos
175:tribe.
173:Choctaw
171:of the
154:History
103:Website
72:Founded
64:Country
317:, and
231:Events
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711:totem
44:Owner
719:NOAC
624:The
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363:1982
127:The
75:1925
500:CPR
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20:)
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