| Northeast Georgia Council | |
| Type: | council |
| Owner: | Boy Scouts of America |
| Headquarters: | Pendergrass, Georgia |
| Location: | 148 Boy Scout Trail, Pendergrass, GA 30567 |
| Country: | United States |
| Chiefscouttitle: | Council President |
| Chiefscouttitle2: | Council Commissioner |
| Chiefscouttitle3: | Scout Executive |
| Website: | http://nega-bsa.org/ |
The Northeast Georgia Council, a local council of the Boy Scouts of America, provides scouting programs for 26 counties in northeastern Georgia, and serves more than 25,000 youth in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, Venturing, Exploring, and in-school Learning for Life.
The council has service centers is in Pendergrass and Lawrenceville, Georgia. The council is administratively divided into seven districts (not including the E-V district):
Founded in 1954, Camp Rainey Mountain is located near Clayton, Georgia.[8] Centered around Lake Toccoa, the camp contains 25 campsites with tents and/or Adirondacks. Just off of the Parade Field is the H. Randolph Holder Dining Hall, where scouts, scouters, and staff eat most of their meals during Summer Camp and at other major events throughout the year.[9] During Summer Camp, the Trading Post is open. Here, T-shirts, pocket knives, and other camp goods and merchandise are sold. Attached to the trading post is the snack shack, where campers and staff can pick up candies, sodas, ice cream, and other snacks. Off the shores of Lake Toccoa is the Stewart Amphitheater, which is made entirely of granite from Elberton, GA. On the North end of camp, the Big Rock trail guides hikers to a granite outcrop on the side of Rainey Mountain itself, providing a scenic view of the camp and the Blue Ridge Mountains around. The current ranger is Alex Foster.[10]
Each summer, Camp Rainey Mountain hosts Northeast Georgia Council's only Summer Camp for ScoutsBSA. Throughout the Summer, troops from throughout the Southeast attend the camp to earn merit badges, participate in other programs, and have fun. Camp Rainey Mountain's Summer Camp typically holds seven separate sessions, each lasting one week, from Sunday to Saturday.[11] Classes run Monday through Friday, but no classes are held on Thursday for Free-range Thursday. Instead, scouts are given the opportunity to participate in various activities around camp which they may not be able to otherwise. For the 2023 season, the camp offers 68 different merit badges, and several high adventure programs. Certifications are also available for both youth and adult attendees, including CPR/AED, Safety Afloat, and BSA Lifeguard certification.[12] In 2023, the cost was $365 for scouts who are registered in Northeast Georgia Council, and $395 for scouts who come from out of the council.[13]
For newer scouts, Camp Rainey Mountain offers a program called The New Trail (TNT). This program provides newer scouts with the opportunity to advance their rank in a structured, group setting.
For scouts aged 14 or older, several high adventure programs available at additional cost:
=The Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience, or C.O.P.E. aids scouts in developing teamwork, confidence, leadership, and initiative by putting scouts through a series of challenging obstacles. Working together, scouts must navigate them, often at height, in order to clear them. C.O.P.E. is held at Challenge Valley, just South of camp.
=Whitewater K.R. (Kayaking and Rafting) allows scouts to participate in whitewater activities offsite throughout the week. Led by well-trained instructors, scouts leave Camp Rainey Mountain each morning for the Chattooga River and return each evening.
=Climbing Adventure teaches scouts the basics of rock climbing. Scouts begin the week in Challenge Valley, where a climbing tower is located, before climbing at other locations around camp. Weather permitting, scouts then climb at Currahee on a natural face during Free-range Thursday.
=Bow Xtreme Skills is a program offered by Camp Rainey Mountain beginning in 2022. It teaches older scouts various survival skills, with a focus on improvised equipment. It is held at Pioneer Village South of the main camp.
Located on Lake Lanier, Scoutland provides year-round camping and aquatics activities. Scoutland is home to one of Northeast Georgia Council's two Summer camps and to Webelos Adventure Camp.[14] The current range is Jon Clark.
Located on Lake Hartwell, Camp Rotary provides year-round "primitive" camping. This 25-acre camp on the lake was built with funds raised by the Rotary Club of Hartwell, Georgia.[15] The current ranger is Jon Willette.
The Northeast Georgia Council is served by Mowogo Lodge of the Order of the Arrow. Each year, hundreds of hours of service are provided by members, called arrowmen, to the council's three camps. According to the records in the National Office, Mowogo Lodge was first chartered in 1943. The word Mowogo comes from the name of a good friend to the council's camping and scouting program, Moses W. Gordon.[16] The Lodge's totem is a black bear on all fours.[17]
Mowogo Lodge is divided into seven Chapters, each representing a different district:[18]
The current Lodge Chief is Joseph McGahee. Rusty Royston serves as the Lodge Adviser and Phil Nichols, Council Program Director, serves as the Lodge Staff Adviser.[19]
Camp Rainey Mountain hosted the Southern Region, Section 9 (stylized as SR-9) Conclave in April 2016.[20] In December 2021, Mowogo Lodge was moved from SR-9 into Eastern Region, Section 6 (stylized as Section E6), as part of the national restructuring the Order of the Arrow underwent through Project Magellan.[21] Camp Rainey Mountain is set to hold the Section E6 Indian Winter in January 2027 and Conclave in April 2028.[22]
Mowogo Lodge has maintained an active leadership presence in the Section since 2021. Jacob Ball and James Chalmers served as the 2021-2022 Section Secretary and 2021-2022 Section Vice Chief, respectively. James Chalmers continued his leadership by serving as the 2022-2023 Section Chief and Jacob Ball ran unopposed for the position of the 2023-2024 Section Chief.[23]
Jason Stribling, a member of Mowogo Lodge, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award at NOAC 2022.[24] [25]