Blue Ridge Mountains Council
The Blue Ridge Mountains Council is a Boy Scouts of America council located in Roanoke, Virginia, that serves Scouts in southwest and south central Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains Council owns and operates the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation in Pulaski County, Virginia, the largest Council-owned Scout reservation in the United States.[1] The council's Tutelo Lodge is part of the Order of the Arrow.[2]
The council was formed in 1972, following the merger of the former Piedmont and Blue Ridge councils into one consolidated council serving 21 counties.[3] The Piedmont Council's headquarters had been in Lynchburg, Virginia, and after the merger the Blue Ridge Council's headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia, became the merged council's headquarters for its 13,562 members. The Associated Press reported that a key factor for the merger was the availability of the large Blue Ridge Scout Reservation and the Piedmont Council's sale of its old Camp Monocan for $190,000.[3]
The Council developed the "Appomattox Court House Historic Trail" in 1972 at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, led by longtime volunteer Scouter, Dr. Charles Hansrote Jr., then-chairman of the Chemistry Department at Lynchburg College.[4] A memorable highlight was the council's participation in the United States Bicentennial celebrations of 1976. In a Council-wide event, Scouts gathered to re-enact Gen. Nathanael Greene's retreat across the Dan River during the Revolutionary War. The Danville Register & Bee said the 3-day re-enactment was performed "with surprising detail" in depicting the Continental Army's successful crossing of the river in February, 1781, "to escape the Redcoats of Lord Charles Cornwallis".[5]
In 2015, the council was required by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to rebuild a dam and spillway on a lake at its Camp Powhatan.[6] Working with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Pulaski County, Appalachian Power, and the Friends of Claytor Lake, the council had approximately 400 tons (400,000 kg) of concrete debris removed to nearby Claytor Lake for improved fish habitat at the 4,472-acre (1,810 ha) reservoir.[6] Saying that Scouting is interested in sustainability, the Council Executive said that the expected increase in the lake's fish population of perch and bass will benefit fishermen, many of whom are former Scouts themselves. "Every Boy Scout and every Cub Scout learns how to fish", he said.[6]
The council is part of Area 7 of the Southern Region of the BSA. The council has over 470 units sponsored by over 300 community organizations.[citation needed] BRMC is divided into six districts:
The Blue Ridge Council's original Camp Powhatan was located between Lexington, Virginia, and Roanoke near Natural Bridge and the Jefferson National Forest.[7] In the 1920s–1930s, the council made the property available to Washington and Lee University for an unusual freshman orientation program. Held on a September weekend following the end of Scout summer camp, the popular 3-day camping program for incoming freshmen included sports such as baseball and swimming, along with university-led discussions about campus life and course selection, as a prelude to the regular on-campus student orientation.[8]
