Roy More of TSPA was in the middle of last year's ground shaking merger in Michigan that wiped out councils and may change the BSA playbook forever. As Roy says in tonights show, some of this "scares the hell out of national (BSA)". Listen in for a great show that should appeal to all Scouters.

An email I got from a Scouting friend named Bruce McCrea explained some of this prior to the last NOAC which ironically was being held in Michigan.

You might be interested to know that, as a result of the Area Project merger, the 2012 NOAC will be the last NOAC for the host lodge and 7 neighboring lodges. By the next NOAC, those 8 lodges will be merged into 3 lodges.
As you know, each BSA council is a legal entity while BSA Areas are simply subdivisions of regions and have no legal standing. The idea of the Area Project was to make the entire Central Region Area 2 the legal entity, moving reponsibilities like fund raising and camp operation and management to the area level. The eleven Area 2 councils voted on the final proposal. Erie Shores Council (Toledo) opted out and joined Area 5 and Hiawathaland Council (upper peninsula) voted to merge with a Wisconsin council. This left the nine lower peninsula councils as part of the newly named Greater Michigan Council. It will be subdivided into four "Field Service Councils:"

Great Lakes Council = Great Lakes Field Service Council (no name change)

Gerald R. Ford Council + Scenic Trails Council = President Gerald R. Ford Field Service Council
G
reat Sauk Trail Council + Southwest Michigan Council = unnamed Field Service Council

Blue Water Council + Chief Okemos Council + Lake Huron Area Council + Tall Pine Council = unnamed Field Service Council

Each Field Service Council will have an OA lodge, so 8 lodges will be merged into 3.

SHF Radio: The Future of the BSA? Michigan Mega Merger

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