Scouts from troops across the region race down ziplines during the Buckskin Council’s Spring Camporee Saturday morning at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.
BECKLEY, W.Va. — When the Summit Bechtel Reserve was being built, people said it would mean big things for the area.
The Reserve has done big things for local Scouts too, local Scout Leaders said.
“In 2010, we had a camporee in Charleston,” Buckskin Council Scouting Executive Jeffrey Purdy said. “We had about 750 participants. This year, we have 1,850 participants and we’re drawing in people from outside of the Buckskin Council. We’ve got Scouts from Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and more.”
The Buckskin Council was formed in 1919 to serve Scouts from 22 counties in West Virginia, four counties in Kentucky, three in Ohio and three in Virginia. The Buckskin Council is Southern West Virginia’s main chapter for Scouts, Purdy said.
“Local Scouts have really been wanting to get on the Reserve for awhile now and it’s been great,” he said. “Our attendance alone is indicative of how much Scouts want to see what is offered here…
