By Kyle Brendel
The historic trails committee of Nentego Lodge had been dormant since the United States of America's bicentennial in the 1970s. Liam O'Connor of Nentego first heard about the vacant committee chairman position when the lodge vice chief of programs made an announcement at a LEC meeting. He signed up for the chairman position in the spring of 2012 with the hope of reviving the long quiet group. O'Connor quickly realized that there were very few resources to work from, and creativity needed to be pursued. After hard all year, fifteen Arrowmen were recruited to join the committee.
Now that O'Connor had a team to work with, he looked into which historic trails needed servicing in his local area. The committee decided that they would focus on revamping the Caesar Rodney Historic Trail in Dover, Delaware; after all, it was at a central location for the lodge and council.
A team was in place, and a project was selected: now, O'Connor further researched the trail and established the project's timetable. The goals he set out for this project were to establish a new route for the trail, add several historic locations to the trail brochure, and raise awareness about the OA to the local community. In order to incentivize participation, anyone who attended the project could earn the BSA Historic Trails Award, the Caesar Rodney Historic Trail medal, and a special one-time only lodge flap.
In all, 21 Arrowmen attended and had an incredible time of service. Due to the success of the project, the committee decided to have a follow-up project during the lodge's next induction weekend. There, ten Arrowmen went on an inaugural hike of the new trail route and took pictures of historic locations for a brochure that was set to be made. To ensure the future of the trail, the historic trails committee has started a "trail crew" program locally. Any Arrowman that performs service to the Caesar Rodney Historic Trail can purchase a special Nentego Lodge flap. The committee under O'Connor's leadership is now focused on two more trails for 2014. When asked if he was pleased with the results of the project, he remarked, "We were able to preserve a historic trail, learn about Delaware's history, and raise awareness about the Order of the Arrow in the public eye – I couldn't be happier."
Is there a project or committee that needs attention in your lodge? You can make the difference if you are determined to do so. If your lodge is doing something similar, let the OA communications team know by sending an email to content@oa-bsa.org!