Summit Bechtel Reserve

On November 18, 2009, the BSA announced the acquisition of the property comprising the main 10,600-acre site of what is now the Summit Bechtel Reserve. Its acquisition was made possible through a donation from the Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. The $50 million donation is the largest in the history of the BSA. On October 22, 2010, the BSA announced that total donations had reached $100 million, including a $25 million donation from the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation. Both Stephen Bechtel and Walter Scott, Jr. are recipients of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. October 22 is also the day the BSA announced the dates of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree and the day ground was broken at SBR with 22 golden shovels. The Scott funds funded the building of the Scott Scouting Valley and the Scott Visitor Center. Another gift from T. Michael and Gillian Goodrich led to the creation of centerpiece lake on the main site property now known as Goodrich Lake. Mike Goodrich is also a Distinguished Eagle Scout Award recipient. The Summit Bechtel Reserve is located adjacent to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Managed by the National Park Service, the National River comprises approximately that exemplifies the typically rugged Appalachian Mountains, and is a popular whitewater rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing, and tourism destination. It is also the home of the New River Gorge Bridge, which hosts an annual base jumping event each October. The current goals of construction at the site are developing infrastructure and providing access to the area's resources for outdoor activities. The Summit is expected to inject $25.3 million into the local economy annually. ==Inception==

Plans for The Summit began in 2007 when BSA leadership began looking for a permanent location for the National Scout Jamboree, which had been held at Fort Walker (at the time Fort A.P. Hill), Virginia since 1981 as well as seeking another high adventure base for the large number of Scouts who are wait-listed at the other three high adventure camps every year. A committee in charge of site selection and project planning was created. The committee named the new venture Project Arrow, chaired by Jack D. Furst. Plans for Project Arrow grew to include not only a venue for the Jamboree, but also for a Scout camp, a high adventure base, and a training and leadership center, all housed on the same contiguous property. More than 80 sites in 28 states were visited over an 18-month span and inspected as possible locations for the new venue. The top fifteen sites were visited in October 2008 and the list was cut to three final sites: Saline County, Arkansas; Goshen, Rockbridge County, Virginia; and the New River region of West Virginia. In February 2009 Arkansas was cut from the list, leaving Virginia and West Virginia. On August 4, 2009, the BSA announced it was no longer considering the Virginia site and was looking into the feasibility of the West Virginia site becoming the sole site for all purposes. On November 18, 2009, the BSA announced that it had chosen the West Virginia site, known locally as the Garden Ground Mountain property, as the future home of the Summit Bechtel Reserve. One of the deciding factors for Project Arrow in choosing the West Virginia site was its adjacency to New River Gorge National River. More than 13 miles of the property borders the park, giving Scouts and Scouters access to the more than 70,000 acres of managed wilderness beyond the Reserve's property. On April 1, 2012, Justin D. (Dan) McCarthy was appointed Summit Group Director. He is responsible for all aspects of the operation of the Reserve. McCarthy is a retired Vice-Admiral of the U.S. Navy and served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics. A lifelong scouter, McCarthy received the Silver Buffalo Award, the BSA's highest volunteer recognition, in May 2012. ==Location==

The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve is in southern West Virginia bordering the New River Gorge National River. Approximately of the property are in Fayette County. The remaining roughly are in Raleigh County. The property borders the communities of Glen Jean, McCreery, Thurmond, and Mount Hope. To the south is the city of Beckley and to the north is the city of Oak Hill and the town of Fayetteville. To the northwest is Charleston, the state capital. ==Features==

The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve has three main components of activity: the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base, the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, and the John D. Tickle Training and Leadership Center, each of which has unique program opportunities. the SBR web map utilized for navigation during the 2013 National Jamboree, and a 'swipe map' comparing 2011 to 2013 development. The SBR property also contains the Thomas S. Monson Leadership Excellence Complex, which house several training and leadership components on the main site as construction progresses. ==Bechtel family==

Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. is the grandson of Warren A. Bechtel, founder of the Bechtel Corporation, the largest civil engineering company in the United States. He took over as manager of the company in 1960 at the age of 35 and retired in June 1990. He is an Eagle Scout. The S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Stephen Bechtel Fund, both family foundations, provide support to certain non-profit organizations that address challenges to the economic welfare of the United States. Program areas supported by the foundations include science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Education, environment, character and citizenship development, and preventive healthcare and selected research. The Bechtel Foundation donated $50 million to the BSA to help the Arrow Project purchase and develop the land that is now The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. ==Jamborees==

Since its inception, the largest construction focus of the Arrow Project was preparing The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve property for the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, which was held July 15–24, 2013. List of Jamborees at the Bechtel Summit ==BSA National high adventure bases==

The Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base at The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, established in 2014, is the BSA's seventh consecutive and fourth operating national high adventure base program. ==Other uses==

West Virginia University Institute of Technology, located in Beckley, uses the Summit Bechtel Reserve as the home facility for their men's and women's cross country team. As well, Summit allows outside organizations to host retreats at the hotel and hall located on the premise. ==References==