Nassau and Suffolk Scouting America councils vote to merge

The two Scouting America councils serving Long Island, each founded more than a century ago, have voted to band together in a union their leaders said will benefit the more than 10,000 youth participant families and some 5,000 adult volunteers active in Scouting programs in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

The move to merge Scouting America's Theodore Roosevelt Council of Nassau County and Scouting America's Suffolk County Council was unanimously endorsed by the two councils' board of directors in September. The merger was officially approved by the Suffolk council's voting members Oct. 22, and by the Nassau council's members Wednesday night.

The two councils will form one organization that will oversee year-round outdoor programs and camping facilities.

The Theodore Roosevelt Council was founded in 1917; the Suffolk Council in 1919.

On Thursday, Chris Coscia, the CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Council, said discussions to merge the two councils had taken place two prior times in the past 50 years, both after the executive running one of the two councils retired. This time, he said, the discussion began after the retirement of the Suffolk director in 2024.

"This time as we were going through the process of collaboration or merger more and more the evidence became that merger would provide a greater benefit to the kids of Long Island," said Coscia, of Massapequa Park. "Having a unified message will make us more visible, contributing to membership growth — and there are some efficiencies we can identify in our budgets, things like administrative costs, and that will help us save several hundred thousand dollars, which we can push into providing better programs for the kids."

Those kids range in age from kindergarten boys and girls — girls are active members of Scouts on Long Island — to male and female members who are high school seniors. That includes all kids aged 5 to 18, Coscia said, noting about 15% of Scout members are girls.

Combining the two councils also will help with operation of Scout camps run by each. Currently, the Theodore Roosevelt Council operates the Onteora Scout Reservation near Livingston Manor in upstate Sullivan County as well as the Schiff Scout Reservation in Wading River. The Suffolk County Council runs programs at Baiting Hollow Scout Camp in Baiting Hollow.

"This is a forward-looking decision," Suffolk Council president Lou Scotti said in an emailed statement announcing the merger, adding: "The merger allows us to unite our best practices, traditions, and local strengths while creating new opportunities to grow and thrive together."

"By combining our resources, talent, and passion for youth development, we're ensuring a stronger, more sustainable future for Scouting in our region," said Theodore Roosevelt Council president Mike Malloy.

Officials said while the merger still needs New York State regulatory approval and a sign-off by Scouting America's national board, the merger is expected to be finalized some time during the first quarter of 2026. Scouting America is the rebranded name for the Boy Scouts of America.

But on Thursday, officials said collaboration between the councils is expected to begin immediately. And Coscia said it is believed that the new unified entity will work just like one of those unifying knots Scouting America has always taught its members.

"A knot, that's a good way to put it," Coscia said.

"We looked into the next 100 years," he said, "and thought this was the answer, that we think we'll be stronger together, that this is the way."

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.