The Boy Scouts of America are urging victims to come forward after the 110-year-old organization filed for bankruptcy protection in the first step toward dealing with a barrage of sexual abuse lawsuits.
The Scouts plan to create a huge compensation fund for potentially thousands of men who were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters or other leaders.
The bankruptcy filing puts the lawsuits on hold for now. But ultimately the Boy Scouts could be forced to sell off some of their vast property holdings, including campgrounds and hiking trails, to raise money for a victims' fund that could top $1 billion.
Local Scout chapters, known as councils, are not involved in the Chapter 11 filing.
The recently formed Mountain West Council covers parts of eastern Oregon and western Idaho.
In a written statement sent to KTVB on Tuesday, Mountain West Council Scout Executive Lynn Gunter says:
"The Mountain West Council, (formerly) known as the Ore-Ida Council has not filed for bankruptcy. Meetings and activities, district and council events, other Scouting adventures and countless service projects are taking place as usual. In short, there should be no change to the local Scouting experience.
"The national organization of the Boy Scouts of America is the only entity involved in the Chapter 11 filing. The Mountain West Council – which provides programming, financial, facility and administrative support to local units and individual Scouts in our area – is separate and distinct from the national organization. Our camps, properties and all local contributions are controlled by our council."