Future of Nawakwa Lodge 3 and Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 in question

With the proposed merger of Colonial Virginia Council and Heart of Virginia on track to occur in mid-2026 it is likely that the two Order of the Arrow Lodges serving them will no longer exist in 2027.
 
Nawakwa Lodge 3 was founded in 1919, and as you can tell by the Lodge number, is one of the oldest Lodges in the Order of the Arrow. Since Sanhican Lodge 2, also founded in 1919, disappeared in a 1999 merger, only Unami Lodge 1 is an older active lodge than Nawakwa.
 
Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 was formed from the merger of Kecoughtan Lodge 463 and Chanco Lodge 483 on January 1, 1996 after their parent councils (Peninsula and Old Dominion Area, respectively) merged four years earlier in 1992. Wahunsenakah was the subject of a national OA news article about their merger published in 2014: News You Can Use: Traditions carried on in Wahunsenakah Lodge.
 
When two councils merge their respective Order of the Arrow Lodges can no longer operate separately, but must combine to form a new Lodge, according to the Lodge Merger Handbook for Councils and it must be effective within one year of the council merger taking effect (with a shorter timeline being highly preferable).
 
The merger FAQ provided by both CVC and HOVC included the following statement with regard to what will happen to their Order of the Arrow Lodges:
 

What would happen with the Order of the Arrow lodges?
 
In light of the proposed merger, members of the CVC would now have full access to the Order of the Arrow Pavilion at T. Brady Saunders Scout Camp.
 
Both Order of the Arrow lodges will maintain their current status immediately following the merger. Within approximately six months after the merger becomes effective, lodge leadership would present a unified plan for consolidation to the new Executive Board. Upon approval, that plan would be implemented within one year of the merger’s effective date.

 
It is interesting that the term “merger” is not used in regards to the OA lodges in this answer, but instead “consolidation.” Could that mean that the end result would be Nawakwa Lodge 3 effectively absorbing the members of Wahunsenakah and retaining their original name and number to preserve its historical significance?
 
I know there is historical precedent for this, since it happened to my Ordeal Lodge, Ouxouiga 264, when its parent Attakapas Council merged with Ouachita Valley Council in 2003 to form Louisiana Purchase Council. Rather than a new Lodge being formed, Comanche Lodge 254 retained its name and number, assigning the Arrowmen from Attakapas Council to a new Ouxouiga Chapter.
 
In fact, Chapter 12 of the Lodge Merger Handbook for Councils specifically addresses situations where “instead of a merging of multiple lodges, a lodge is instead split and absorbed by several neighboring lodges, or absorbed entirely by another council.”
 
Regardless, it appears Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 will celebrate both it’s 30th anniversary in 2026 and in the same year conclude it’s existence via consolidation with Nawakwa Lodge 3 as Colonial Virginia Council surrenders it’s independence for financial security. Hopefully the 30th anniversary flap will follow the original “baby duck” S1 flap design by Ron Godby as the 15th anniversary S45, 20th anniversary S66, and 25th anniversary S85 have.
 
We’ll save the topic of death flaps for a later article (although the 333 S95 2022 NOAC trader already looks the part).