Re: an item from rec.backcountry
Alan Houser (troop24@EMF.NET)
Sat, 20 Dec 1997 13:30:17 -0800
Bob Washburn <whiterabbit@IW.EDWPUB.COM> wrote:
>This is a very real perception. Scout bashing appears occasionally
>(regularly?) in the rec.backpacking newsgroup. A significant number of the
>users of that newsgroup are "leave no trace" purists. That should not be
>taken as a negative comment. It is an ethic they some believe in and
>practice. It is an ethic that while in the Scout manual is frequently not
>followed by Scout groups either through indifference or more frequently
>lack of training.
[snip]....
>IMO this is an area where we should do a better job of training leaders. I
>have been to training where I was told "leave not trace" means picking up
>your trash when you get through. I've often wondered what would happen if
>we called the local Sierra Club, told them we were planning to take a group
>into the backcountry, and did they have someone who could help teach the
>ethic.
Actually, I was active in the local Sierra Club outings program BC (before
children), and I brought that "Walk Softly" attitude with me into Scouting
instead of the "Tame the Wilderness" one I learned as a Scout in the 1950's.
One interesting tidbit I picked up from Jamboree was that a Leave No
Trace training program was being tested in some councils (anyone here
know about that?) and would be released to all councils in the near
future (anyone know about this?).
In many of the western councils, there is a "High Adventure Training"
program to certify leaders to take groups into the backcountry (no HAT
number, no tour permit!). It will be easy to integrate LNT training
into that (in fact, most of it already exists in our council's course).
But I wonder how widespread is the HAT concept nationwide? If there is
no "stick" to get those leaders into training, what sort of "carrot"
will be necessary to get them there?
YiS,
Alan R. Houser ** troop24@emf.net
** Scoutmaster, Troop 24, Berkeley, California **
** WWW page ** http://www.emf.net/~troop24/t24.html **
Scoutmaster, Mt. Diablo Silverado Council Jamboree Troop #637
** http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/9637/ **
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
