Reputation of Scouts

This exchange reminds me of an incident from my youth. Our Troop always
held a winter camp at a large state camp (12-15 buildings). One year the
Ranger there said that he liked having us there every year because we always
left the place cleaner than we found it.

Ask any Ranger at a Scout camp. If he's honest he will tell you that there
are some Troops he has to watch like a hawk and others he knows that he
doesn't have to check on them all weekend.

>>The bad thing about all this is that this person made the statement that
>>since they have so much more trouble with BSA groups as opposed to other
>>organizations in the Park, they are considering instituting a policy where
>>all BSA groups entering the Park will have to go through a special
>>permitting process which will require a training session with a scouting
>>liasson.

>Unfortunately, it seems to take about one bum troop to develop this
>reputation in someone's mind and 5 zillion troops to try and break the track
>record of that one bum troop. We are easily identifiable even if we don't
>wear Scout uniforms. A few adult leaders, lots of boys, must be Boy Scouts.
>I have seen it here in our own Council where you go camping, you can tell
>the Ranger (one state park in particular) has the expression, OH NO, not a
>Boy Scout Troop. When we pack up and leave, he seems to be pleasantly
>surprised and says we are the best group he has ever had. Seems next time we
>get to start all over.
>
>The best we can do is live up to the Scout Oath and Law and live the Outdoor
>Code and follow any regulations the areas we are visiting may have for us.
>Hopefully, this unfortunate incident, no matter how it turns out, will not
>black ball us from the National Parks or at least Yosemite. And honestly,
>the last park I would visit these days is Yosemite, just too many people.
>
>Ev Holm
>Sparks, Nevada
>At 10:41 PM 8/27/96 -0700, you wrote:

>
>
Mark W. Arend
Beaver Dam Community Library Outside of a dog, a book is man's
311 N. Spring St. best friend. Inside of a dog
Beaver Dam, Wisc. 53916 it's too dark to read.
(414) 887-4631 (fax: 887-4633) --Groucho Marx
Scoutmaster Troop 736

arend@peoples.net

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