Bear Habitat is rank required and wildlife observation is still a required part of the adventure, so I am also unclear on the problem. Personally, I like almost everything I'm seeing, and lot of the new adventures seem like invitations to gamify more outdoors programming to me. I've been focusing on Webelos first, and I see several of the new adventures as ways to get the scouts to get better at outdoors life and scoutcraft. A lot of the requirements seem to split up into plan/prepare for the outings during meetings and then go do outdoor adventure, which is exactly as it should be. There's more repetition of skills year to year, which will reinforce key outdoor skills. The glances I've taken to other ranks are consistent with that, IMO. Adding swimming, camping, fishing and boating adventures to all ranks is great, for example. That's a great way to encourage the whole pack to come out adventuring more. The requirements also set up a situation where the older scouts naturally serve as an example to the younger scouts. I see all kinds of potential for creating a strong pack scoutcraft culture by scheduling as many of the outdoor optional adventures as possible and choosing the outdoor and active options for the required adventures. Leave No Trace being interwoven into the adventures is also fantastic and makes it really easy to leverage their children's materials as well. Nothing is perfect, but I'm really excited to use these adventures to get those scouts outdoors more and with more skills asked of them for advancement!

A great survey, but sadly, not necessarily accurate.  Like most such things, the data is skewed to the desired outcome.  I agree, as most likely recognize, that I Think Scouting can be America's answer still, but this study does not reflect my own community experiences.  While bystanders at service events tend to be positive towards our youth and the group, they are usually not representative of the larger public.  The negative image created by the overblown media attacks have done serious damage, and unless we find ways to prove otherwise, and also help people realize that the bad things the media pushed IS NOT the norm, nor ever was.  But that damage is done, and so the challenge is greater.   The comments here about parents still talking to their kids about right and wrong I fear is far from accurate.  Based on both Scouting interactions and years of subbingin schools, I do not see that.  And, too often when talking to adults when their scout, or a student was needing "counseling", I have seen the attitude of "not my child.  They were not taught to act that way, and other similar words.   Still, the study is a small light.  Now we need to find a way to spread that beam.  

That is the thing, most packs still use a 9 month cycle based upon the school year. In all my years in Scouting, in multiple councils, only 1 pack had a 12 month program, and even then it was modified: instead of weekly meeting, it was biweekly fun activities to have Cubs earn the Summertime Award. In fact the entire reason why that award was created was to give an incentive for packs to remain active in some way over the summer.  

I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that we all need to swim against the current and when we see or hear about dumb people doing dumb things with firearms we need to make sure the council executive is made immediately aware of things.  I totally get that criminally speaking the situation was a misdemeanor; the real question is what has Aloha Council done to fix the total lack of firearm safety within their council? Were all of those low functioning judgement volunteers kicked out of the program? Was the camp ranger and staff fired for letting that happen on their watch?  

Not required; but part of the rank still, yes. You have whittling for knife safety and you have knots added to the fishing adventure. I am not sure what the complaint is here? If you're running a 12 month program as prescribed you can easily add these adventures and provide the learning experience for the scouts.