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As a Backpacking MBC I do not count Philmont as completing the requirement. They didn't create the itinerary, they didn't create an emergency plan, they didn't create the menu and so forth. The most they could possible do on a Philmont Trek for this requirement is create a daily schedule and a budget for the trip but will miss some obvious valuable lessons if they used a trip they create on their own. I.E. the true cost of feeding a crew for 5 days and how to keep the cost low.

Some advice from the National Park Service:

Fred, I love you. From 6 feet away.

Let's just be friends.

"1/4 of all Cub Scout Packs will never meet again" ... Yeah. A huge number of units were already on the edge. This will absolutely kill a good number. Membership will crash for years. "#1 killer of units? Not meeting or no activities." ... Yep. Absolutely. I'd focus more on no activities, than no meetings. But absolutely. Focusing on "growing membership" ... This is always BSA's big mistake. We focus way too much on how do we fix the membership issues. The issue is really how do we fix the program. If you have a bad product, people won't buy your product. So if you wan

Four trout? That's all? Nice trout.

What could they do to you? Revoke your charter, for not following BSA policy.

Regarding zoombombing, I found it necessary to remove some permissions for my own Scouts. The one fellow was sharing his screen, trying to do his Cyberchip presentation to the troop, and the other guys were drawing on his presentation (the Annotate feature).That quiet guy was the worst 🤨 Also that guy was sharing his screen, kept popping up a picture of a video game character. It wasn't real bad but he could have shown anything. I gotta talk to that Scout.😠 Zoom has a great feature called Breakout Rooms, perfect for patrols, works well although I need practice. I sent the guys off to thei

Your Council has a special needs operating committee. Ask your DE for their phone number. Hundreds of Scouts, in many Councils, have faced this challenge. Your need is to tap into the knowledge and make what’s unknown to you, known! Good hunting.

And if there are some new crossovers who recently joined a troop, a partial is fine. They can visit a place listed as a NHL or NRHP after the stay at home restrictions are lifted. But now is a perfect time to work on the other requirements.

I also agree. There are lots of places listed as National Historic Landmarks or on the National Register of Historic Places. As long as the Scout visited one of them after joining Boy Scouts / Scouts BSA and could tell me what they learned and found interesting about it, I would count it. If the Scout needs to refresh his or her memory by looking it up on the Internet, I wouldn't see a problem with that.

@SteveMM We tried Zoom a couple days ago. We were not cut off after 40 minutes, so I think Zoom might have lifted their 40 minute time limitation for free accounts. Not completely sure, though, as I was not the host. Webex is another option that might be worth looking into.

If units do not adapt and remain connected to their scouts, then yes, this will happen. Sure, scouting is about being outside. But it does not stop because cannot get outside. This to shall pass and the scouts will be able to go back to camping and backpacking. When - who knows. But we will. And I am willing to bet that the units that are able to adapt and remain connected with their scouts at this time will see the scouts return. At a minimum, virtual meetings provide an opportunity for some scouts (and their parents) to do and learn something. A great way to weather this storm is to

I ask for Tomahawk missiles, and this is what I get:

LOL I love patches!

Counter prediction: council professional staffs will actually grow in numbers, or at minimum stay stagnant. The BSA will be a shell of itself after this over and done. What's the number #1 killer of units? Not meeting or no activities. Well, that' what is happening across the nation right now. I'm willing to bet that 1/4 of all Cub Scouts Packs will never meet again post-corona. The professionals will essentially be tasked with rebuilding the BSA. Frankly, and i know this sounds bad, a vast majority of volunteers do not care about growing membership. They don't have the time to ded

With this uncertainty, why not modify the summer camp business model to reduce financial risk, e.g., a rustic, patrol method camp (like a state park) . Minimum staff - just camp director and lifeguards. Better yet have troops provide water safety plan with their own lifeguards. Mess hall closed. Patrol cooking. No camp store, no nurse. Troop does its own program. Interactions, e.g. competitions, campfires with other troops lead by SPL's. Flexible schedule. Troop can register campsite for weekend, 4 days, whatever. My $0.02,

If you're not buying the content, then someone is buying you.

All Council activities here are shut down through April 2. Schools are in a 2 week state-wide shutdown and one source told me today it will be at least 8 weeks. No one is talking yet about Spring Break or Summer. My niece just called and her wedding scheduled for May 2 has been canceled because the venue is owned by a college, which is closing for the remainder of the school year. Frankly, I think in the coming weeks, Summer Camp will be the least of our concerns.

The insignia dorks shudder at the thought!