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Did your troop do anything special to recognize Veterans Day? A small group of boys from our troop participated in setting out wreaths at a nearby National Cemetery. I heard of another troop that would clean the headstones of military veterans. What does your unit do?

Simon Kenton Council in Ohio plans to close the Chief Logan Scout Reservation at the end of the 2020 camp season and is also pondering the sale of additional land at Camp Lazarus. Story: https://www.dispatch.com/news/20191111/boy-scouts-consider-sale-of-chief-logan-camp-and-part-of-camp-lazarus

In Massachusetts, a scout built a flag-retirement pit for a VFW post as his Eagle project. Story: https://www.lowellsun.com/2019/11/11/boy-scout-designs-flag-retirement-pit-for-veterans/

As our Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we should think about the meaning of Gratitude. We should think about how we find it, know it, and express it. When I think about the meaning of Gratitude, I am reminded of the story of Shukla. Long ago, in a long-forgotten land in Africa, there lived a tribal chief and his faithful servant, Shukla. The chief and Shukla developed a great friendship and Shukla was always by the chief's side in every event the tribe experienced. The chief loved nothing more than being in the woods, honing his woodcraft by hunting the many types of animals th

Evidently, the hot summer weather here in Texas is just too much for a fire-breathing dragon to handle!

Reminds me of a personal story. Back in the 1960s, my grandfather was working as a land manager for a large paper company. The company had bought up thousands of acres on which they would plant a "forest". Rows, upon straight, even rows of uniformly spaced pine trees were planted as far as the eye could see. Pine grew fast and would provide pulp for the company in the 80s. Of course, few native birds, insects, or forbs would grow there and it became a macabre kind of place that never seemed to look, smell, sound, or feel like those pockets of natural forestland that reminded folks of how fore

UK scouts at the "Explorer" level (ages 14-18) have some additional Activity Badges they can earn. One of the coolest is "Motor Sports". Looking at the requirements, I bet it's regarded as a fairly "hard" badge because it requires engaging in a motor sport for a period of 6-12 months. The requirements don't, however, specify any specific sports, nor does it restrict any sports as inappropriate or too risky. I assume that motorcycling, ATVs, stock cars, etc. would all be within bounds...

Very cool! Though, I have to admit, it took me some effort to understand what your message meant, never having heard of "Bean Holes" or "Green Corn Ceremonies"...once I looked 'em up on Wikipedia, I gained a bit of educated appreciation. I had no idea that native Americans had such a wide-ranging tradition. Interesting that it not only reflects gratitude, but also forgiveness. Now if only I could figure out what those Native Americans might have been cooking over their campfires...

My understanding is that GS leaders need to do a comprehensive safety course that includes awareness of sexual abuse situations, as well as things like cyber safety, being safe at fundraisers, etc. Yes, GS leaders are also mandated reporters (that is usually required by state laws, so mandated reporting will apply regardless of what kind of youth program you are dealing with).

This is, indeed, a very interesting (and complicated) issue. Tree planting used to be a simple thing to do. If you find an area that's been de-forested, you plant whatever kinds of trees have historically thrived in that area. Global warming and the pervasive threats to habitat and native species make that a harder effort. Naturalists have been dealing with invasive insects decimating native species. Trees that once thrived in an area are often dying out. Naturalists are also observing that changing temperatures mean that tree bands in mountainous areas are changing. Lower el

Is it common for scouts to bring their bikes to summer camp? Do summer camps usually allow that? I heard about a summer camp that I will not identify at this time that lets scouts bring their bikes to camp and to use them to ride between their sites and the various program areas. I have not seen bikes in camp before (other than in program areas, like mountain biking, BMX, etc.) Thoughts? Experiences?

Have you ever tried cooking a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner at camp? Dutch oven turkey? Stuffing? Potatoes? Yams? I can imagine that back in the days of the Pilgrims, everything was cooked over an open fire. It doesn't seem like much a stretch then to adapt our favorite holiday recipes to an outdoor kitchen. Bryan on Scouting has an article about doing exactly that. Evidently some troops have an annual tradition of cooking a Thanksgiving dinner outdoors. I know of one troop in our district that has set up big propane burners to deep-fry whole turkeys in peanut oil.

Nope. Not a new concept....but it might be a radical idea for scouters accustomed to warm weather camping in state parks with flush toilets and other luxuries. "Pack it out" is definitely the rule among climbers....and among whitewater rafters too where nobody really wants to go overboard in a river you've been dumping waste in. For weekend activities, I can "pack it out" using zip-loc plastic bags. Outdoor stores smell profits in human waste, so they offer lots of stuff you can buy, like disposal bottles, deodorizers, enzymes to break down waste, etc. REI sells a bunch of things w

Winter opens up a wealth of outdoor activities for the adventurous outdoorsman. Snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice fishing, and cold weather camping are all great opportunities to test our outdoor skill. They also challenge us to think about how we can stay true to our outdoor ethics while surviving and thriving in cold conditions. For each of the 7 Leave No Trace principles, I've gathered a few thoughts about special challenges that winter conditions present and some ideas for how scouts and scouters can integrate Leave No Trace into their winter activities. I'd love to hear more i

Mt. Diablo Council in California teamed up with local vineyards to earn over $132,000 in a wine auction. Story: https://napavalleyregister.com/community/star/news/wine-auction-at-st-helena-s-charles-krug-winery-benefits/article_f253dce9-736b-5cb7-9936-e254cf4d56ca.html

If the material is targeted towards youth in 5th through 8th grade, it might be good for scouts working on Second Class. Requirement 7c is for them to take part in a program about the dangers of drugs.

I'm scratchin' my head wondering what exactly it is that you're looking for.... Care to explain?

Adult scouters need a buddy system too.

Sounds like a great opportunity to tap into some deep knowledge and passion! Scouters who want to build up their fishing and teaching skills might also find support from their local parks or natural resources department. In my area, there are "How to Teach Fishing" workshops that are completely free of charge, put on by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. (They specifically target scout leaders, teachers and camp staff among their audience). https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_k0700_1009.pdf

Those age breaks are reflected in the scouting program as delivered in other countries. For example, Cambridgeskip recently pointed out that UK activity badges vary by age group (11-14 vs. 15-18). In Cambridgeskip's part of the world, the scouting groups are: - Beavers (6-8) - Cub (8-10) - Scouts (10-14) - Explorers (14-18) In Canada, the age-based programs are: - Beavers (5-7) - Cub (8-10) - Scout (11-14) - Venturer (15-17) - Rover (18-26) Compared to BSA, the age gradations are more narrow, giving a better fit at each level.

Your post is well taken. There are, indeed, good merit badge classes. We should encourage the experienced, knowledgable counselors to keep doing those. The problem is that there are also many merit badge events that are NOT good. They take short cuts. When there are multiple options to meet a requirement, the bad merit badge class always picks the easiest and simplest, not the one that delivers a meaningful experience. The bad merit badge class tries to condense 8 hours worth of requirements into a 2-hour lecture with no real activities and no testing. The document pointed

If y'all want to find out more about what a BSA Certified Angling Instructor does and how to find training for the position, you can check out their web site: http://bsacai.org/

In Indianapolis, another troop had their trailer broken into, stuff stolen....but the trailer itself was left behind. Story: https://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/crime/thieves-steal-tents-and-other-supplies-from-indy-boy-scout-troop

For most of my life, I'd have considered cold weather camping to be nights in the teens. Today, I'm working with scouts in Texas where many of the sports stores sell bags that don't even get you down into the 40s. Our scouts will tell you that 40 is cold and lower than that is INSANE.

YES!! Keep an empty bottle handy so you don't HAVE to go out in the night.