Eagle Project hypothetical question

[Hunt]

Please note: the following is not a current or proposed Eagle project, although it could be.

Question: what is your reaction to the following project? Would you approve it as an Eagle project?

Project: A county park maintains a one-mile orienteering course, with ten wooden pylons and a map. Over the years, the pylons have deteriorated, and the map has some major inaccuracies. Scout proposes to repair and upgrade the course, fixing the pylons, using a GPS to make the map accurate, and adding plaques to the pylons with codewords so the course can be used for competitions. Some have objected to this as an Eagle project, because nearly all of the people who will use this course are Boy Scouts. Note that it is not on BSA property.

Thoughts?

[evmori]

I like it! And if this course is upgraded it could be used by orienteering clubs for competitions of practice!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[scoutingagain]

As long as the course is open to the public(the community) and not restricted to just scouts, I don't see anything wrong with it.

 

SA

[WWBPD]

Absolutely an approvable eagle project. More than just scouts will benefit...there are others that enjoy orienteering. As long as the county sees the benefit, should be no problem.

[Eamonn]

As long as the county say that this is what they need I don't have a problem with it.

Eamonn.

[isvirtual]

My only concern would be this project seems to qualify as routine maintenance. BSA policies are "Routine Labor, a job or service normally rendered, should not be considered". Since the trail already exists, and simply needs maintenance, it would be a tough call.

 

If the scout is going to create something new or completely rebuild something, it would be a no brainer.

 

YiS

Mike

[Proud Eagle]

The routine thing is a problem, but it can be overcome. If the park says it doesn't have the money or manpower to fix it, then it obviously isn't going to happen unless some volunteers do it. Now if they are planning to fix it anywase, then that is more problamatic. However, where there is a will, there is a way.

 

The bigger issue is community benefit.

 

The Scout has to be able to explain who this benefits and how. He can't just say the park wants it done. If he can make a real case that it actually will benefit people (outside of Scouting) then I would say go ahead. If the candidate can't make that case, then it won't work.

 

Remember, the candidate is going to have to sell the idea to several people, so if he can't sell it either in person or in writing, it isn't going to work.

 

Final issue, is how much leadership is this going to allow him to show? The candidate needs to be able to explain how he is going to be a leader in this project. It sounds like there is potential, but ten markers and some GPS readings doesn't sound like much from a skeptical point of view.

 

What about the possibility of expanding the coarse to include more markers? Are there other things that could be incorporated into this same project that would make the overall result a greater success?

 

Those are the sorts of questions I would either want to know the answer to, or want the candidate to think about before going ahead with this.

[Greeneagle5]

 

This could definitely be a great project.

 

My son researched and built a beginner O-course recently in a near-by State Park for His EAGLE Project. The 1 mile course is set-up for competitions as well as individual adventures.

The maps and O-kit are available to anyone at the Visitors Center. A Course info board, including safety warnings was part of the project and posted at the start sight. A JROTC class has already used it for training several times. One idea he used was to post letters on each control site, which after visiting all the controls will spell out a special message. Good luck !!

 

G5

 

 

[KoreaScouter]

On the "suitability continuum", I'd put it near the low end. My rationale is twofold.

 

First, the project seems to be something the Scout could do almost by himself. I'm impressed with projects in which a Scout delegates tasks, brings in outside help, and leads others, all out of necessity, not convenience.

 

Second, I think the Eagle project in general is a great opportunity to expand a Scout's horizons, expose him to people and environments he may not be otherwise, and raise a community's consciousness about the positive effects of Scouting -- in other words, give BSA some badly-needed positive PR outside our inbred little circle. Planning and completing Eagle projects in areas and environments where Scouts are already over-represented fills the square, I guess, but doesn't really gain any ground for us.

 

Many Scouts in our District used to do their Eagle projects in a Navy recreation area that was almost, but not quite completely, used by Scouting units (BSA and GSUSA) for campouts and other events. It wasn't Council property, so it was technically permissible. In my estimation, most of the projects were marginal, and the benefactors were either Scout units or outdoors types who already knew what Scouts do for the community. For the last year or so, no projects have been completed in there, and that's a good thing IMO. A wider cross section of the community is seeing what we're up to, and we're helping groups that previously thought all we did was walk little old ladies across the street.

 

KS

[anarchist]

I concur with the "low end" analysis. However I can see where it could be expanded and turned into a great Eagle project...but it should not just be about correcting deferred maintenance problem.

If land mass allows it should/could be expanded into multiple courses...with lots of planning, research, funding, labor management and benefit potential...which is what it should be about anyway...right?

 

that said, I brought my eldest to a work detail for an Eagle project about 9 years ago when he was a new scout (and before I got back into scouting) and the project was putting together three prefab picnic tables the eagle candidate's father had purchased to be donated to a local school...hows that for low end!