We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Archives for December 2022

Peace Light 2022

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Over the weekend NCAC hosted the Annual Peace Light Ceremony. Scouts were able to share the history and background of the event. The tradition began in Austria in 1986 as a small charitable relief program. Its message began to spread worldwide and Scouts have been known to participate for decades. In Scouting it is used as a Messengers of  Peace project.

The Peace light is symbolic of hope, unity and of course peace!

NCAC’s Scouts observed the tradition by lighting the peace candle and sharing its light with their communities. These lights help us usher in the holiday spirit and good intentions for the new year. After learning about the history of the event, Scouts led their families in a chorus of hymns. We are encouraged to practice peace in this season and every season. 

Our end of the year theme was raise resilience,  when asked how they raise resilience in their communities a Scout shared   

 “I raise resilience by sharing my light”

Share your light !!

 

Join 2023 Camp Staff

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Is a week of summer camp not enough? Spend the whole summer! Get out of the house and into the outdoors. Each summer, our summer camps employ close to 300 youth and adults as camp staff – one of the coolest summer jobs you could ever have! Work a fun summer job and get valuable experience and trainings to put on your resume and valuable skills to bring to future summers at camp and other future jobs.

Camp Snyder and the six camps of Goshen Scout Reservation are seeking motivated and enthusiastic individuals who enjoy the outdoors to be part of the Summer 2023 Camp Staff. Which camp is the best fit for you?

Engage your imagination and have a chance to lead your favorite Cub Scout activity at Camp Snyder. Create fun for Cub Scouts and their leaders in boating, crafts, nature, swimming, archery, and theme activities in both day camp settings and weekend overnight settings. Finish out the summer with a week of Merit Badge program for Scouts BSA with a core of expert Scouting volunteers.

Head into the Blue Ridge Mountains for the summer at one of the six camps of Goshen Scout Reservation. Join our energetic and goofy staff at our Webelos Camp – Camp Ross. Want to teach your favorite Merit Badge? Choose one of our three Scouts BSA camps – Camp Bowman, Camp Marriott, or Camp Olmsted. Looking for adventure? Become part of the elite staff at Lenhok’sin High Adventure Base. Are you a behind the scenes person? Our administration camp – Camp Post – might be the place for you.

Staff must be 15 years of age or older to be an instructor and 16 or older to work at Goshen’s Lenhok’sin High Adventure. Not yet 15? If you’re 14, apply to be a Counselor-in-Training at any of our Cub Scout, Webelos, or Scouts BSA Resident Camps. We’re also on the lookout for those 18 years of age or older to take on leadership positions and those 21 years of age or older to fill specialized positions.

Have friends or family that love the outdoors, but aren’t in Scouting? Tell them about it! Prior experience with the Boy Scouts of America is not required.

Employment dates are from June 17 to August 1, 2023 for most camps at Goshen Scout Reservation and June 17 to July 28, 2023 for Camp Snyder.

Hiring season starts in January with interviews via phone or video call. Submit your application by January 20 for a January interview date.

Apply online and get more information on our websites. Visit www.gotogoshen.org/staff for camps at Goshen Scout Reservation and www.gotosnyder.org/work for Camp Snyder.

Looking to be part of the volunteer staff for your District’s Cub Scout Day Camp? Contact the Camp Director for your local Day Camp or the District Executive for your District. The contact information for your local Day Camp Director will be on the event page for the Day Camp, accessible via www.gotodaycamp.org.

Want to volunteer for Camp Catoctin BSA? Finish out your summer with the dedicated volunteers of this one week Thurmont, MD camp for Scouts BSA in August by visiting www.campcatoctinbsa.org.

Virginia Youth Conservation Leadership Institute Project

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I participated in the Virginia Youth Conservation Leadership Institute by leading a project to measure the impact of Leave No Trace education at Great Falls Parks in Virginia on trash in the park. I took the Leave No Trace Trainer course and attended stream monitoring sessions. From 04/2022 to 06/2022 I led scouts in my Troop 55 to educate 273 park visitors and collect 476.1 pounds of trash.

Great Falls National Park (VA) has been a popular tourist destination even before COVID-19 for its rich history – home to one of the nation’s first canals, the scenic view of the Great Falls of the Potomac, as well as hiking trails along Potomac River. After the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and the local government’s encouragement of the using of parks and outdoor recreation to mitigate mental health issues, Great Falls National Park again became a hot destination for families in the Washington DC area.

The park has a nice and well-maintained picnic area near the visitor center, with access to restrooms and a concession window. Though the park provides multiple waste bins around the picnic area, many visitors leave trash on the ground. Moreover, the park had a two parking lots near the visitor center in which both have trash problems. Great Falls National Park Volunteer and Youth Program Coordinator, Ms. Trudy Roth, has worked with our local Scouts BSA Troop 55( Boy) and Troop 55G(Girl) to have scouts and adult volunteers pick up litter at the picnic area and parking lots. Pickups had been conducted every two weeks, between the month of April and November since 2020, when the weather was warm and when the park attracted the most visitors.

When I participated in the litter pick up service project with BSA Troop 55 scouts every other week, I noticed that roughly the same amount of trash needed to be picked up after our bi-weekly effort. At our Boy Scout Troop monthly outings, we have always practiced “Leave No Trace” (LNT) principles after we left a camp site or activity area. So, I wondered if the “Leave No Trace” education that was emphasized to every scout to keep parks clear of trash after every camping would make a difference to the public. If so, to what degree would it reduce the litter issue at the park? With those questions, in the October of 2021, I applied for the “Youth Conservation Leadership Institute” program (https://vaswcd.org/ycli), a youth leadership program sponsored by the Virginia Soil & Water Conservation Districts.

To prepare for my project, I first completed the “Leave No Trace Trainer” course in the October of 2021. I also reached out to Dr. Sara Holtz, a conservation champion in National Capital Area Council of Scouts BSA, and asked her to be my mentor to help me with my project proposal and resource planning. In October 2021 and February 2021, I participated in two sessions of “Stream Monitoring” projects with Northern Virginia Water & Soil Conservation District to understand the impact of litter on local water quality. In addition, I searched for research papers on the topic of the “Leave No Trace education’s impact” to help me understand the status of current research. I also attended a virtual Northern Virginia Soil & Water Conservation District board meeting in March 2022 to understand the government’s function for community conservation effort.

In the March of 2022, I began my work with the leadership teams from BSA Troop 55 to plan out the bi-weekly litter pickup project, also communicating my intention to conduct LNT education at Great Falls National Park. With the good relationship between Great Falls National Park (VA) and BSA Troop 55, I hoped that I could gain the approval from the National Park Community Service and Youth Coordinator Ms. Roth Trudy and Park Ranger Ms. Franice Sewell to conduct my LNT education sessions at the park. While waiting for project approval, I designed two LNT board games to educate park visitors on trash’s impact on the environment.

To allow for a comparison, I also participated and collected trash weight data from three sessions (March 20th, March 27th and April 10th) of the litter pick up project that BSA Troop 55 scouts completed at Great Falls National Park (VA). The trash weight data allowed me to establish the baseline data for my “pre-LNT” education sessions. The first step is to collect three rounds of trash, calculate the weight of the trash. Then, set up a “Leave No Trace” education/exhibition table at the picnic areas later at the park and educate visitors on the “Leave No Trace” principals for 2-3 hours. After the exhibition, the Troop 55 scouts collected trash again to see any difference in terms of weight of the trash to analyze the impact of “Leave No Trace”. My plan was to conduct 2-3 “Leave No Trace” education sessions at the picnic area to collect enough comparison data.

On April 16th, 2022, with the invitation from George Washington Memorial Parkway Community Service and Youth Coordinator Ms. Trudy, I was invited to conduct my pilot “Leave No Trace” education table at the Mount Vernon Trail 50th Year Celebration event at the Daingerfield Island National Park (Alexandria, VA). I recruited 10 volunteers and worked onsite for six hours, and we brought in more than 223 visitors for the “Leave No Trace” table and more than half of them played the board games that I designed. To promote the Sea Scouts program, I wore my Sea Scouts uniform, and had another two scouts wear them as well. George Washington Parkway’s Superintendent Mr. Charles Cuvelier visited the LNT booth and was excited to see the educational materials and the game design, and I also received great feedback from park ranger Aurelia Gracia for our efforts at the event.

With the success of the pilot program at the Mount Vernon Trail 50th Year Celebration event, and further communication and clarification on some questions from the park, I finally received the approval of my plan from the Great Falls National Park on the “Leave No Trace” education sessions. I had my first two-hour “Leave No Trace” education table at the park on April 24th, and I recruited ten scout volunteers and had 60 visitors for my first session. After the LNT session, I also worked with additional BSA Troop 55 scouts, and we collected 249 pounds of trash from the picnic area and parking lots. Between April 16th and June 5th 2022, I led more than 44 scouts and scouters, and the “Leave No Trace” sessions reached more than 555 visitors (with 272 from Great Falls National Park at Virginia). Between March 20th and June 5th, 2022, BSA Troop 55 collected 476.1 pounds of trash from the picnic area and parking lots of the park.

What I learned from the research on the Leave No Trace education:
• Many visitors were surprised with how long certain items took to decompose such as fruits, soda cans, glass, and Styrofoam
• LNT will make a long-term impact for visitor behavior, many visitors’ feedback confirm this
• Short term LNT education sessions will not result in immediate reduction of litter at the park
• Park trash, in short term, will still be correlated to weather, temperature and picnic activities
• Long term LNT education is needed in conjunction with the troop’s litter pick up efforts.

In addition, I’ve developed my leadership, and took away team management and communication lessons from this project:
• Building a good relationship early – Troop 55 started work with Great Falls National Park since 2018 as a unit, not to mention many Eagle Scout projects were executed at the park
• Timely communication with park rangers and community service coordinator: design and plan, report the results of each session, address concerns and share activity photos
• Recruit volunteers: working with the home unit, Troop 55, to gather enough volunteers to help and support from troop leadership
• Work closely with a project mentor: communicate on materials needs, update on plan changes, invite mentor to come to your project site, report progress and result numbers
• Communicate with the YCLI project coordinator and stakeholder to make sure the project was on the right track and receive additional support.

By working with many scout volunteers, I’ve also learned these valuable tips for my future Eagle Scout project or Sea Scouts Quartermaster project:
• earn LNT Trainer certificate first so that project lead can train volunteers
• Some scout volunteers are shy and are afraid of rejection at the park, so they need a lot of encouragement to work with park victors
• Build a core team of couple of active volunteers
• Make it a fun activity so that more volunteers will come
• Promote the activity pictures to Troop, BSA district and council level social media, recognize those volunteers’ efforts
• Recruit more volunteers trained with LNT Trainer for future LNT sessions.

In June 2022, I graduated from the Virginia Youth Conservation Leadership Institute (YCLI) and gave my presentation to the board of the Virginia Youth Conservation Leadership Institute (YCLI) and received my certificate via mail from Ms. Maura Christian, the YCLI Coordinator, Education & Training Coordinator-Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts. In addition, Dr. Sara Holtz and Ms. Ashley Palmer, the Conservation Education Specialist, Northern Virginia Soil & Water Conservation District, referred me to publish my presentation at the 2022 Virtual Student Environmental Action Showcase (SEAS). For details of my YCLI project presentation, you can check it out at this web link: https://seas.live/2022-seas/student-projects/

Outdoor Ethics and Conservation Conference

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On November 10-12, I had the privilege to attend the 2022 BSA National Outdoor Ethics and Conservation Conference at Camp Bert Adams in Covington, GA. It was an awesome experience! Outdoor Ethics and conservation are at the core of Scouting’s outdoor program, and after attending this conference I can attest that our focus on them is making Scouting’s outdoor program stronger than ever.

There was so much to do, and so many people to talk to! Participants got to hear from and sit down to share a meal with national experts and resources. The Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers were there to share a lot of great ideas on how to help youth to build an outdoor ethic. Leave No Trace Director of Education and Training JD Tanner took us through Leave No Trace’s recent changes and their strategies for the next few years. The BSA National Outdoor Ethics and Conservation Committee teams shared what they’re working on and the support they can provide to councils.

But that wasn’t all! We learned about the new Distinguished Conservation Service Award for youth. This award replaces the former Hornaday Award, which was administered by BSA National. The new DCSA award is administered by council Conservation Committees, which will make the award more accessible to more youth. We were joined by the Green Crew, a new Venturing crew from Minneapolis. The Green Crew is a unique Venturing crew. They are a Venturing crew whose program is planning and conducting services projects for their chartering Izaak Walton League of America chapter. All their projects are advertised and open to the public to participate in. They’ve gotten a lot of national attention. https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2022/11/09/the-secret-of-their-success-venturing-crew-focuses-solely-on-conservation/ Once again, it was great to hear from and sit down with these creative and passionate youth and their leaders.

In that great mix, I had the opportunity to share some of the NCAC Outdoor Ethics Committee’s successes. Often, we don’t appreciate what we have right here at home. Our NCAC Outdoor Ethics Committee is viewed as one of, and perhaps the best in the country. I was asked to share the work we’ve done creating training for new Scouts BSA troop Outdoor Ethics Guides. I also led a workshop on how other councils can better market their own Outdoor Ethics offerings. It really felt great to be able to help other councils by sharing some of the work that so many people have done through the NCAC Outdoor Ethics Committee, particularly Sara Holtz and Victor Bieniek.

Just when most of us felt that our brains were starting to hurt from all the great ideas we’d picked up, our closing speaker was Professor Doug Tallamy of the University of Delaware. His presentation on “Nature’s Best Hope” was a wonderful way to cap off the conference.

Your NCAC Outdoor Ethics Committee is here to help you advance your unit’s program. Let us know how we can help!

Amangamek-Wipit Lodge Banquet – Registration is Open NOW!

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The Banquet is Back!

The Amangamek-Wipit Lodge Annual Banquet is making its return on January 7, 2023. From 10:00AM – 12:00PM, join us at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center in the beautiful University of Maryland College Park Campus. We’ve got great food, limited edition patches and a specialty program two years in the making. Stop in and join us in fellowship and celebration of our Lodge’s 70 years of storied history. We’ll be recognizing the achievements of some outstanding Arrowmen and hearing about the opportunities available to our newest members.

Registration is available now! Move fast, it closes at the end of the year and the price increases after the next couple of weeks. Find it at at www.wipit470.org/banquet – we look forward to seeing you there!

STEM Scouts have a Blast in the Woodshop!

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Have you ever heard of BlastCars?

They have been around for years as Scouts BSA programs, and sometimes dubbed the “older kid Pinewood Derby Cars”. The real difference? Their dimensions are a bit larger and above all they are powered by a C02 cartridge! Today, middle STEM Scouts have a 4 meeting module, where they experiment with building and racing Blastcars! Youth discover what friction is and how it affects the performance of a car, and learn about propulsion, acceleration and deceleration, and rocket-powered vehicles.

Lab Manager Ms. Pekarik (of paired Elementary Lab 9941) assists a scout.

To do all this, the scouts need to build cars – many, and each with variables tweaked. Sure, they could build cars with hand-tools, but NCAC’s STEM Lab 991 was lucky enough to build their cars under the expertise of Michael’s Woodshop volunteers!

 

Visit to Michael’s Woodshop

Michael’s Woodshop is a volunteer run woodshop for scouts at Camp Snyder in Haymarket, VA. Over the last 5 years, Michael’s Woodshop has assisted 250+ Bears in completing Baloo the Builder, 50+ Woodwork Merit Badges, and 1000+ Pinewood Derby Cars!

On October 30, seven STEM Scouts from Lab 991 visited Michael’s Woodshop at Camp Snyder for a Blastcar Build Day! Mr. Dave Schneeman, Woodshop Steward, led the group through a safety briefing, followed by stations to cut the cars according to the scouts’ designs, and sand the cars for finer finish.

After 1000+ Pinewood Derby cars, Michael’s Woodshop has perfected a build process. The Blastcar build was only slightly different. Scouts had to ensure that designs do not intersect with the drilled holes for the Co2 cartridges. Additionally, while PWD cars’ starting gates release at the front of each car, Blastcars are lined up against the rear (where the cartridges are!)

The Woodshop machinery as well as Mr. Dave’s expertise made for an incredible experience. Sure, scouts could design blast cars with hand tools. In fact, 2 weeks before the scouts’ woodshop visit, they practiced using hand tools. This juxtaposition led to a greater appreciation of the Woodshop opportunity, and the professional cars they got to design!

Lab Manager Mr. Scheina hands out blastcar kits.

Lab Manager of STEM Lab 991, Jon Scheina shared, “Building the cars at the woodshop was awesome. Every Scout I asked said that this activity was the highlight of the module. In the future, any labs that are fortunate enough to have access to a professional woodshop should absolutely use it to build their cars–both for the experience and for the opportunity to build more precise, well-functioning cars.”

Join the Woodshop Team

All of the activities in Michael’s Woodshop are designed and supervised by a dedicated group of volunteers. There are volunteer roles available for experienced woodworkers, and both adult and youth assistants. For more information about becoming a volunteer, please see Join the Woodshop Team or email us for additional information.

For more information about the merit badge classes, shop capabilities, upcoming events or reserving the shop, please visit the Michael’s Woodshop webpage. If you have questions or would like additional information, please email us at MichaelsWoodshop.CWBS@gmail.com

Important Thank Yous

Special thanks to:

  • Justin Youtz (T501) and Bruce Donlin (T1853) for sharing Blastcar kits (and tricks) with NCAC’s STEM Labs!
  • Dave Schneeman (Michael’s Woodshop Steward) for volunteering to lead the shop session
  • Jon Scheina, Mark Gray, Burt Wagner, Stacy Pekarik (Lab 991 Lab Manager and Associate Lab Leaders) for leading the inaugural Blastcars module!