We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

The Scouter Digest Staff

2023 NCAC Summer Camp Guide

by

Planning your summer? Check out our summer camps! The 2023 NCAC Summer Camp Guide is now available online.

www.ncacbsa.org/summer-adventure

cub scout logo

Cub Scouts

Is your scout going to be a rising Tiger, rising Wolf, rising Bear, or rising Webelos or Arrow of Light? Cub Scout camps all have an overarching theme. It’s Off to the Races at the District Day and Twilight camps. Find one near you! Or get ready for a mysterious week at Day Camp at Camp Snyder. The theme this year is ???. Ready for the next step up? Sign up for a short overnight camp at Camp Snyder’s Resident Weekends.

Are your rising Webelos and AOL dens looking for a weeklong adventure? Camp Ross is Goshen Scout Reservation’s dedicated overnight Webelos camp. The theme this summer is Sherlock Ross: The Case of the Disappearing Camps. Help the camp staff solve the case!

Scouts BSA

Is your scout bridging into a Scouts BSA Troop? There are plenty of options. Camps Bowman, Marriott, and Olmsted at Goshen Scout Reservation offer a variety of dining options, unique and favorite Merit Badges and activities, and exciting programs for new scouts, older scouts, and all the scouts in between. Finish out your summer with Camp Catoctin BSA’s expert Merit Badge counselors in mid-August.

Is your Scout not able to attend camp with their Troop? Are they looking for a second week? Check out our options for individual scouts: Goshen runs Provisional Camp each week and Camp Snyder has Scout Specialty Week with both overnight and day camp options.

Older Scouts, Venturers, & Sea Scouts

Need more adventure for older scouts, Venturers, and Sea Scouts? Sign your unit up for a backpacking trek or a river trek at Goshen’s Lenhok’sin High Adventure. Individuals can find adventure with a High Adventure Base Trip to a National or local High Adventure with a council contingent run by the NCAC High Adventure Committee. Order of the Arrow members should also make note of GOAT, the Goshen OA Trail Crew.

And of course, for those ages 14 and up who just cannot get enough summer camp, there is always the option to join summer camp staff!

There are so many options that all this is only a brief summary! View the 2023 NCAC Summer Camp Guide for details and pictures on all the possibilities for your summer. Get outdoors, have fun, and #adventureon!

www.ncacbsa.org/summer-adventure

25th Anniversary Venturing Lock-In

by

The Venturing program is what many scouts do to have more adventurous activities while still staying true to the scouting principles that draw so many to scouting. This year, Venturing turns 25 years old! To celebrate, the Council Venturing Officers’ Association (CVOA), is hosting a lock-in at Sportrock Climbing Center in Alexandria, VA.

This will be an amazing opportunity with opportunities to rock climb, work on requirements for the mountaineering aspect of the Ranger award, hang out with some of the amazing scouts and Venturers in the council, and celebrate a milestone achievement for the Venturing community. This event is open to Venturers and non-Venturers. All that is required is that someone be of Venturing age (14 to 21 years old) and interested in doing some climbing.

The lock-in will be February 10-11, from 9 pm to 9 am. Sign-up can be completed using this link (https://forms.gle/9Xx3Bk9MckR85UYU7).

I look forward to seeing many of you there. Join us as we lead the adventure!

“Reel-In and Recycle!”

by

SEA SCOUT QUARTERMASTER PROJECT SUMMARY:
From Jan thru November of this past year, I was able to successfully lead our Ship 1942 in the assembly and installation of 20 Mono-Filament Recycling Tubes at five marinas across Northern Virginia. The installation of these recycling tubes was part of my Sea Scout Quartermaster project, and my BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award project.  Three of the marinas were within the NOVA Parks system located at Fountainhead Marina, Occoquan Marina, and Bull Run Marina. The other two parks were part of the National Park Service located at the Washington Sailing Marina, and Fletcher’s Cove.

BSA DISTINGUISHED CONSERVATION AWARD PROJECT SUMMARY
My BSA Distinguished Conservation Service project was focused on the Air and Water Pollution Control Category. Mono-Filament fishing line was collected in these 20 recycling tubes during the summer of 2022, and I was able to collect 32 miles of fishing line. The line was shipped by West Marine (free of charge) to Berkley Institute in Iowa to be recycled. Overall, my project increased the number of recycling tubes from 8 tubes to 20 tubes, an increase of 150%. The largest impact came from the increase in line collected, from 1.68 miles in 2021 to 31.9 miles collected in 2022. An increase of 1,798%, or an 18-fold increase.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Another key element of my BSA Distinguished Conservation Service project was to provide Community outreach. I attended five Community Events in order to educate and inform my Community, where over 850 people attended:
1) GREEN EXPO (Apr): 250 people attended at the Vienna Community Ctr.
2) Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math (STEAM) (Apr)): A large event
where 380 – 400 people, with 28 exhibits at Laurel Ridge Middle School.
3) Student Environmental Action Showcase (SEAS) (May): George Mason Univ
Community Virtual Event with 40-50 attendees and 39 presentations.
4) 19th Annual GREEN Community Celebration (Jun): Shirlington Library Plaza,
in Arlington, VA. with150 attendees, 12 booths & electric cars/motorcycles.
5) NCAC Sea Scout Cub Scout Fishing Derby (Jun): Fountainhead Marina
where 52 Cub Scouts were taught fishing line recycling & fishing!

Below is the NOVA Regional Park Manager’s thank you note for my projects:

Dear Quinn,
“Thanks to your efforts, individuals and families visiting Fountainhead and Bull Run Marina can enjoy fishing as a recreational amenity of the park, while also being able to recycle their fishing line and preserve the important environmental resource we have in the Occoquan Reservoir”.

Sincerely, Kate Irwin, NOVA Regional Park Manager

Winter Golfing

by

It may be winter, but that didn’t stop Scouts from Dale City Troop 102 from working on the Golf Merit Badge! They had a great morning at Burke Lake Park working on their posture, grips, putting, driving and chipping.

Explorers Staff 100th National Christmas Tree Lighting

by

The Montgomery County First Aid Unit, AKA Explorer Post 742, comprises of 50+ girl and boy Explorers who participate with Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad. The purpose of this Exploring First Aid Unit is to provide the youth of the surrounding area with the opportunity to learn about, and gain hands on experience in emergency care. The adult volunteer leaders of Wheaton provide training to the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) level (the level just before EMT), as well as leadership and team work training.

The youth then provide standby first aid coverage to private and public events in Montgomery County, MD, Washington, DC and the surrounding metropolitan area. Most recently and notably, Exploring Post 742 staffed the 100th National Christmas Tree Lighting. This event took place on the Ellipse in President’s Park on November 30th.

There is a youth command structure in place, consisting of an Officer’s Committee made up of a Captain (the youth head of the group), one 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenants and Sergeants. The officers are responsible for planning meetings, trainings (both recruit training and ongoing refresher training), maintaining supplies and equipment, planning group activities and organizing staffing for standby events. The Captain is responsible for making sure all this work is completed and maintaining coordination and communication between the members of the Officer’s Committee, and the Unit’s adult advisors.

When the Unit sets up a first aid station at an event, the youth officers are in charge of the station and the care provided to the attendees of the event. While there is always an adult advisor present in the station, the officers handle station operations and treat the patients unless adult assistance is needed.

The events for which Explorer Post 742 provide coverage range from small 5K runs, to 50-4,000 person company picnics at Smokey Glen Farm in Gaithersburg, all the way to 250,000 – 1.8 million person events on the National Mall. Working with the National Park Service, we routinely provide coverage to the 4th of July festivities on the Mall, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the White House Easter Egg Roll, the National Christmas Tree Lighting and the Presidential Inaugurations.

All photos in this article belong to Montgomery County, Wheaton Volunteer Fire Department’s Post 742 and show past events and trainings of the Explorers. For more information about the Exploring Post, please see: The Montgomery County First Aid Unit, Explorer Post 742 | Facebook

Council’s Inaugural Pinewood Derby Champions

by

This year, NCAC held its’ inaugural Council Pinewood Derby Championship!

Cub Scouts (and a STEM Scout) brought their qualifying cars from 12 different NCAC districts to the race. All NCAC district winners from the “covid years” (2020-2022) were invited, seeing as this was the first Council-wide championship!

In addition to races for speed at each rank, the  Championship  included an “outlaw” race in which adults and youth cars were welcome, even over the 50z limit.

Lastly, three awards were presented to cars for Best in Show and Design Excellence. This event took place at the Camp Snyder Dining Hall on October 15, 2022.

STEM Awards
Explorer Mihai Z. offered to create awards for the Pinewood Derby Championship that had a “STEM touch”. For the rank awards (first – 3rd place in each rank from lions to AOLs), Mihai 3D printed stands that would display the plaque and serve as a holder for each car. He laser engraved the plaques in Michael’s Woodshop and affixed metal inlays in each color: gold, silver and bronze. Mihai also created plaques for overall speed winners and design winners.

Woodshop steward, Mr. Schneeman, and Exploring Advisor Dr. Ziu also helped with the design and creation of these STEM awards!

Leadership

This event was envisioned, organized and then brought to life by two NCAC STEM Committee members and PWD enthusiasts from Potomac District. Out thanks go to Council PWD Chair Dr. Jason Kralj and PWD MC Dr. Stanley Fricke for the initiative and behind-the-scenes hours to put together this inaugural event!
We also thank Mr. Dave Griffiths the Track Director, who conducted an excellent and smooth race!
Finally, thank you finally to Dr. Hatcher Tynes, Dr. Elena Ziu, Explorer Mihai and scouts Victor and Philip for their race day help!

Next Year

Please save the date: May 20, 2023 for the next NCAC Pinewood Derby Championship! District winners will be invited.

Are you a District Pinewood Derby Chair? Pinewood Derby enthusiast? We’d love to connect with you in spring as we finalize the 2023 rules!