We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Adventure

TREAD Lightly! Trainer Course

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The TREAD Lightly! Trainer Course, is the newest component of the BSA Outdoor Ethics program was recently opened to Scouts ages 14 and over for the FIRST TIME EVER. The minimum age to be able to take the course was originally 18 years old but was changed in 2019.

Patrick Martinez, Connor Gephart & Teagan Gephart were the FIRST in their respective Districts to successfully complete the TREAD Lightly! Trainer Course on Sunday, September 22, 2019 at the United States Coast Guard Station campground.

The course is designed to help volunteers promote the message Responsible Recreation where lands and waters are protected. The course is centered on mechanized recreation focusing on the TREAD Lightly! Principles designed to minimize impacts on roads, trails, and the wildlands they access according to the course description.

Patrick, Connor and Teagan learned how to share the TREAD Lightly! concepts and understand the role outdoor ethics plays in the recreation community. They learned the TREAD Lightly! Principles of Responsible Recreation and were provided with the knowledge and tools to conduct workshops and coordinate community outreach as the FIRST youngest TREAD Lightly! Trainers in their Districts. The boys are qualified to present the TREAD Lightly! message to Scouts and others in their District, State or Region. Also completing the TREAD Lightly! Trainer course are: Michael Gephart, Scout Master Troop 13 and David Martinez, ASM Troop 996.

If you are a Scout over 14 years old and your interested in the Tread Lightly! Trainer Course contact:

Michael Nostrand
TREAD Master Trainer
ScoutmasterMN@aol.com
703-495-8221
Marriott Scout Service Center
9190 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Phone: 301-530-9360

Scouts Participate in Leave No Trace Activities

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NCAC Scouters recently had the amazing opportunity to participate in Leave No Trace (LNT) activities with the LNT Traveling Trainers. This energetic, two-person team travels around the country visiting national, state, and local parks to spread the word about LNT by engaging the public in participatory games and activities. LNT is a set of principles that guides people in thinking about the impacts of their actions in the outdoors (#LeaveNoTrace) while also having a great time (#EnjoyYourWorld). Not surprisingly, LNT is one of the foundational elements of BSA outdoor ethics and BSA outdoor code.

The Traveling Trainers did a phenomenal job of engaging our NCAC LNT Trainer and LNT Master Educators in the hand movements for the 7 principles of LNT, a relay game about the 10 essentials, another game about durable surfaces, an activity to guess the mystery water pollutant & how to properly dispose of it, and an exercise about scenarios they find the most disturbing with respect to impacts on the environment.

Our Scouters are proud to note the learning was not unidirectional. They have so much experience teaching LNT to Scouts & Scouters that they shared a few new tips and games with the Traveling Trainers, making for a great exchange of experiences by people passionate about minimizing their impact in the outdoors.

Scouts, venturers and their scouters interested in learning more about outdoor ethics can complete 5 requirements to earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness award (https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/outdoor-ethics/awards/scouts-bsa/). Not to be left behind, Cub Scouts in NCAC can earn our council’s Cub Scout Outdoor Ethics Awareness award (http://www.ncacbsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/New-NCAC-Outdoor-Ethics-Awareness-award.pdf) by completing 4 requirements.
For scouts aged 14 and older plus scouters, NCAC will offer the LNT Trainer course twice this fall; see the NCAC Outdoor Ethics page (https://www.ncacbsa.org/training/outdoor-ethics/) for information.

Enjoy your world. Leave No Trace.

Troop 1422 Scouts Earn SCUBA Certification and Merit Badge

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Star Scout Peydon Wilmoth (left), Life Scout Joey Sheldrick (center), and Scoutmaster Jon Culberson (right) of Troop 1422 Mattaponi District, National Capital Area Council attended Scuba Camp at Pipsico Scout Reservation where they earned “Open Water Diver” SCUBA Certification and Scouts earned SCUBA Merit badge. Upon arrival participants had to pass a SCUBA swim test, which includes a 200-yard swim and a 10-minute surface float without aid. The course consists of three parts: classroom, confined water, and open water.

SCUBA students begin their week at Pipsico Scout Reservation to learn, practice, and demonstrate material for the entry level “Open Water Diver” certification. This consists of classroom study and testing with intervals of confined water diving in the onsite pool. On Wednesday of SCUBA Camp, participants loaded up personal gear, camping supplies, and dive equipment to complete their practical training at Lake Phoenix (formerly Lake Rawlings). On Thursday evening, participants returned to Pipsico after completing 5 Open Water Dives to depths of 50 feet.

Troop 1422 normally meets Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm, and is Chartered and supported by American Legion Post 320, located in Spotsylvania County.

Exploring Post on the Bay

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Clean the Chesapeake and the BSA are pleased to announce a new Exploring Post program to help restore the Chesapeake Bay!

This is an opportunity to participate in a brand new, conservation themed Exploring Post for high school age youth that will be dedicated to Chesapeake oyster restoration. This is a chance to be a part of something new and to make a difference in our environment. The organization, One Montgomery Green, is sponsoring the Post. Participants will learn about oyster management, water quality, boating, local partnerships, and more. Who loves oysters?

This program engages teens through a unique year-long project. Youth will gain hands-on experience related to careers in in science, conservation, resource management and advocacy.

Interested? Contact Post Advisor: Reuven Walder (301) 802-7038 or info@cleanthechesapeake.org
or District Executive: Stephen Donnelly, Stephen.Donnelly@Scouting.org

Troop 1518 Heads to Scuba Jam

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The adults and scouts from Troop 1518 are getting ready to drive to Lake Phoenix in Rawlings, VA for an exciting long weekend of Scuba diving at Scuba Jam. Held every Labor Day for the past 10 years, youth from all over Virginia, DC, and Maryland come to dive, win prizes, and have a fun weekend of camping before the demands of school get in the way.

This will be the third Scuba Jam for Troop 1518. The troop had several members certified to Scuba dive at BSA Sea Base in 2017 and found this annual camp a great way to do some local diving and keep skills sharp. This year even more boys from the troop have earned their certification and will be attending.

The Saturday and Sunday are when the diving related events happen. Troops and crews divide into buddy teams and compete in underwater events ranging from treasure hunts to putting plastic crabs in a bucket using a fly swatter. On land these are trivial tasks, but doing them underwater requires good control of buoyancy, communication with your buddy, and pre-dive planning. Here, the team needed to find a very specific combination of tokens underwater and return to the dock on time, so put one member in charge of holding the tokens and another on monitoring time.

When not diving for competition, teams go out and explore the sunken attractions around the quarry. Below one of the boys poses with a submerged Blackhawk helicopter that they just explored.
The quarry also has a school bus, airplane, and several boats and cars, not to mention a campsite complete with hot tub that you can sit in. The favorite activity by far is the underwater basketball court, complete with bowling balls which sink slowly in water.

The weekend isn’t all about diving. Scouts can finish their Scuba diving merit badge, too. Below is one of our troop members practicing CPR on a dummy.

Sunday night is the closing activity with a big dinner and prizes. Local dive stores and manufacturers donate both gear and scholarship money and everyone walks away with at least something. One of our troop won a very nice underwater camera set in 2017 and returned in 2018 to take videos and pictures. Others have won scholarships they can use at a local dive center to buy gear or more training.

We’d love to see more people come to Scuba Jam. Head over to http://www.scubajam-va.org/ to read important messages about what’s required to participate and find a local dive center sponsoring the event. They all offer special gear rental packages for the weekend and can help you get registered. Food, camping, and air fills are provided as part of the registration so all you need to do is show up!

Test Your Orienteering Skills!

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All troops & Ventuing crews are challenged to test (and hone) their map skills at the 43rd Annual Maryland Scout Orienteering Day!

Last year’s event had 480 Scouts and Venturers, plus 160 adult orienteering participants. #myNCAC Scouts had their best year ever, receiving 15 of the top 22 individual awards and ten of the top 13 troop awards! Troop 1946 from Washington, D.C., was the 2018 champion.

This year’s event will be November 2 at Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation. Register online at www.BaltimoreBSA.org/orienteering by October 28. Come for the day, or camp one or two nights. Our self-guided map courses are designed for beginners to this forest navigation map sport, with intermediate and advanced levels available as well.