We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Adventure

Chesapeake Bay Yacht Clubs Open to Sea Scouts

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The Chesapeake Bay Yacht Clubs Association (CBYCA), a network of 100 yacht clubs and associations around the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding waters, has granted Partner status to Sea Scout Ships who operate in those waters. The designation, essentially a gift to the Sea Scouts, opens up marinas and other resources to Sea Scouts who are out and about exploring the beautiful waters of the Bay. The designation allows Sea Scouts Ships to request support, including overnight docking, as available, from CBYCA affiliated yacht clubs and associations. Sea Scouts may also be granted access to showers, restrooms, laundry, restaurants, andespecially SWIMMING pools at the often exquisite venues all around the Bay. Specific support available and related fees will be at the discretion of the hosting yacht club or association.

The Commodores of the BSA Areas and Councils surrounding the Chesapeake are drafting specific behavioral rules governing unit interactions with the clubs. Until then, Adult Leaders should carry a laminated copy of their current, unexpired BSA membership card (available through my.scouting.org if needed) to show the manager as needed. Boatswains should call the respective club in advance to ensure availability of slip space and support. Otherwise – go and explore! (And obey the Scout Oath and Law at all times!)

Leave No Trace Trainer Course

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My name is Quinton Waddy, I am the Outdoor Ethics Guide for Troop 1188 in Manassas, VA. I am a Life Scout working on my Eagle Scout rank. During a weekend in October my father and I took the Leave No Trace Trainer course, which is recognized by Scouts BSA, and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. The Cub Scout, Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scout programs all include outdoor stewardship, care for the environment, and Leave No Trace as part of their programs. This Course is designed to enhance your understanding of Leave No Trace practices and outdoor ethics, and to increase your level of expertise and confidence in teaching Leave No Trace skills.

My experience taking the LNT Trainer course was amazing. You can take the course in a car-camping setting or as a backpacking trip, I chose the backpacking trip for a more hands-on experience. I met many wonderful people and made new friends. There are seven parts to LNT: Plan Ahead and Prepare; Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces; Dispose of Waste Properly; Leave What You Find; Minimize Campfire Impacts; Respect Wildlife; and Be Considerate of Other Visitors.

I enjoyed my time learning about the different parts of LNT from keeping our environment clean to digging cat holes. I went in thinking it was going to be an awkward and boring weekend, but I enjoyed every second of it because of the fun and games each trainee had planned for their subjects they had to teach. I taught Pack it in Pack it out. I had my fellow trainees play a matching game with the time it takes an item to be processed back into the earth and the chronological order of them to degrade. They had a fun time figuring it out and it worked on their communication, leadership, and teambuilding skills. The program gets everyone in attendance involved, anyone participating will teach a subject and play the games that are created by the teacher of each subject.

This program has helped me and my Troop out so much already. I had the Scouts in my Troop and in the Cub Scouts practice Leave No Trace while they were doing Scouting for Food. Leave No Trace is a great program and I recommend that all Scouts take it because it goes more in depth to the meaning of our Outdoor Code.

Here is a website on LNT and Tread Lightly where you can take online quizzes and earn awards. https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/outdoor-ethics/awards/scouts-bsa/

Pack 572 Leaves No Trace

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Last month the theme for our pack meeting was Leave No Trace. Ms. Holtz came to our meeting and taught us about the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles. She showed us how to be safe in the outdoors, and what we can do as Scouts to keep the environment clean.

We also got to play some fun games where we learned about how long different types of trash take to break down. Let’s just say that styrofoam never goes away!

I never thought about what she called ‘micro trash’ before. That’s what happens when you just peel off a corner of a granola bar and it gets lost in the leaves on the ground. It’s easy to lose and not good for the environment.

Everyone had a great time and learned a lot. Thank you, Ms. Holtz!

Scout Odin Apsey
Pack 572
Den 2

For more information on the NCAC Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award for Cubs vistit: http://www.ncacbsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/New-NCAC-Outdoor-Ethics-Awareness-award.pdf

Troops 111, 439, 647 Tops at Orienteering!

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NCAC tied their own record of nine of the top twelve troops at the 43rd Annual Maryland Scout Orienteering Championships on Nov. 2, led by Chain Bridge District’s Troop 111 from Arlington, Potomac District’s Troop 439 in Kensington (teamed with a Howard County unit), and Arlington’s Troop 647.

The super-competitive Advanced competition was won with a time of 42:12 by Nate Beardmore of Western Shores Troop 347 in Prince Frederick, the fifth overall unit (teamed with Chesapeake Beach Troop 429.) Not far behind were Rockville Troop 944 teamed with Patriot District Venture Crew 1345 from Burke, and La Plata Troop 1321. Nate edged out Jeremy Bloom from Rockville Troop 1450 by two minutes, 111’s Thomas Sullivan, and 1321’s Christian Decker.

Over 775 attended this map training and competition event at Broad Creek Scout Res. north of Baltimore, including over 60 girls. Amongst 110 teams in the Older category, 111’s Houston Burnside and Jon Hales plus Owen Caputo and Kaden Carpenter were the top NCAC teams, with Milo Engel and Keni McBee from Venture Crew 1130, McLean. Topping the Younger competition’s100 teams from NCAC were 111’s Andrew Hales and Michael Corso, 647’s Connor Jones and Aiden Madden, and Charlie Conroy and Felix Shareno from DC’s Troop 1946.

For Troop 111, it was a record tenth time finishing in the top two troops at this event. Everyone completed several beginner to intermediate map training courses, then competed on two orienteering courses. As with the past few years, the top 14 places in the Older category were captured by twelve different troops, and eight different troops nabbed the top nine in the Younger competition! Troops from NJ, DE, PA, MD, DC, and VA took part.

On March 21, 2020, Jim Chaplin’s 15th Annual NCAC Scout Orienteering Day will be at Pohick Bay; reach Jim at jhchaplin@comcast.net. In 2020 the 44th Annual MD Scout Orienteering Day will be at Patuxent River Park near Upper Marlboro October 24; you’ll find more details (and full results from 2019) at BaltimoreBSA.org/orienteering, plus information via qocweb.org for good orienteering events suitable for scouts on most winter and spring weekends.

Photos by: Stan Turk

Troops 1910 and 2119 Ride 50 Miles for Cycling Merit Badge

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Scouts from Troops 1916 and 2119 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in McLean, VA ready to head out on the C&O Canal Tow Path for a 50 mile bike ride from Cumberland, MD to Great Cacapon, MD on October 12th.This is their seventh ride for the Cycling merit badge after completing two tens, two fifteens, and two twenty-five milers. The Scouts finished their ride in under 6 hours!

Outdoor Ethics Awareness

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The Outdoor Ethics Awareness course is an action & information-packed introductory course that teaches attendees the BSA version of outdoor ethics:which includes Leave No Trace, Tread Lightly, and the Land Ethic. The course is suitable for scouters and mature scouts. We hope as many units as possible are able to send at least 2 scouts and 1 scouter; this will allow your unit to have youth & adult members qualified to lead Outdoor Ethics at all outdoor events and help your scouts & scouters complete some of the requirements to earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness award for Scouts https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/outdoor-ethics/awards/scouts-bsa/ or NCAC award for Cub Scouts http://www.ncacbsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/New-NCAC-Outdoor-Ethics-Awareness-award.pdf

Oct 23 at 7-9pm
Providence Community Center (not RECenter)
3001 Vaden Dr, Fairfax
https://scoutingevent.com/082-OEO19

Nov 6 at 7-9 pm
Westminster Presbyterian
2701 Cameron Mills Rd, Alexandria, Virginia 22302
https://scoutingevent.com/082-31700

By the end of the class, the participants should have:

-Knowledge of Outdoor Ethics
-Knowledge of the Outdoor Code
-Knowledge of how Leave No Trace, Tread Lightly! and The Land Ethic / -Stewardship support the Outdoor Code
-Knowledge of Outdoor Ethics Awareness and Action Awards Program
-Knowledge to locate additional Leave No Trace, Tread Lightly! and BSA Outdoor Ethics resources and opportunities for further training

After this course and completion of the on-line Leave No Trace On-Line Awareness course and Tread Lightly! on-line Awareness course, participants should have enough knowledge to

– earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award
– conduct Outdoor Ethics workshops & activities within their respective units
– lead Cubs & Scouters to earn the NCAC Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award http://www.ncacbsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/New-NCAC-Outdoor-Ethics-Awareness-award.pdf
– help Scouts & Scouters earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness award https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/outdoor-ethics/awards/scouts-bsa/

Invite your Scout & Scouter friends!