We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouting Programs

The Importance of Bees

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Robbie S. of Troop 2012 in Sterling, Virginia, had taken an interest in his father’s hobby as a beekeeper. Watching him work taught Robbie the importance of bees in the environment. He learned that bees and other pollinators are vital to plant reproduction and biodiversity. While learning more about these pollinators, he also learned that honey bees are at extreme risk of extinction due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) which is caused by various factors such as pesticides and poor nutrition. Robbie knew that for his Eagle Scout Project he wanted to raise awareness about pollinators and help the local honey bees out with some new bee boxes.

Robbie needed to show his Troop and his community the importance of pollinators to their ecosystem. So he began to research all he could about honey bees, mice, tracheal mites, and other pollinators, and how they help spread pollen. While Robbie was enthused to have found so much information, he was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of it and he had to figure out how to condense it into a slideshow. Once he had completed his slideshow, he recruited some volunteers to begin the process of building bee boxes. They were able to get their hands on a few kits with the help of Robbie’s father and they began their work. After finishing two beehives, Robbie was ready to show his work and spread awareness about pollinators to his community. He explained their importance to biodiversity, and ways they can help on an individual level, such as not using pesticides on your lawn.

Now that he completed his project, Robbie was able to not only learn more about pollinators and how to build bee boxes but how to effectively communicate and organize. There were many steps to this project from emails and agendas to keeping Scouts organized and keeping track of dates which led Robbie to quickly build his communication and organization skills. Even though it was hard work, it was all worth it in the end for Robbie because he was able to spread more awareness about the importance of pollinators.

If you’re interested in learning more about pollinators, you can check out Robbie’s slideshow here!

NCAC Conservation Committee

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The NCAC Conservation Committee promotes an ethic of conservation throughout the Council, providing technical assistance and expertise regarding matters of ecology, conservation, and resources management to all units as well as NCAC property managers. The committee administers the Distinguished Conservation Service Award and provides guidance to scouts and units who want to perform conservation projects or earn conservation awards.

Conservation is an important part of Scouting’s mission. Your unit might practice conservation by working with qualified experts to remove invasive species, plant native trees, reduce runoff into streams or encourage the regeneration of species under pressure such as the monarch or other pollinators. The possibilities are endless, and most parks and woodland sanctuaries have land managers who can help you get started.

The Committee also promotes Scouting’s conservation awards such as:

  • Distinguished Conservation Service Award – The fundamental purpose of the BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Awards program is to encourage learning by the participants and to increase public awareness about natural resource conservation. The goal of this awards program is to encourage and recognize truly outstanding efforts that have contributed significantly to natural resource conservation and environmental protection. https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/conservation-and-environment/conservation-awards-and-recognitions/bsa-distinguished-conservation-service-award/
  • World Conservation Award, an opportunity for individual Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturers, and Sea Scouts to think globally and act locally to preserve and improve our environment. This program is designed to help youth members gain awareness that all nations are closely related through natural resources and that we are interdependent with our world environment. https://www.scouting.org/awards/awards-central/world-conservation/
  • Conservation Good Turn Award, which is an opportunity for Cub Scout packs, Scouts BSA troops, Venturing crews, and Sea Scout ships to join with conservation or environmental organizations (federal, state, local, or private) to carry out a Conservation Good Turn in their home communities. https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/conservation-and-environment/conservation-good-turn/
  • Conservation rocker patch for the National Medal for Outdoor Achievement, which is awarded for service to the environment. A gold device may be earned for each additional 25 hours of conservation work. A silver device is earned for each additional 100 hours of conservation work (for example, the first silver device is earned at 125 total hours of conservation work). https://www.scouting.org/awards/awards-central/national-medal-outdoor/
  • Keep America Beautiful Hometown USA Award – a joint program between Keep America Beautiful Inc. and the Boy Scouts of America. It is designed to give recognition to the outstanding efforts of Scouts in their communities in regard to citizenship and environmental improvement. https://www.scouting.org/awards/awards-central/keep-america-beautiful-hometown-usa-award/
  • Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award – Awarded for completing a certain number of outdoor activities while at Cub Scout camp or day camp. Activities include a nature/conservation project in a Cub’s area. https://www.scouting.org/awards/awards-central/cs-outdoor/
  • National Park Service Scout Ranger Program – The Scout Ranger program invites Scouts of all ages to participate in educational and/or volunteer service projects at national park sites to spark their awareness of the national parks and to provide Scouts with the opportunity to explore the national parks and learn more about protecting our natural and cultural resources. Scouts are awarded a certificate and/or patch. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/youthprograms/scout-ranger.htm
  • Messengers of Peace – A global initiative designed to inspire millions of young men and women in more than 220 countries and territories to work toward peace. Any Scout or Scouter who participates in a project that has had a significant impact on the community in any one of the three dimensions (#3 is ‘relationships between humankind and its environment’) can qualify as a Messenger of Peace. https://www.scouting.org/international/messengers-of-peace/

More details are here: https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/conservation-and-environment/conservation-awards-and-recognitions/

Scouters wishing to promote conservation in their District or Unit should contact Committee Chair Will Rodger at wrodger@outlook.com or their district’s conservation point of contact.

Winter WFA Courses at Camp Snyder

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Get Wilderness First Aid Certified with the NCAC’s own Outdoor Preparedness Initiative (OPI)! Be prepared for a BSA national or local high adventure, your own trip, or just outdoor adventure in general.

OPI’s winter WFA course dates have been set. Check out the dates and register on www.ncacbsa.org/opi-wfa.

 

OPI provides certification from the American Red Cross and offers courses at Camp Snyder in Haymarket, VA. The training is for adults and youth, ages 14 and up.

Make sure to sign up soon, since course sizes are strictly limited due to COVID-19!

Check out some of the pictures, below, from our fall courses!

 

 

What Is the Arrow of Light?

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The Arrow of Light is both a rank and an award. It is the highest achievement in Cub Scouting, and the only Cub Scout Award that can still be worn once a scout enters ScoutsBSA. Adult leaders who earned the Arrow of Light Award may show their achievement by wearing a special square knot on their uniform.

The award design is a yellow arrow with a rising sun. There are seven rays in the sun that represent wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, faith, hope, and love. The symbolism of the award peaks to the heart of scouting – like an arrow, scouts travel a straight path. Achieving the award is not an end, but like a new day is just a beginning. The values represented by the sun are those that form a well-rounded person. Other interpretations of the badge say that like the sun, Cub Scouts should be a light for those around them. Also, the seven rays of the sun represent the days of the week, and serves as a reminder that Scouts should do their best every day.

Very often a Webelos earns the award at the end of their time in the pack, so the awarding of the AOL coincides with the crossover to a troop. These crossover, or bridging ceremonies, recognize the Scouts commencing a journey into Scouts BSA.

No matter how you interpret the award, it is worthy of its own ceremony. There are many different ceremonies developed over the years by different packs. Each is tailored to meet the time of year, and the needs of the pack. My favorite ceremonies have featured campfires, candles, and a reflection on what it took each scout to get to that point. It is a recognition of a lot of hard work, both from the scouts, and the leaders and parents that helped them get there.

Ashburn Troop 997 Ups the Ante with Scouting for Food

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Last summer, Troop 997 Scouts came together to collect food in their neighborhoods to help restock the depleted shelves at the Dulles South Food Pantry. Forty Scouts, parents and siblings worked to collect nearly 1400 pounds of donated food and accrued 100 service hours across the Troop.

Seeking to help restock again after the Thanksgiving holiday, newly elected SPL Martin M. and his ASPLs Andy J. and Joe W. led Troop 997 in their own Scouting for Food effort, gathering over 2600 pounds of food last Sunday for the Dulles South Food Pantry, with Scouts and adults hanging door tags, collecting food, sorting and delivering. “It was great seeing both old faces again and new faces for the first time all working for a good cause, regardless of our unique circumstances”, said SPL Martin M.

Troop 997 has most recently been conducting Troop meetings via Zoom, but remains committed to a monthly, safe outdoor program. Recent activities include a hike to Sky Meadow, a day trip to the Sandy Spring Adventure Park, a day hike at Gettysburg, a better-late-than-never New Scout campout in rural Vermont and an Arrow of Light Invitational field day. Upcoming events include a December ten-miler along the Potomac River, and a ski/sled/tubing day trip in January. Troop 997 meets on Thursday nights, at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Ashburn when safety permits, and over Zoom when weather or health conditions require. Arrow of Light Scouts interested in more information or a Troop visit should contact Scoutmaster Terry Kolb at 703-624-0794 or tkolb118@gmail.com.

Scoutmaster’s Minute: Be A Reflector

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One of the easiest ways to share light with others is a reflector. We use reflectors in a larger variety of safety items, from bike reflectors to reflectors around the lights of cars, to the reflective material used in clothing to make a person more visible to others. Reflectors are passive light systems; they do not necessarily generate their own light, but they enhance the light from other sources. They take the light we emit and they share it back to us, often even brighter.

Sometimes , especially when things seem dark or dreary, we can be reflectors as well. We can recognize the energy, the effort, that someone else is making and to give that energy back to them, even brighter. To say “I see you and I appreciate you”, especially when someone is feeling less than appreciated or alone, or sad.

You might be familiar with the Sanskrit word Namaste’, which is sometimes translated to “The divine light in me bows to the divine light in you.” The practice of Namaste’ is meant to impart that every being has a divine energy; we are all children of the light.

For us, as Scouts, it is a perfect example of the twelfth point of our Scout Law: A Scout is Reverent. We can show our reverence by understanding and respecting the divine in everyone, and by being a reflector to help them see their own light when things get rough.

Namaste’ Scouts.