We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouting Programs

A Brand New Gaga

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David W. of Troop 291 in Gaithersburg, MD, has always loved playing Gaga, a type of dodgeball game. He especially enjoyed playing at Westleigh pool, but when he heard that they were losing members, he wanted to help improve the facility to help attract new members. So after consulting some board members David began work on creating a new Gaga pit.

Just as David was about to begin, COVID-19 struck and he had to put his plans on hold. So David and his dad decided to prep some of the work needed for the pit, doing as much as they were able to in their garage. Once he could back out to the pool, he was able to touch up the paint on the wood for the pit and begin digging and filling holes to place the sixteen posts that would outline the pit. Unfortunately, once they got near the end three of the posts did not line up. He had to adjust all three beams so they’d be aligned properly.

Once the entire project was completed, David was glad to see everything fall into place and to have had the chance to work with all his volunteers. He felt as if he learned quite a bit, saying, “I learned I am a lot more equipped from my time at Scouting than I thought. Leading up to it, I was very nervous, but once Scouts arrived and we began working, everything fell into place and was extremely rewarding.”

NCAC’s Virtual Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow UPDATED!

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We  have decided to retool this year’s Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow.  Rather than a one day event were you are limited to 6 – one hour course selections,  we have decided to do something new! This year we will have a series of FREE weekly Webinars on important topics  like Rechartering, Family Scouting, Retention and How To have Fun During a Den Meetings! Key topics for Cub Scout Leaders!

We are planning a topic offering each week, held on the same night, at the same time, facilitated by one of NCAC’s expert volunteer trainers on the subject matter just for Cub Scout Leaders.  The schedule will be published in advance so you pick the nights and the topics that you are interested in. Training will be done virtually.

So, we give you back your Saturday November 21 (Pow Wow is canceled for 11/21/2020) , but we invite you to join us one night a week, for one hour, for training that is just for you … the Cub Scout Leader.

Stay Tuned … More Information Coming about the Start Date!

Troop 840G Lives the Outdoor Code in Conservation Project Success

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The Founder of Scouting, Lord Baden-Powell said: “God has given us a world to live in that is full of beauties and wonders… if only we have the sense to look at them in that light.” The Scouts BSA Outdoor Code tells Scouts “To be Conservation Minded.”

Setting a great example of caretaking the gifts of nature and putting the Scouts BSA Outdoor Code into action, Scouts BSA Troop 840 Girls (Troop 840G) conducted their first Conservation Project on October 3, 2020. The Scouts harvested, cleaned, stored, planted, and marked more than 80 Pawpaw and 30 Persimmon seeds.

Troop 840G Scouts, Cristlin F., Sophia W. and Sydney G., led by Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) Paige W. and Patrol Leader (PL) Mckayla W. worked closely with Izaak Walton League’s Alexandria/Stafford Conservation Committee Chair, Guy Cox, to successfully complete this conservation project at the Izaak Walton League property in Stafford County.

This project was important because, although the Pawpaw and Persimmon are fruit trees native to Virginia, they cannot thrive on their own. Pawpaw trees require pollination from an unrelated tree to bear fruit. Persimmon trees generally need a male tree to pollinate a female tree to produce fruit. These factors, combined with the large seeds that are not eaten and spread by animals, hinder fruit bearing Pawpaw and Persimmon groves.

While Scouts BSA activities are always meant to be “Fun with a Purpose”, true success for our Scouts started with prior proper planning and preparation by the SPL and Adult Troop Leaders. Troop 840G Scouts planned and prepared to ensure safety was taken into consideration for all aspects of the project (K.I.S.M.I.F. = Keep it Safe, Make it Fun!) and that all Scouts would be properly trained in the skills and tools needed to succeed.

Fitting the project in with other Scout Skills Campout activities that same weekend made for a tight schedule, but the Troop’s SPL and PL prioritized and adjusted plans to make it work. Scouts worked in teams (Buddy System) to locate good planting areas and properly plant the seeds. Specific knowledge about ensuring optimum conditions (e.g., soil, lighting, dampness, proper seed handling, etc.) were provided by Guy Cox and Troop 840G Adult Leaders provided safety oversight and mentorship. Areas were marked with Purple PVC stakes so Scouts can check on their plantings next year.

While this was Troop 840 Girls first Conservation Project, the Scouts have conducted several community focused Service Projects. These included projects for our Nation’s Veterans in conjunction with Vets on Track, which furnishes/decorates homes with essentials and comfort items for homeless Veterans “Making Houses into Homes” and Black Horse Forge which provides free metal forging classes and forging facilities for Veterans; Black Horse Forge is planning to expand into woodworking too and also has horses, donkeys and chickens for visiting Vets to caretake. Additionally, Troop 840G Scouts have participated in the National Night Out opening ceremony and Scouting for Food.

Scouting Is All Fun & Games!

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Boy Scout Troop 1076, of the Franconia Moose Lodge in Alexandria, Virginia, enjoyed their summer working on the Chess Merit Badge. So, when they finally got outside to hold their first outdoor event, it was their Court of Honor and LIVE Chest Game. Wearing masks and practicing social distancing, the youth designed a massive size chess board under the Moose Lodge Pavilion. The youth and the families were all involved as two team leaders would strategically plan the team’s every move. It soon became a join team effort as the “pieces’ began to help call the next move for their team. Each Scout became a ‘piece” and wore a headband representing their chess character. It was non-stop excitement.

The game was fun, exciting, and very interactive as the Scouts tested their new merit badge skills. An hour flew by until they ran out of time and had to call it a draw! It was a fun filled family event that kept the promise, to “Keep the Outing in Scouting. For the Boy Scouts, being creative is just part of the game!

Hornaday/Eagle Project: Stopping the Invasive Plant Invasion

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As a young Cub Scout, I became interested in invasive plant removal while volunteering to remove garlic mustard with Ms. Holtz and English ivy with Reston Association. My Pack 1530 earned the Hornaday Unit Award. Over the years, I learned more about the BSA Hornaday Award and became interested in one day managing my own project.

As soon as I graduated to BSA and joined Troop 987 in George Mason District, I started working on the required Hornaday merit badges and learned even more about conservation. When I talked to Ms. Sara Holtz about a project in April 2019, she suggested a site in Fairfax County Park Authority Difficult Run Stream Valley Park. I surveyed the site together with Ms. Holtz and Ms. Gloria Medina from the Fairfax County Invasive Management Area (IMA) Program. The area was almost entirely covered in pachysandra and vinca vine intermixed with many other invasive plants (e.g., Japanese stiltgrass, leatherleaf mahonia, Japanese maple, garlic mustard). This area slopes down to a stream, and I noted the overturned trees and eroded stream banks. However, small clusters of native plants peeked through this dense covering. I set a goal of removing the entire area of invasive plants to stop the plants from spreading, to prevent seeds from entering the watershed, to minimize erosion, and to grant native plants space to grow and spread. Native plants increase biodiversity by providing habitat and food to a variety of wildlife, insects and birds that the surrounding community can enjoy viewing.

The first step was to assess the site. I used the iNaturalist app to draw boundaries and started photographing plants that I didn’t recognize. I invited a personal acquaintance, Ms. Leah Oliver, a senior research botanist with NatureServe to help me identify native plants and a strategy for removing the invasive plants. In the Fall of 2019, volunteers spent three afternoons pulling invasive plants. I met with the local native plant nursery Earth Sangha to identify native plants that would flourish on the site, and volunteers planted native plants provided by IMA on two weekends at the end of October 2019. In addition, I went door to door distributing flyers to local residents alerting them to my project and asking them to refrain from planting invasive plants. I also posted signage at the site as well as shared information at BSA troop meetings, on social media, with neighborhood associations, and published a blog article with Fairfax County Park Authority.

The COVID pandemic forced me to cancel my Spring 2020 pulls. By July I was able to resume and had a small group of volunteers pull invasive plants that had sprung up since the previous fall. I organized another pull in September 2020 and had enough volunteers that we were able to expand the original site. At this point, I asked Ms. Medina to help me identify the remaining invasive plants on the original site and used spray paint to mark them. I had a final pull on October 3, 2020 to remove these larger shrubs and trees. On October 17, 2020 I concluded by project by replanting the site with native trees and plants.

Over the 18 months, I had 164 volunteers remove 124 bags of invasive plants and 170 native plants were planted. My best estimate is 417.5 hours were spent on this project. Over 4000 citizens were educated about the importance of removing invasive plants and using native plants through my outreach efforts which included talking to volunteers on site, canvassing the neighborhood, speaking at BSA troop meetings, posting on social media and Nextdoor, writing a blog for Scouter’s digest, and publishing a blog article with Fairfax County Park Authority and an article in Vienna Connections newspaper.

Note: Effective immediately, the Boy Scouts of America is transitioning conservation recognition to the new BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award. Read here for more information.