Meet & greet and information session for Outdoor Ethics Guides
Tuesday 4/25/23 at 7pm on zoom. Join the zoom meeting to meet current & aspiring Outdoor Ethics Guides (youth) & NCAC Outdoor Ethics Committee members and build on your knowledge & confidence in leading outdoor ethics in your unit. For YOUTH. Register for the OE Guide meet & greet.
Leave No Trace Master Educator course
May 14-19, 2023 at The Summit in West Virginia (not in NCAC but close). A major goal for this course is to graduate effective & active Leave No Trace Master Educators who will return to their home council & conduct the key Leave No Trace Trainer courses needed to support their unit, district & council outdoor programs. More info about the Master Educator course. Register for the course.
Outdoor Ethics Orientation courses -in-person in Brandywine, MD
The goal of this 90-minute course is to introduce the concept of Outdoor Ethics in a fun & engaging way to a group with little experience in outdoor ethics. It should help youth & adults at all program levels understand the general principles behind Scouting’s outdoor ethics program.
Saturday 6/10/23 at 12:30-2
Saturday 9/9/23 at 12:30-2
Sunday 12/3/23 at 12:30-2
Outdoor Ethics Guide courses- in-person in Brandywine, MD
This 2 hour course taught by NCAC helps orient Outdoor Ethics Guides to this position of leadership in their unit by reviewing the responsibilities of the Outdoor Ethics Guide position, providing ideas on how to carry out this role, practicing some activities & games, & sharing resources.
Saturday 6/10/23 at 2:30-4:30
Saturday 9/9/23 at 2:30-4:30
Sunday 12/3/23 at 2:30-4:30
Leave No Trace Trainer courses in 2023
9/25/23 at 7pm online & 9/30/23 at 9am in-person in Germantown, MD
(watch for the link to register on the NCAC calendar)
10/16/23 at 7pm online & 10/21/23 at 9am in-person at Camp Snyder
Register for the October 2023 LNT Trainer course
If these courses do not work for your scouts/scouters or if you would like a member of our Outdoor Ethics Committee to lead an outdoor ethics-themed pack or troop meeting, please email your request.
Upcoming events
- Next Roundtable: April 12 – Tell me about Project Learning Tree!
PLT works with Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to provide scouting leaders with ideas and outdoor, hands-on activities to help support Cub Scouts adventures & Scouts BSA merit badges. PLT provides fun & inspiring activities that can help scouts advance! Marnie Lammle, PLT’s South Dakota Advocate, will introduce us to this nationwide program & its instructional materials - Register for the 2022-3 year of BSA Outdoor Ethics Roundtables
Complete this form once for the whole year. Spell out your council name.
Updates from BSA
- Save the Date: National Outdoor Conference Sep 27-Oct 1, 2023 at Philmont
Best practices, games & activities:
- Outdoor Code hand gestures: watch this 13 second Outdoor Code video to learn hand gestures to help you remember the Outdoor Code. Thanks to Paul Schimke for this video!
- Ways to Make Your Trash Cleanup More Sustainable: Any time you pick up trash, you are creating a positive impact, but by incorporating these tips, that impact can be even greater. No matter how you give back, your outdoor areas appreciate you. Read this Leave No Trash blog for tips to make your trash cleanup project more Earth-friendly!
- Take the LeaveNoTrash pledge, then take ACTION: Every year the world generates 2.1 million tons of waste. This April, join Leave No Trace for its international #LeaveNoTrash movement. Together we have the power to make to a difference, remove trash from the outdoors and keep it healthy, protected & thriving. Take the pledge.
- Are you straining your dishwater? Animals are attracted to all the food scraps that we leave behind. Straining your dishwater allows you to capture food particles that you can then put in the trash or compost. That way you won’t be leaving behind tasty tidbits for the squirrels, bears & other animals and you won’t be littering. Buy strainers & practice straining dishwater at your next troop meeting. Read the blog about gray water disposal or watch the video
- Four Ds for your campfire: For best results while creating your Leave No Trace campfire, gather wood using the Four D’s.
Dead: Wood that has been dead long enough to be dry.
Down: Physically separated and down from living trees.
Dinky: Smaller in girth, than one’s wrist or forearm. Easy to break and to burn completely through.
Distant: Wood should be collected 200 feet from camp to avoid firewood mining and the effects of site creep.
