We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouts BSA

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.

Scouts BSA in the Frederick 4H Royalty!

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Reese Davis, SPL and founding member of Troop 476G, was sashed as the 4H Junior Princess at this year’s Great Frederick Fair. Reese, 13, has been in 4H for four years. She shows Market Hogs, Market Rabbits, and Breeding Rabbits. She also raises turkeys and chickens plus enters baked goods, photography, canned foods, and crafts in the Fair. Her Vanilla Cake with Italian Buttercream won Reserve Class Champion.

Her experience in 4H is helping her work on her Pets and Animal Science merit badges. To earn the title of Princess Reese submitted an application showing her accomplishments and activity in 4H with an essay about how she would help teach more people about 4H in the coming year. She also had a panel interview with judges to talk about why she wanted to be princess.

Her brothers are both in Cub Scouts, Pack 278, and look up to her to learn from her in both 4H and Scouting. Reese is excited to spend the next year active in two wonderful youth organizations helping encourage people to join both.

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

Scouts for Conservation

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Scouts displayed their conservation projects as part of the Sustainable Garden Tour hosted the weekend of June 9 by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. The annual garden tour features homes, churches, schools, and libraries with native plant landscaping, rain barrels, wildlife habitat, composting, rain gardens, and grass-free front yards.

One Eagle Scout presented his Hornaday Badge project and Eagle project to remove invasive plants at South Run Rec Center in Springfield, Virginia. He led an effort to mobilize volunteers to remove invasive vines and plants. Invasive plants are plants that are non-native and spread so quickly and aggressively that they prevent native plants from growing. The Fairfax County Park Authority’s Invasive Management Area (IMA) program coordinates site leaders at over 60 sites throughout Fairfax County.

Another other Eagle Scout discussed his project to remove highly-invasive Japanese stiltgrass at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon, Virginia. He orchestrated several work days for Scouts and the public. During the second phase of his project, he led volunteers to plant common milkweed and other native plants in the area where the stiltgrass had been removed. This project also collaborated with the IMA program and helped the Scout earn the a Hornaday Award in addition to his Eagle Scout Award.

This garden tour provided an excellent opportunity for Scouts to educate the public, advocate for environmental action, and showcase some of the amazing conservation service projects led by Scouts.

Canoeing and Camping on the Shenandoah River

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Last month twenty-six scouts from Troop 58 in Ashburn, VA, went on an outdoor adventure – a canoeing campout! The troop went camping at the Low-Water Bridge Campground in Front Royal for two nights. On Saturday, the troop departed on a 12-mile canoe trip on the Shenandoah River outfitted by the Front Royal Canoe Company.

The troop recently welcomed twenty-one new Scouts who crossed over from the Webelos program. For this outing, more experienced Scouts were paired in canoes with younger Scouts to leverage their knowledge and let them spend time getting to know each other better. Along the way the troop stopped for brown bag lunches on the bank of the river, had water fights, and capsized two of the canoes!

The canoeing campout also helped Scouts meet requirements for the Canoeing Merit Badge and one of the requirements for the Camping Merit Badge by taking a non-motorized trip on the water of at least 5 miles. Troop 58 is also preparing for a Northern Tier High Adventure in July 2020. During the high adventure trip next summer, Troop 58 Scouts will use the canoeing skills they have developed to explore millions of acres of lakes, rivers, forests, and wetlands in Northern Minnesota, Northwest Ontario and Northeast Monitoba.