We have a problem. I have a friend whom I have know for 30 years. He is an Eagle Scout. I do not believe that he has a political axe to grind with the Boy Scouts. He also has worked for the National Park Service for 16 years in four different states. I forwarded Jim's initial e-mail to him and asked him two questions.
Do Boy Scout troops create problems for you at your park?
Do Boy Scouts have a bad reputation with the NPS?
He answered, "The answer to both of your questions is YES!!!" He wrote a detailed, candid, seven-paragraph e-mail explaining his answer. In all parks, he has had problems, ranging from vandalism and lack of supervision to failure to follow through on Eagle projects.
My friend observed, "My opinion has always been that the fault with the BSA lies with the adults. The leaders were either very good or very bad; there was no middle ground. While I understand the adults are volunteers, I also understand that they are responsible for teaching the boys environmental concepts and how to act while on troop trips. They are also responsible for setting an example, an idea which was totally lost on some leaders (i.e. drunk leaders, leaders acting worse than the kids, etc.) Interestingly enough, I never had these same problems with Girl Scout troops."
My friend concluded, "It does not surprise me that the author had this type of reception from land management agency personnel or lobbyists. In fact, I would have expected it."
We must all take action. We should educate our Scouts and adults and reinforce Leave No Trace camping in our own units. We should reinforce adult supervision. We should urge National BSA to treat Leave No Trace in the same manner as it treats Youth Protection. That is, you must be trained and retrained. You must agree to follow Leave No Trace principals on all outdoor events.
I am sure that I have made mistakes on Leave No Trace while in the field. I believe my mistakes arose from ignorance. So, how do we implement change? How do we make our organization follow the Leave No Trace principles that we, as Scouts, embrace?
David Palmer
Scoutmaster, Olympia (Wash.) Troop 266
Every Scout Absolutely Matters
www.olympiatroop266.com
P.S. I am sorry for the cross posts.
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As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
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Received on Mon Nov 14 20:41:23 2005
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