FScouter

The national organization offers an individual camping patch for 100, 250, 500, and 1000 nights of camping. The application is included on the Camping Log # 33690A available at the Scout Shop. Individual councils may have other awards. Talk to your local High Adventure team. I know of one council that offers 3 x 4 patches for 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 nights of camping. They are available to any registered member of BSA. If youre interested Ill e-mail you the details and a picture. You can get the patches by mail.

The Insignia Guide says The Philmont bull emblem is especially designed for the red wool jac-shirt to be sewn on the left side above the pocket. It also says that the bull may be worn on the red nylon jacket. The Tooth of Time Traders catalog has a story about the Philmont black felt bull. This Philmont icon originated in 1944 by past Chief Scout Executive E.K. Fretwell. He wanted an outdoor shirt for Philmont with an emblem on it. He asked the General Manager of Philmont to trace a tile of a bull located at the automobile entrance on the north side of Villa Philmonte. The concept was to have the bull separated into three sections: head, body and tail. The theory was to earn each part of the bull after each year of participation at Philmont. This developed into the one piece felt bull shown here. The bull is worn on the left shoulder with the tail extending over the shoulder seam. Contrary to a popular myth, you do not need to hike the Tooth of Time or any other trail at Philmont to wear the bull or to wear the tail over the shoulder.

There is a brochure # 13-032A available from council that discusses LNT for Cub Scouts. The requirements are listed on the back. The national web site has an on-line version. The direct link is: http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/13-032/index.html

The Conservation Good Turn award requires a project. The award is for units. The application is #21-386 and the award certificate is #21-389. The national web site has a blurb about it: http://www.scouting.org/factsheets/02-519.html .

Bob Dylan, Traffic, Cream, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Manfred Mann, The Bangs, X, Ten Years After, Big Joe Turner, Annette Funicello.

I find the old style pants to be very comfortable. They don't have the cargo style patch pockets, but rather have slash pockets like a pair of suit pants. No elastic in the waist either. You can still get them from the supply division on a closeout basis for $25. The phone number is (800)323-0732, or look in the catalog; they're listed on the closeout pages.

I may be naive but I'm still looking at the angle of miscommunication or sloppy bookkeeping. I just can't picture a criminal type attening an FOS presentation looking for an opportunity. When the FOS presentation was made, what was said about paying on pledges? When people walked out of the meeting, what was their expectation about how they were to make payments on the pledge? From what you wrote, this man that paid twice seems more surprised that he got a bill from the council, than he was about someone coming to collect. How did the collector person know where the man lives? From his address on the pledge card? I would want to interview all those involved in the FOS presentation to learn more. I would think the DA would be looking for very strong evidence of a crime and would have a ton of questions.

You might consider asking some of the other individuals present at the pack presentation if they have been approached by someone to collect on their pledge.

To boys that show up wearing a partial uniform: Why do you think it is important for the new Scouts in the troop that bridged from Webelos to wear the uniform, and how can the rest of the troop encourage that? Or do you feel there are good reasons why your troop does not need to wear the uniform? I'm looking for a "set the example" response, or thoughtful reasons why a uniform is not needed. If the boy says that he thinks uniforms are important, I follow up with something about taking actions that match our stated beliefs and point to his partial uniform.

I like chicken & rice with mushroom soup in the dutch oven. Surprisingly, the boys like vegetables with cheese in the dutch oven.

If I were the den leader, I would collect the dues as best as I could, then turn the money over to the pack along with my expense receipts.

Im not sure what an FOS statement is. Is that an invoice prepared and mailed by the council to the donor to get payment on the donors pledge? If that is the case, I can understand the mans confusion. He made a pledge, later someone showed up at his house to collect the pledge, and later still the council mailed him a bill. This could be nothing more than a simple bookkeeping oversight. The first thing I would do is to look at the condition of the FOS bookkeeping. Is it possible that some Scouter collected on a pledge and the mans pledge has not yet been credited? Have other pledges been collected in person by Scouters? Id talk to the DE and the district volunteer in charge of FOS. Are they telling units to collect on pledges? Next I would talk to the man. I would say that we appreciate his support of Scouting. And that we want to make sure we properly account for his donation. Id want to know: Is he or a member of his family a registered member? Is he affiliated with a unit in some manner? Is he affiliated with a chartered organization involved in an FOS campaign? When and how and for what amount did he make a pledge? Does he know anyone else that made a pledge at the same time? When did the man in uniform come to collect the pledge? Does he know who, or from what unit? Did the man have the pledge card with him? Did he pay by check or cash? Was he given a receipt? When he received the invoice, was it his intention to make another donation? I would ask these questions through a friendly conversation that would not make the man think you were doing an investigation. He should only understand that you are trying to determine how he was mistakenly sent a bill for his pledge after he had already paid it, so that it wont happen again. I would then contact the FOS person in the unit he is most likely affiliated with and go from there.

There are a lot of things about Scouting that are hassle. Administering a dues program is one of them. Our troop is now dueing the dues thing and it can be a hassle with dues envelopes, recordkeeping, unpaid dues, and complaints. Some of the boys show up with blank checks from Mom, others forget weeks at a time, another shows up with a $20 bill and wants change, etc., etc. etc. And then there are some boys that pay their dollar religiously every meeting using their nickels and pennies. They wouldnt dream of not paying their dues. They make sure the scribe puts a check in the box next to their name. They are the ones that are learning something about budgeting and responsibility. And because developing responsibility and character in boys helps fulfill the mission of Scouting, our troop will continue to do the dues thing.

We had difficulty with our boys when we moved away from adult directed to boy led. They boys didnt readily understand that if they botched up the planning, then the outing would be botched up. They believed that the adult leaders would step in and save them if anything went wrong. And we proved them right every time we did that! We now have an event planning checklist. It lists all of the planning steps that need to be done, from deciding a location, planning activities, writing menus, etc., to pack inspection and final Scoutmaster approval. Each item on the list has a due date from 1 day to six weeks before the event. The PLC must assign a boy to be responsible for each item. It is my job as Scoutmaster to make sure that the PLC has delegated every item, and that they are completed by the due date. The last item on the list is to debrief and reflect on the event after it is over. That is always done at the very next troop meeting.

Some people seek out training and ask for it. Others will come to your course if you publicize it with a flashy printed flyer, especially if you offer refreshments. Others are willing, but sit back until someone invites them. Still others require that you make a sales pitch and sell them on the benefits. You say some leaders cant come to a training course? Maybe its more difficult for some than for others. So you make an appointment with them and go to their house and present the training on a personal level. Then there is the self-study method whereby you let the leader read and study the training materials on his own time and at his own convenience. Like it says at the bottom of every page of the Leadership Training Guide, Your job is training leaders not running training courses. The manner in which the training is delivered is not what is important. It is the learning that takes place that is what really counts.

It is truly sad when a good scouter is made to feel unwelcome. A good commissioner can sometimes help to smooth things over. But if he is registered in the same troop he's commissioned to serve, it may be difficult for him to offer impartial advice and mediation. Mr. Steele, your compliment is appreciated. I enjoy your participation in the discussions, particularly because of your point of view as a professional.

Silver-Shark It is unfortunate that you lost your commissioner. Your district commissioner will surely work to put your troop with another commissioner. Unit commissioners usually have their hands full with the units assigned to them and aren't generally registered as a unit leader as well. If a commissioner does wear two hats, he certainly should not be assigned to the unit he is registered to.

Charge a campout fee, say $10. Collect the fee and parent consent form a week before the event. Those boys that miss the deadline don't go. Those that pay on time and bail out at the last minute forfeit their fee. It may be harsh, but it should cure the problem. Boys that bail out at the last minute were probably not really committed to go in the first place.

The Guide to Safe Scouting does not require two-deep leadership for any of the five scenarios you listed at the top of this thread. I have never seen in any BSA publication a requirement for two deep leadership for any Scouting activity except trips and outings. That doesnt mean you should feel free to plunge ahead by yourself. There are lots of good reasons for conducting Scouting activities with 2 or more adults. But you wont be violating BSA policy solely because there is no second adult present, trips and outings excluded.

Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh . . .

The Troop 38 web site cited by OneHour is well laid out and there is a lot of good information there. But . . . Be aware that information posted on the internet by individual troops represents the practices of that particular troop, which may or may not follow official BSA policies. This particular troop has essentially reorganized and rewritten the official BSA publication #34505B Troop Committee Guidebook. They have added and deleted to suit the particular needs and desires of their troop. In doing so, some incorrect information has crept in. For example, BALOO training is for Cub Scout Packs, not Boy Scout troops. The committee should not require that troop outing leaders have this training. It is not the function of the troop committee to plan outings. Rather the committee should be there to provide support for the Patrol Leaders Council as they plan troop outings. The Troop 38 site also re-prints the entire Guide to Safe Scouting. However, the version theyre using is five years old and out of date. G2SS has been revised at least twice since then.

Camporees are Boy Scout events. The activities center around skills that are developed in the Boy Scout program. Cubs don't learn Boy Scout skills in the Cub Program. Cubs have their own age appropriate events. Do Boy Scouts feel slighted because they are not invited to Pinewood Derby, Cub Day Camp, Bike Rodeo, or Cub-Parent weekend?

The best document I can think of is the Boy Scout Handbook. It pretty much covers everything the new Scout needs to know up through 1st class rank. The older Scouts, troop guide, instructor, SPL etc. are there to help.

Pack out you poop may indeed be a very desirable practice. Ive stepped behind many a tree only to find that I wasnt the first one. Lots of people forget to bring their trowel. Pack it out may be a good practice in high use areas above timberline where there simply is no vegetation and not even much dirt in which to dig a cathole. The myth is that BSA requires that poop be packed out. The myth is that pack out your poop is a principle of Leave No Trace. What was being reported at our Roundtable was that the principals of Leave No Trace require that human waste must be packed out. A publication was passed out that discussed the seven principles of leave no trace. The flier (which is entitled The Principles of Leave No Trace, BSA publication # 21-105) states Catholes 6 to 8 inches deep in humus and 200 feet from water, trails, and campsite are often the easiest and most practical way to dispose of feces. There is no mention at all about pack out your poop. The Boy Scout Handbook has three pages that discuss Principles of Leave No Trace and catholes, but nothing about pack it out. That BSA requires you to pack out your poop is a myth.

Another little tidbit we "learned" at Roundtable is that to be in compliance with the principles of Leave No Trace, human waste must be carried out of the backcountry. In other words it is not appropriate to use a trowel and squat behind a tree. We were also informed that "very soon" the Forest Service will require that "all" human waste be packed out throughout the national forest system. Add an eleventh item to the list of ten essentials: a big canteen with a skull & crossbones painted on the side.