jackmessick

Wow. I am so glad that Idaho has lousy cell phone coverage :-) especially where the Summer Camps are located. In fact, the camp we went to last year didn't even have telephone service; the staff communicated via radios between each other and with county EMS. I would let new scout parents know that these devices should be left at home. And if they get lost or ruined, that they will not be reimbursed by the troop for the loss, although they can get a "Gee that's too bad!" and a sympathetic hug. jack messick

I worked in the Ecology-Conservation area for one season of Scout Camp. We would offer to take the different troops on nature hikes, that would include plant identification (needed to achieve First Class Rank, if I recall correctly). We had a demonstration called "Incredible Edibles." We would prepare locally edible plants, even fry up some worms. Birch Tea, Sassafras Tea. Japanese beetles, when de-legged and sauteed in butter, are also a treat, believe it or not. In coordination with the Ranger staff, we would complete conservation projects, such as erosion control and brush piles to encourage animal habitation. We had a camp-wide "Catch a Critter" contest. The unit members would bring in various creatures that had to be released ALIVE AND UNHARMED! (this even included fish caught in the lake). They would get so many points for certain animals that they had to correctly identify. The camp also had humane cage-type traps that the boys could set up near their tents and try to lure raccoons or other animals into it. Then the Ecology Conservation staff would go up an verify the animal was caught, and the troop would release the animal. Then we had a "Catch a Litter" contest, where the scouts could write their name on a piece of litter that they picked up (and not taken out of a garbage can!). There would be a daily drawing, and the name drawn would win some little something from the trading post. We would also do a silly skit at the first night campfire. I don't remember much except that the main character was named "Captain E-Con" and had a big "E" on his chest and a cape. As I recalled, he helped some "greenhorn" campers get straight on Nature and Conservation. The basic idea was to advertise the program. It seems like the Rifle Range and Waterfront never have to advertise, but it helped increase our use rate. Still, the most important program is the merit badge program. Look through the entire list--there are a lot of them. The nature area had more merit badge possibilities than any other. Of course, the number one merit badge was Environmental Science. Wilderness Survival and Soil and Water Conservation were next. You might also want to see if National Camp School has a program for Ecology Conservation area directors, and have your Camp Director secure funding for you to go. hope some of this helps, jack messick

I had to cover this for a Woodbadge project, and found the following website helpful. Below the URL is a passage from the website on the Outdoor Code. Whoever put together this website has done a tremendous amount of work, and it's worth it! At any rate, the Outdoor code did not show up until the 1950s, in later printings of the 5th edition of the Boy Scout Handbook (actually entitled "Handbook for Boys"), which was used from 1948 to 1959. http://www.troop97.net/bshb1.htm In addition to other information on conservation, it is the first book to contain a "Conservation Pledge" ("I give my pledge as an American to save and faithfully to defend from waste the natural resources of my Country its soil and minerals, its forests, water and wildlife." ). Later printings expand this pledge and reword it as our present "Outdoor Code" ("As an American, I will do my best to be clean in my outdoor manners, be careful with fire, be considerate in the outdoors, and be conservation-minded."). [it is ironic that the printing where the Conservation Pledge first appears contains an advertisement advocating species extermination. The ad (for Peters ammunition) is entitled "How Doc Peters helped Jimmie track down a menace." After shooting a bobcat, Jimmie says to Doc, "That's one less bobcat to plunder the woods." And Doc answers, "Yes, son, you've helped conservation of wild life."]

You can try any of the major patch dealers/traders. Here are four I have used in the past and been very satisfied with prices and service: The Heart O' Texas trader http://www.hottrader.com/ Brush Creek Trading: http://www.oapatch.com/ Chris Jensen: http://www.streamwood.net Mitch Reis: http://www.mitchreis.com They are all on E-Bay as well. The main problem with E-Bay is that you would likely have to win an entire collection of patches just to get those particular merit badges. jack messick

You might be referring to the quarterly magazine of the International Scouting Collector's Association (ISCA). To subscribe to the magazine, you must be a member. They are on-line at http://scouttrader.org/ don't know if they have back issues or not. It never hurts to ask.

He can collect anything he likes, in a nutshell. People here have already listed Order of the Arrow lodge flaps and Council Shoulder Patches. To get an "entire set" (the definition of which is open to debate) of either is extremely tough and tremendously expensive. It will take decades to do. Some of your ideas, like one from each state, may be a good goal. Or maybe from all the councils in your state. Besides Order of the Arrow flaps and Council Shoulder Patches, perhaps he has a favorite summer camp. If the camp's patch changes year to year, he could try to get the entire set. It really goes to whatever interests him. As a staff member at Lake of Isles Scout Reservation, that is what I started collecting: patches, neckerchiefs, and slides from the past. After going to a National Jamboree, and getting my uncle's merit badge sash from the 1930's, I started collecting National Jamboree memorabilia and merit badges. Hopefully the meeting people is the best part. When it comes to storage, most people use trading card clear pages and notebook binders. However, as someone mentioned, the pages should NOT be made of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), commonly called Vinyl. These do ooze an oil and can ruin your patches. Plastic tupperware tubs are fine, though not really a display method. From what I have been told, the BSA supply patch collection book is not a good choice, as they use pages made of PVC. But that is second-hand information. Good pages can be bought at any good sports card hobby shop. Obviously, you will want big enough pockets, so don't buy the 9-pockets-to-a-page stuff. jack messick

You can try any of the major patch dealers/traders. Here are four I have used in the past and been very satisfied with prices and service: The Heart O' Texas trader http://www.hottrader.com/ Brush Creek Trading: http://www.oapatch.com/ Chris Jensen: http://www.streamwood.net Mitch Reis: http://www.mitchreis.com Sometimes they have them, sometimes not. I have only the one I earned as well, for the wide game event. I even have the orange "H" that was issued to me that morning. The story of how I ended up earning the award is my favorite anecdote from that long, rainy week in August 1977. jack messick

RE: Eagle in KY, According to our group photo, our crew number was 707B-4, so our first day was the 7th of July in 1979. It was my first cross-country bus tour. Back then, military bases used to let us use the WWII-era barracks to sleep overnight.

I was a Scout when the change took place. The uniforms were announced in late 1979/early 1980 (I remember seeing an article in Time or Newsweek), and then released in the fall of 1980, as I wore the new shirt at my Eagle Court of Honor by Spring of 1981. jack messick

The troop I am with now has never had an "official" troop flag. Some time ago, a mother designed and hand-made a flag that pretty much follows the troop logo on our neckerchief. Fortunately, it does have a red and white main field, although it is split left/right rather than the official flag's horizontal striping. At any rate, the boys love the flag, and that is what matters. My bottom line is, there are always alternatives. You don't buy all official camping equipment, very likely, so don't feel pressured into buying an "official flag." jack messick

In my council (Grand Teton Council, GTC), the NYLT staff (youth and adult) wears a reddish-orange beret that they are given. They are military surplus from some other country, not the Boy Scout berets from the 1970s. For Woodbadge, GTC has an custom embroidered ball cap that was given to both staff and students, for free (well, I guess the students paid for them all through the course fees). I think this is the way to go; I am surprised that any course director would put a $90-plus cost on volunteer staff. I am glad they changed their minds about this. Twenty years ago, my home council put on a one week program called Brownsea Double-two. This referred to the island where Baden-Powell first experimented with scouting in August of 1907 (or maybe it was 1908--my mind is fuzzy now), and the 22 boys he brought on this camping trip. In the spirit of the old days of Scouting, the council bought Marine Corps-surplus campaign hats for everybody, staff and students. I don't know what it cost, although I remember the Course Director and the Council's Chief Executive having something of an argument over the cost. Most troops who have hung onto this hat out of tradition find the military surplus as well--no boy can afford a $90 hat. jack messick

I rejoined Scouting about a year ago, as an assistant Scoutmaster of a Troop in the Grand Teton Council of Idaho and Wyoming. I am an Eagle Scout, class of 1981, from the now-defunct Long Rivers Council in Connecticut. I was an assistant Scoutmaster with my home troop as a young man while attending college at the University of Connecticut, where I was also a member of Alpha Phi Omega, Delta Sigma chapter. I spent eight years on Summer Camp staff at the Lake of Isles Scout Reservation in North Stonington, Connecticut. I went from CIT to Program Director. I attended the 1977 National Jamboree at Moraine (should have been "More Rain" as we were washed out) State Park, Pennsylvania. My favorite trip, though, was going to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico during the summer of 1979.