I'm the Scouter who Broad Guy was talking about. I'm in line to become Outdoor Skills director at our Council Summer Resident Camp. When I got thrown into the position of supervising the Outdoor Skills area this summer, I was told by the staff of that area that they couldn't build anything over 4 (FOUR) feet tall because the Cope people told them they couldn't and it was NATIONAL STANDARDS.
I'm trying to put the rumor mill to bed. I want to know what the BSA rules are. And I'll work out how to stay within them, as long as they allow the BOYS to pick their projects. What I want is the opportunity for the Scouts to pick and execute, under careful supervision, and with safety in mind, any pioneering project that's listed in the more than abundant literature accumulated in Scouting over the past century.
A 5'11" Byrnbach or hourglass tower would be stupid, and would be interpreted as such by the youth. The purpose of Pioneering in Scouting is not to give passersby the chance to clamber up or over stuff, but to prove that with simple materials - spars and cordage - relatively complex structures can be made, which can serve useful purposes and support the builder's weight and more.
Building models isn't a valid substitution. And finding a belay point for a 15' tower in a Pioneering area isn't practical, is it?
Thank you for all weighing in on this issue. The information and opinions will be useful for discussion.
The question still remains: Who, in Scouting, has jurisidiction over Pioneering areas in BSA resident camps? What, in writing, governs Pioneering in Resident camps?
Our quest continues.
Kit Fox
