Cub Scout LNT Award being Discontinued?

[ScoutWolf]

Ran across MeritBadge.org saying that the LNT award for CS was being cancelled.

 

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Leave_No_Trace_Award_%28Cub_Scouts%29

 

Seems they have substituted it for

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Outdoor_Ethics_Awareness_Award

 

This is a tad confusing. They say on MB.org that the award is being cancelled, but link the new award to the older ones. Not sure if they have everything in place yet, but I could only imagine it being confusing.

 

Im smelling a new edition of the CS books with all these changes in the next 2 years.

[ScouterAnita]

I hope not. We have a LNT event scheduled for next month.

[kudzu]

They ARE working on new editions of the Cub Scout handbooks, and I've heard that there are some fairly significant changes.

 

You can --- and SHOULD --- still talk about LNT! They're just adding Tread Lightly (mostly aimed at motorized vehicles) to the mix.

 

[Sqyire21]

So..

when are the new books comming out, and what will it do to our programs?

Will all the books change, just one or two, and will they be a phase in date?

 

Since CS programs start on 1 June, I'd like to know what is going on before we start our scouts down a path, and then have to switch gears 1/2 way though the year.

[Faith]

Agreed, we all plan to get our new stuff in June but I do not want to get all that just to have it outdated. Thankfully all of our boys have earned this (those interested in it anyways) but it was a very abrupt end to it (had no idea it was coming, neither did our pack as a whole.)

[Fehler]

I'm guessing only slight changes, mainly with the adoption of the Boy Scout Oath/Law to Cub Scouts. Nothing will be implemented without a long-winded press release to tick everyone off first, at least a year or two before hand.

[infoscouter]

There has been talk for about a year now, that all the Cub Scout materials will be changed in 2015, so we have a couple years yet, I think. The info is buried in the latest strategic plan somewhere.

[Baseballfan]

I hope not. We have a LNT event scheduled for next month.

Anita- please continue with your event. It's an important concept, not just an award.

[Jeffrey H]

Typically in the BSA when requirements change, there is usually a "grace period" to finish up under the old requirements if they are currenly in progress. If not in progress, then they start on the new requirements. For example, boys that started work toward their Bear Badge under the previous handbook would stay with that book until they complete their Badge.

[kudzu]

The CS and BS Leave No Trace Awards are being expanded into new Outdoor Ethics awards: one for awareness and one for action. There's also a Scouter version available. They focus on the BSA Outdoor Code and also incorporate LNT and Tread Lightly (a program aimed at motorized vehicles).

 

BSA is still getting this info out (and onto their website), and the actual awards aren't yet available though they have posted information about them and the requirements to the Outdoor Ethics section of the BSA website:

 

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/OutdoorProgram/OutdoorEthics.aspx

 

I'm working on a presentation for our district's Roundtable about the new awards, so Ive been digging up all the info I can find about them.