ShutterbugMom Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a den conservations project the boys could do this spring to complete their World Conservation Award. We are a wolf den with 7 boys. We usually have pretty good attendance, so I would hope everyone will show up. The spring is the hardest due to the popularity and irregular schedules of Little League (my son included!) Thanks for any suggestions....I am really not sure what falls under the topic of "conservation project." Our CO is a nearby church and they may have something we can do to, but since they are only 7 & 8 years old we aren't going to get a lot of hard labor and digging for planting trees and bushes or anything out of them. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Certainly check with your CO. Litter pick-up is often needed in the spring. Your town council or county fish/game commissioner might have a suggestion or two. It's been a heavy winter, so sprucing up around picnic shelters is on everyone's agenda. Some areas just need kids to walk the trails and move sticks/brush to the side. If there's a big trunk in the way, they can mark it's location and report it. 'Round here, Japanese knotweed removal is an ongoing project, and it's fun because they are big plants that pull out easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Another idea: ask the park manager where your scouts play ball if there's something they can do by way of conservation there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagledad Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Call your nearest state park and ask them, they are always looking for help. We typically build bird houses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinole Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 We got the ranger to give us a clean up job at the State Park we camped at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fehler Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Garbage collection is the old standby, of course. But invasive species removal (buckthorn, burrdock) is pretty big, too. My city (Minneapolis, and I know St. Paul has it, too) has a program where groups check out a box of supplies from the public works building. In it are all the tools to go around and clean trash from around storm drains, and stencils to spraypaint "No Dumping: Drains to River"(with fish outlines) on the curb next to the drain. Its a fun hour/two hour project, even if the younger cubs had trouble with the spray cans. The kits come with a map of all the storm drains in the area you tell them you're targeting, and door hangers you can hang to let residents know the whats/whys of the message on their street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fehler Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 How about making (and then distributing) seed bombs of native plants? Or building/maintaining a butterfly garden? Or both, making seed bombs of butterfly garden plants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still No Name Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Check with the local school. They may have a beautification project planned that the scouts can help on. Our pack had boys that went to their elementary school and helped plant flowers, pick up brush/shrub/leaves, painted the wood benches, and helped spread the mulch (with rakes). We've also done the local river cleanup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momleader Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Wolf Dens are great for spreading mulch. Birdhouse building is a great idea - so are bat houses, especially when you have them find out how many Mosquitos a bat can eat in one night. Check with your local Department of a Environmental Protection, they might have a list of ideas waiting for volunteers. Post back about what your group did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dedkad Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 We went the preventative route when it came to conservation. My boys built napkin holders to keep napkins from blowing away in the wind. They donated them to civic groups who hold outdoor BBQ's to help prevent the litter from occurring in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packsaddle Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 We did both the 'cleanup' ideas (mostly around lake shores) and the weed (invasive) removal. The most fun was cleanup because around a lake shore they could skip rocks and have fun discovering what kinds of things drift ashore from boats, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWhiteVA Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 our pack has done a few things - stream cleanup at a local park, weeding flower beds at a local school, and trash pickup at the park. Lots of good options out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShutterbugMom Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Thank you for all the suggestions. I will check with our CO first to see if they have any ideas. I am hoping to find something we can do during our regular den meeting time. If they have nothing, I will check with the school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daped01 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 We met with a local landscaper who talked to the boys about why its important to prune trees. After he showed them the whys and hows, they got to prune trees themselves. they absolutely loved it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSScout Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Check with local Arbor Day Chapter about PLANTING the trees to prune! Many county agencies (parks, road maintenance, "Street Beautiful", etc.) would support a tree or bush or flower bulb planting. Get those hands dirty! https://www.arborday.org/programs/ County Extension agent: http://www.pickyourown.org/countyextensionagentoffices.htm USDA Soil conservation agency: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/ Does recycling count? Check with the county Solid Waste Department. Good Scouting to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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