What is our traditional outdoor values

[bullmoose]

I was looking up another thread on "LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS" and saw the phrase (our traditional outdoor values).

I would really would like to know what these are. Because this is dear to my heart when it comes to outdoor activities. i feel with the new teckno Ipod age we are losing it.

Anyone have an answer would be welcomed.

[BadenP]

So would I bullmoose. Our new Chief Scout Mazzuca has stated on the record that getting a boy camping outdoors in a tent will not be a priority in the BSA of today. Your question should be What were our traditional outdoor values, and you need to read the writings of Baden Powell, William Hillcourt, and others to get your answer. To me simply it is giving the youth a solid understanding and appreciation of the outdoors, and teaching them the skills needed to survive in, to protect and not to fear the outdoors .(This message has been edited by BadenP)

[FireKat]

Bullmoose, your name is a clue to the answer. Read Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919, 26th president of the United States).

I grew up in forests. My dad was a forester who did not believe in the clear cut ideas. He would carefully cut out timber without destroying everything around the area. Many times you could not really tell that trees had been removed. That allowed the younger trees to mature. Now they run over anything too small to harvest and have to wait for new seedlings to start.

Here are a few thoughts I learned running in the forests:

Learn to listen to nature, impossible to do if you have your brain plugged in to an iPod.

Start seeing the trees in the forest. Not just the forest.

Learn ways to live with nature, not try to force it to you. Nature has a bad way of reclaiming what man thinks he can take away from nature.  See levees vs. floods.

Watch the small things, they will show you wonders.

See that it can take years to centuries for nature to heal.  Sometimes never. Walk carefully.

[shortridge]

Adventure, exploration and wonder.

[Stosh]

Remember, you do not live here, you are a guest. If Nature knows you are there, you are probably making too much disturbance. If Nature knows you were there, you probably left a mess. If Nature offers you hospitality, respect it.

 

Stosh

[bullmoose]

Well that's true we are all the keepers of the earth as God set it up. Many don't do a good job.

I guess I found some of the best answers of what camping is to Scouts was from the Harris Foundation Survey. It is a detailed survey of 1000's of scouts and others on the reason, "WHY WE CAMP" and do Outdoor activites. Thanks <

 

http://www.scouting.org/media/~/media/legacy/assets/media/research/02-448.pdf.ashx

I would suggest that all read (CLICK on WEBSITE) this survey taken with over 10 thousand scouts to see if camping is important to the overall BSA program

This is a MUST READ!!!