NATURE NOTE - Number 99 August 28, 2024
Introduction:
I’ve discussed a lot of nature topics over the last four years I have been writing NATURE NOTES, and one of the things I have always touched on is the need for scouts to study nature. I know that the scouting program at the unit level gets very crowded at times with required topics to cover, planning for outings, re-charter time, popcorn sales, and on and on. Scout leaders don’t have a lot of time to devote to specific skill training or to even more difficult topics such as explaining some nature topic that the leader may not be very knowledgeable about. But the overall purpose of scouting is to develop young people into leaders and good citizens for the future. So maybe we need to review…
Our current topic: The importance of studying nature
Nature subjects are just like other areas of interest. You can talk to me all day about the benefits of golf and I’m not going to get interested. Period. Some of your scouts will feel the same about nature. And that’s OK I suppose, but I suspect in many cases no one has ever provided them an opportunity to learn about nature. Sure, they will study some “science” in school and learn – at least for the test – certain principles, but has anyone taken them into a site to look at and discuss what is going on around them in nature? Anyone ever encouraged them to ask questions? Pointed out things they have not seen before? Challenged them to find or identify something in nature? Discussed future opportunities in careers in nature or natural resources? You may feel that you may not be the best person to do this, but you might just be the only person available to take a shot at it. I may have written about this before, but nature study is different from other scouting skills such as swimming, woodcarving, knot tying, cooking, etc. Some of these are useful skills, and perhaps they might encourage a scout to become a chef or a swimming coach someday, but nature study is different. Skills are not emphasized as much as understanding the theory, the principles, the relationships, and the importance to life that nature study does. There are constant issues going on around us all involving nature: climate change, endangered species, changes to wildlife populations (they are not all going down), deforestation, erosion, etc. The more we can understand about nature, and how it is all connected, the better we can understand these issues and HOW TO FIX THEM! It seems like all the environmental problem solvers we read about are lawyers, politicians and protesters. If all young people could just spend some time in the woods and learn some basic facts about nature, there would be a much better informed audience for the outcry we hear. There are careers out there in natural resources and conservation that these young folks don’t know about and won’t pursue because they don’t know. I have been told by the folks in the College of Natural Resources and Environment at VA Tech that many of their students transfer into the college from engineering or business or history, because when they first entered college they did not know there was such a thing as studying natural resources for a career. Scouting – and you the leader – can help deliver this message and make scouts aware of what’s out there, help them get excited, or at least somewhat interested, and point out that Forestry Merit Badge may have more far reaching impact than Canoeing or Leatherwork. I’m not advocating that these other subjects be ignored, they are certainly fun, but expose your scouts to other things that might cause some of them to go home and tell their Mom “I want to be a forest ranger”, or “I want to keep a list of the birds that come to our feeder”, or “I’m writing a school paper on different types of fish”. Light that light flame in a scout brain.
Opportunities:
Each scout unit is different and has different resources and opportunities available, but surely, somewhere along the way, you can add some nature study. See NN # 86. Check with parents with backgrounds that might be used in a presentation, or visit to some facility or area. Is there a Virginia Department of Forestry person in your area that could attend a meeting or campout? Can you encourage scouts to work on nature merit badges over the winter? There are chapters of Virginia Master Naturalists all over our council area that would be glad to hook you up to volunteers that could help you. Better yet, sign up to take the course yourself and become a VMN. Just stop on an outing and have the scouts look around. Ask questions. Stimulate their thinking. Point out what you can. I hope NATUE NOTES has provided thoughts on what’s out there you could look for and discuss. Studying nature is important. It often gets overlooked in scouting, schools and society.
Thanks for reading NATURE NOTES today and the last four years. One more NATURE NOTE in two weeks.
Bob Garst
