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| The boys' campsite, squeaky clean after Leave No Trace training. Photo credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
As a child, the love for nature begins with adventure. The
chance to go outside and run around in the grass with friends. The chance to
walk through the woods and cool off in a lake. Making S’mores around a fire. In
the midst of such excitement, it’s easy for kids to forget the value of what
surrounds them. Part of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s mission is to
pass along this love for nature, but also educate the next generation on its
preservation. Last week, on the beautiful San Juan Islands
in Washington State, Boy Scout Troop 351 enjoyed a weekend full of both
adventure and hard work.
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| Practicing kayak techniques for their kayaking badge. Photo credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
The troop’s week in nature was fronted by the ultimate goal
of achieving their biking badges. To earn this, the troops had to complete 25-to-50
mile bike rides and learn the mechanics behind the bike itself. Each morning,
the boys embarked on a journey around the San Juan Islands, some biking almost
60 miles in one day! The hilly terrain made each day of biking a weighty
challenge, but I’m willing to bet the gorgeous, natural views played a role in
fueling those pedals. When the boys and their accompanying parents weren’t
biking, they were kayaking, swimming, bird-watching, fishing, exploring, or
camping. Every outdoor adventure you could name was a part of their week. But
we asked the scouts: what would happen if there weren’t any bike trails to
travel along, no lakes to paddle across, or no fires to roast marshmallows on?
This set of boys already knew the answer to these questions, and were as
enthusiastic to preserve the land that provided them their adventures as they
were for the adventures themselves.
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| The whole group after their beach clean-up at Grandma's Cove! Photo credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
On the third day of the camping trip, the scouts biked their
way to the southern tip of San Juan Island to American Camp
National Park to begin their conservation efforts. After a short history
lesson about the island, the group of scouts journeyed down a short trail to
Grandma’s Cove for the first steps in their USFWS Leave
No Trace training. This cove was a small beach recommended by USFWS partner
Friends of San Juans as the perfect
location for a beach clean-up. This small cove was rarely visited by beach
cleaners and the boys were eager to see what kind of trash they could gather
and clean from the shore. To make their efforts even more exciting, we added in
a citizen science spin and let the boys record data on the beach debris they
were finding and cleaning to be used by the Friends group. As the group
scurried about with compostable trash bags and data sheets, it wasn’t long
before a group of scouts spotted a washed up life raft along the back banks of
the cove. Weighing in at 128 lbs., the life raft looked to be a piece of debris
from the 1960s, according to its label. After about a half hour of
strategizing, the group of discoverers was able to hoist the raft up and out of
the cove with a bit of lifting and a lot of team work! Almost ten full trash
bags showcased the spotless cove we left behind!
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| CPWN team member, Julie, teaches the troop about water contaminants. Photo credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
As the week of camp wound to a close, the troop discussed
Leave No Trace back at the campsite. Hearing that improper care of their camp
site could eventually lead to toxins in the lake they swam in all week prompted
the group to do a full camp clean-up. Recycling stations were set-up, trash was
divided, and within an hour the entire campsite was spotless. Pretty impressive
for a group 20 teenage boys! As the night closed out with kayaking until dusk
(which enjoyably was around 10pm) the group reflected on the connections between
recreation and conservation. Great adventures were had by all, and by the time
the adventure was over, not a trace was left to be found!
Check out all of our photos from the weekend here!
Check out all of our photos from the weekend here!
