Author: Michael F. Bowman
Company: Attorney at Law

SCOUTS-L
----------
REQUIREMENTS
AND 
CHANGES
FOR RANKS
& MERIT BADGES

 Date:         Fri, 7 Jul 1995 16:37:29 -0500
From: Gregory Benesh <BENESHG@BAYLOR.EDU>
Subject:      Discontinued Merit Badges

Has anyone yet seen a list of merit badges to be discontinued as of
Sept 1, 1995?  I picked up the information at Philmont, and confirmed
it with a call to national.  They are:
  Botany, Bee Keeping, Consumer Buying, General Science, Machinery,
  Masonry, and Metals Engineering.

Personally, I really hate seeing General Science eliminated.  It was a
difficult merit badge to earn--but it exposed Scouts to a lot of science
disciplines.

On another topic: (in response to Michael Bowman)  I know of no general
BSA policy forbidding patch trading between youth and adults.  There was
a restriction at the '93 Jambo, but I don't believe it ever became a
general policy.  Am I mistaken?

YiS,
Greg Benesh  Dist. Comm., Teha Lanna District, Heart O'Texas Council

Date:         Mon, 10 Jul 1995 15:58:09 -0500
From: Gregory Benesh <BENESHG@BAYLOR.EDU>
Subject:      More on Merit Badges

I have been asked if I have any other information regarding new or
discontinued Merit Badges.  The answer is *Yes*.  It is:
  New Merit Badge:  Agribusiness (This is where you can still keep bees!)
  New MB Names:  Veterinary Medicine (from Veterinary Science)
                 Fire Safety  (from Firemanship)
  New MB Requirements:  No info
  Other:  Alternative rank requirements for Scouts with disabilities
          (Tenderfoot through First Class) -- but I don't know specifics

I understand that decisions to eliminate Merit Badges are based on the
number of times the badge is earned per year.  At some point national
decides that interest has waned.

Regarding patch trading between adults and Scouts, my mail is running
3 to 1 in favor of it being legal except where specifically prohibited.
(Most who believe it is prohibited have commented that it's to protect
the adults from unscupulous youth!!)  Does anyone know where the official
policy can be found?  No one has mentioned it in the mail I've received.

YiS,
Greg Benesh

Bob
Date:         Wed, 19 Jul 1995 08:42:57 GMT
From: Rodger Morris <rodger@FISHNET.NET>
Subject:      On-Line Merit Badge

Some weeks ago, there was a discussion thread concerning electronic
Scouting forms. This thread touched briefly on the concept of putting
merit badge pamphlets into electronic format.

As an experiment, I put the development of my troop homepage on hold and
I put Computers merit badge into Hypertext Mark-Up Language (HTML) and
added it to my troop homepage. It turned out to be a trivial exercise,
even typing the contents manually, vice scanning them. Another Scouter,
Lou Leopold, is scanning the black and white illustrations and pictures
in the pamphlet into GIF format for me, and I shall add them as soon as I
get them.

The troop homepage itself is not even close to being complete, let alone
the Ventura County Council homepage, which is not even started. However,
if you are interested in it, warts and all, you may access it at:

http://www.fishnet.net/~rodger

For the troop homepage, I drew heavily from Alan Houser, Scoutmaster of
Boy Scout Troop 24 of Berkeley, CA. I wish to publically thank him in
this forum for his kind permission to file off the serial numbers and
expropriate a goodly portion of his troop homepage for mine.

Thanks, Alan!!!!

Let me know what you think of the electronic format of Computers merit badge.

Date:         Tue, 8 Aug 1995 18:29:38 -0500
From: Michael J Pagelkopf <mjp2@SPARC.ISL.NET>
Subject:      New Requirements

>From Pro Speak July 1995

"Changes have been made in the Boy Scout advancement program.  The following
changes are effective September 1, 1995:"

**Eight merit badges will be dropped, including Agribusiness, Beekeeping,
Botany, Consumer Buy, General Science, Machinery, Masonry, and Metals
Engineering.

**For Tenderfoot rank, "Show first aid for frostbite and sunburn" will be
added to requirement 11b.

**For Tenderfoot rank, requirement 3b will read, "Demonstrate you know how
to tie the following knots and what their uses are:  two half hitches and
the tautline hitch."

**For Second Class rank, "Demonstrate first aid for heatstroke, dehydration,
and hypothermia" will be added to requirement 6c.

**There will be alternate requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and
First Class for Scouts who have physical or mental disabilities

Alternate Requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class Ranks

1. The physical or mental disability must be of a permanent rather than a
temporary nature.

2. A clear and concise medical statement concerning the Scout's disability
must be submitted by a physician licensed to practice medicine, or an
evaluation statement must be certified by an educational administrator.  The
medical statement must state the doctor's opinion that the Scout cannot
complete the requirement(s) because of a permanent disability.

3. The Scout, his parents, or leaders may submit to the council advancement
committee a request that the Scout be allowed to complete alternate
requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class rank.  The request
must explain the suggested alternate requirements in sufficient detail so as
to allow the advancement committee to make a decision.  The request must
also include the medical statement required in paragraph two above.

4. The Scout msut complete as many of the regular requirements as his
ability permits before apply for alternate requirements.

5. The request for alternate requirements must be submitted to and approved
by the local council prior to completing alternate requirements.

6. The alternate requirements must be such a nature that they are as
demanding of effort as the current requirements.

7. When alternate requirements chosen involve physical activity, they must
be approved by the physician.

8. The unit leader and any board of review must explain that to attain
Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class rank, a candidate is expected to do
his best in developing himself to the limit of his resources.

9. The request must be approved by the council committee responsible for
advancement, using the expertise of professional persons involved in
Scouting for the disabled.  The decision of the council committee should be
recorded and delivered to the Scout and his leader.

Given the recent discussion on requirements this announcement sends me to
the floor in wonderment.  Pro Speak is the professional newsletter of BSA.
What appears above was in the July issue.  As a unit leader have you been
notified?  Gosh, my calendar shows September 1, 1995 to be just around the
corner.  Look again, the word DEMONSTRATE is a part of the requirements.

I have posted the article for your information.

YiS,

Michael Pagelkopf
Boy Scout Roundtable Commissioner
Hiawatha District - Gamehaven Council S.E. Minnesota

Date:         Mon, 21 Aug 1995 21:12:00 MST
From: "Chris Haggerty, Sierra Vista, Arizona" <CHAGGERTY%ARIZBPA.BitNet@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: New Merit Badges/Summer Camp Short Cuts

Bruce,

Archeology, climbing, and Crime Prevention are planned for the  1997
Printing, they may be introducted before then if they are ready.  There are
no new merit badges planned for the current (Sep 95) printing of the BSA
Requirements.  There are however, lots of changes.  Some of the
requirements for the discontinued merit badges will be incorporated into
existing merit badges.

RE: waiving the 90 days to Earn Family Life Merit Badge at Summer Camp.
THIS IS A CLEAR VIOLATION OF WHAT NATIONAL IS TRYING TO HAVE HAPPEN AT OUR
SUMMER CAMPS.  Tell your camp director, program director, to please read
the Advancement Policies and Procedures Guide.  The only group with the
ability to alter requirements is the NATIONAL ADVANCMENT COMMITTEE.  This
is one, even the local SCOUT EXECUTIVES do not have control over.

Page 19 Advancement in Summer Camp clearly states "nothing deleted, nothing
added" for the merit badge programs.

My impressions of how national feels on these issues is based upon my
knowledge of the Advancement Policies and Procedures Guide and my recent
training at Philmont by members of the National Advancment Committee
(inluding John Dairymple).  The above is only my interpretation of National
policy.

Chris Haggerty, District Advancement Chairman,
Cochise District, Catalina Council, Sierra Vista, Arizona
Instructor Trainer for Water Safety, American Red Cross, Ft Huachuca Station
INTERNET: CHAGGERTY@BPA.ARIZONA.EDU       Bitnet: CHAGGERTY@ARIZBPA.BITNET

The requirements for Eagle are mostly trivial, any scout is capable.  Doing
them is what is significant, because most people never finish what they start.

Date:         Sun, 20 Aug 1995 21:39:42 -0700
From: "Chris Haggerty, Sierra Vista,              Arizona" <CHAGGERTY@BPA.ARIZONA.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Proposed new MBs?

R.E.,

That was probably me (although someone else may have posted it as well
beofre I got back form my extented vaction).  The information on the
proposed new merit badges comes from Philmont Training Center.

By the 1997 printing of the BSA Requirements book (they print a new one
every two years)  there are plans to add the following merit badges (and
maybe some others not decided yet):

Crime Prevention
Archeology
Climbing

The eight dropped (in case someone asks again) are Agribusiness,
Beekeeping, Botoney, Consumer Buying, General Science, Machinery, Masonary,
Metals Engineering.

Scouts may continue to get these as long as badge supplies last at the
local council office.

Chris Haggerty, District Advancement Chairman,
Cochise District, Catalina Council, Sierra Vista, Arizona
Instructor Trainer for Water Safety, American Red Cross, Ft Huachuca Station
INTERNET: CHAGGERTY@BPA.ARIZONA.EDU       Bitnet: CHAGGERTY@ARIZBPA.BITNET

The requirements for Eagle are mostly trivial, any scout is capable.  Doing
them is what is significant, because most people never finish what they start.

Date:         Wed, 13 Sep 1995 12:40:22 -0400
From: "Paul S. Wolf" <aa854@cleveland.Freenet.Edu>
Subject:      Revised merit Badge Requirements  (BSA)

I picked up my copy of the Requirements Book (1995-97) and am in the
process of updating the postings here in Cleveland.  When I'm done, I'll
forward a copy to SCOUTS-L for uploading to the archives.  Other archivers
should write me direct if they want a copy.

The following is a brief synopsis of the changes:

Minor editorial changes only:
-----------------------------
American Cultures
Fire Safety  (Formerly Firemanship)
Pets
Veterinary Medicine (formerly Vet Science)
Skiing

Major revisions to the work:
---------------------------
Architecture
Indian Lore
Radio (Amateur only)

First Aid requirement added:
---------------------------
Backpacking
Camping
Cooking
Cycling
Hiking

First Aid AND CPR requirement added:
------------------------------------

Canoeing
Motorboating
Rowing
Small Boat sailing
Swimming
Waterskiing
Whitewater

In a followup post will be the text of the First Aid and CPR requirements
added to the Outdoor and Aquatics badges listed above.

For First Aid, each is virtually identical,
except where the type of activity is listed, and/or where certain
conditions are left out (i.e. Frostbite and Snakebite are left out of the
list in the Aquatics badges)  For Cooking ONLY Burns and Scalds are listed.

The text for the CPR requirement is that which appears in earlier books for
Lifesaving MB.  It appears that (I hope) an editors error was made, as
this was REMOVED from Lifesaving, leaving it the ONLY Aquatics MB without
the CPR req., instead of the only one with it.  Lifesaving is NOT listed as
having any revised requirements, so I assume its just a typo.  Can someone
verify please?

I assume that next summer, the Aquatics staffs at summer camps will teach
the CPR in a class for all MB's, so the Scouts don't have to do the req.
over and over again.  Similarly for the First Aid req.   Any comments?

Date:         Mon, 2 Oct 1995 12:55:04 -0400
From: "Paul S. Wolf" <aa854@cleveland.Freenet.Edu>
Subject:      REVISED BSA BOYSCOUT ADVANCEMENT REQUIREMENTS POSTED

The entire BSA Boy Scout Advancement Requirements Book (corrected thru
September 1, 1995) has been posted and is now available from the Scouts-L
file list.  All of the CURRENT Boy Scout files have a filetype of BSAREQ95.

I've updated the BSAREQ files to include the 1995 changes, and added some
other info from the front of the book.  They are in the same basic format
as last time.  GENERAL is a new file, containing the information in the
FRONT of the book, and the list of current Merit Badge Pamphlets.
All the others replace the files with the same names in BSAREQ93.

Here is a list of the BSAREQ95 files, and their contents:

        Filename        Contents

        BOYSCOUT        Boy Scout Joining and Rank Advancements
        GENERAL         Misc. general info on Boy Scout Advancement:
                        Age limit, Alternate requirements and Merit badges
                        for Disabled Scouts, Service Projects,
                        Introduction to Merit Badges,
                        Use of required badges for Star & Life, and a
                        list of ALL Merit Badge pamphlets with the date
                        of the most recent revision.
        MB-A-B          Merit Badges: AMER. BUSINESS thru BUGLING
        MB-C-D          Merit Badges: CAMPING thru DRAFTING
        MB-E-G          Merit Badges: ELECTRICITY thru GRAPHIC ARTS
        MB-H-O          Merit Badges: HIKING thru ORIENTEERING
        MB-P-R          Merit Badges: PAINTING thru ROWING
        MB-S-V          Merit Badges: SAFETY thru VETERINARY MEDICINE
        MB-W-Z          Merit Badges: WATERSKIING thru WOODWORK
        SPECIAL         Boy Scout Special Activities: Requirements for
                                50-miler Award, Firem'n Chit, Historic
                                Trails Award, Hornaday Awards, National
                                Court of Honor Lifesaving and Meritorious
                                Awards, Interpreter Strip, Paul Bunyan
                                Woodsman, BSA Lifeguard, Snorkling BSA,
                                Mile Swim BSA, Totin' Chip, World
                                Conservation Award, Den Chief Service Award,
                                and information on Religious Emblems.

The Cub Scout and Webelos Scout files have not changed, and have a
filetype of BSAREQ93, and where filename is one of the following:

        Filename        Contents

        CUBSCOUT        Tiger Cub Big Ideas, Bobcat, Wolf, & Bear Badges,
                        and Wolf & Bear Arrow Points.
        WEBELOS         Webelos and Arrow of Light Requirements, including
                        all Activity Pins and Misc. items.

The OLD Boy Scout requirements are still posted with a filetype of BSAREQ93.
These should be used ONLY for those Merit Badges which have been
discontinued, until the stock of Badges is exhausted.

You can get a list of the current BSAREQ95 files (and the BSAREQ93
Cubscout and Webelos files) by sending the following command:

                GET BSAREQ95 $PACKAGE SCOUTS-L

You can request ALL the files by sending a request reading:

                GET BSAREQ95 PACKAGE SCOUTS-L

Note that this request will generate 12 files totaling about 175K of text.

You can also order each file individually by sending a request reading:

                GET BSAREQ95 filename SCOUTS-L

To view a list of all files, send

                INDEX SCOUTS-L

and a master index of all files stored for SCOUTS-L will be sent to you.

All "GET" and "INDEX" requests should be sent to the following address:

                LISTSERV@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU

Each request should be on a separate line in your message.

        DO NOT SEND THESE REQUESTS TO THE SCOUTS-L LIST.
                SEND THEM TO THE LISTSERVER.

PLEASE get ONLY the files you need, in order to avoid overloading both the
LISTSERVER and your own system.  Each of the 7 Merit Badge files is about
50K of text, except the last, and the others are about 20-25k each.

Please send corrections or comments on the BSAREQ93 and BSAREQ95 files to:

Paul Wolf, Sysop                                aa854@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu
The Cleveland Freenet Scouting Center       or  xx348@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu
Greater Cleveland Council, BSA

Please note the following message from Jon Eidson concerning the MB-P-R file:
        =================
        Hi Paul ...

        It appears I messed up on MB-P-R file.  Please resend it.
        Of course the "MB-P-R" will be small until I get the new file.

        Jon
        ===================
I sent the corrected file at around 11:00 am EDT on 10/2/95,
so Jon should have it up within a day or two.  (He's on vacation)

--
         The Scouting Center SIG on the Cleveland Freenet
               Serving the Greater Cleveland Council
                   and the Boy Scouts of America
                    xx348@Cleveland.Freenet.edu

--
Paul S. Wolf, P.E.                              aa854@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu
        Traffic Engineer, Cuyahoga County Engineer's Office
        SIGOP, The Scouting Center on The Cleveland Freenet
        Honorary Pres., Great Lakes Region, Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs

Date:         Thu, 19 Oct 1995 19:17:13 -0400
From: "Bruce E. Cobern" <bec@PIPELINE.COM>
Subject:      Discontined MBs and Other Items (Long)

On Oct 18, 1995 22:34:18, I wrote:

>I am going to come down on the other side of this.  I know there is some
>ambiguity but I believe the answer is no.

Well, I followed up my post with a call to John Dalrymple, the staff
advisor to the National Committee on Advancement.  Here is a report of the
various items covered in my conversation:

First, according to the advancement committee the rule about discontinued
mb's is the same as the rule they have always followed, ie.:  Any Scout who
has commenced working on one of the discontinued badges prior to 9/1/95 may
continue to work on the mb until his 18th birthday.  Scouts may NOT begin
working on these badges after 9/1/95.

I mentioned that I recalled reading something in Scouting Magazine (I
believe, because I can't put my finger on it, can anybody help?) which
could lead one to believe that a Scout could work on these badges until
supplies ran out, regardless of when he started on the badge.  I was told
that nothing that came from the advancement committee said that and the
possibility was offered that it was in response to a letter to the editor
of Scouting, the answer to which might not have been checked with the
committee.  Was it?

I was told (part of my conversation was with an assistant or secretary in
the office, before John got back to his desk) that an attempt would be made
to make sure that future change announcements included this policy.

Second, I asked about Scouts that already had Swimming MB (without CPR) and
will now work on Lifesaving MB (also without CPR).  I asked if there was
any transition policy and John said there wasn't. However he indicated that
I was the first person to ask that question and that this had not been
considered by the committee and was probably an oversight.  He said he
would discuss the question with the committee but at present these Scouts
have just "fallen between the cracks" and hopefully will encounter CPR
training in connection with another part of the program.  Nothing sinister
here, just an oversight.  I also pointed out that if the rationale for
eliminating CPR from Lifesaving was that it was included in Swimming, then
the same rationale would apply to Whitewater, which requires Canoeing, and
CPR could be eliminated there.  He agreed, another oversight.

Third, I indicated there were rumors that mb's would be added before 9/97,
the next scheduled revision date for the Requirements Book.  His answer was
that this was true and that Crime Prevention and Archaeology MB's would
probably be released in 1996.  He did, however, say that the committee had
decided to revise the book annually and there would be a 96-97 version out
next summer, in spite of the indication that the current book runs through
8/97.  The new mb's will probably be introduced then, although I got the
impression that it could be earlier.

Fourth, Crime Prevention and Climbing (to include both climbing and
rapelling) are scheduled for release in 1997.

Finally, in case anybody had noticed that while 7 of the 8 discontinued
mb's have been eliminated from the new Advancement Chart and Insignia
Guide, Agribusiness still appears in both.  I confirmed with John that,
just as originally posted on the 'net', the original list to be dropped was
only 7 and Agribusiness was the last mb added to the list.  (I just wanted
to confirm that I was not going crazy.  :-) )  John mused that this might
have been because the chairman of the committee, in addition to being an
attorney, was also involved in agriculture. <vbg>.

Well, that's it from the National Office on the advancement front.  Sorry
for the length of the post but I hope you find it interesting.

--
Bruce E. Cobern
Advancement Chairman, Dan Beard District, Queens Council, NY

Date:         Fri, 20 Oct 1995 18:44:39 -0400
From: "Bruce E. Cobern" <bec@PIPELINE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Discontined MBs
X-To:         "Chris Haggerty,Sierra Vista,Arizona" <CHAGGERTY@BPA.ARIZONA.EDU>

On Oct 19, 1995 13:00:56, '"Chris Haggerty, Sierra Vista,
Arizona" <CHAGGERTY@BPA.ARIZONA.EDU>' wrote:

>Bruce,
>
>I was going to let this one lay because the first post was basically correct. You
>can continue to work on the merit badges.  When asked, what happens when
the >badges run out and the scout wants to get the badge anyway, the answer was

>basically, do what you want, we really have not given it much thought. The
>official policy I got from Philmont this Summer was very close to what was

>stated.  This is the policy statement straight from the horses mouth. John as
>well as several members of the National Advancement Committee were there. You
>can continue to work on the badges.  Local councils may discourage this, but it
>is a National Award and a National Policy.  They can not change it.

Chris:

I don't know which "continue to work on" post you are referring to, but
John specifically told me YESTERDAY that you can only continue to work on
it IF you had begun working on it prior to 9/1.  After that the MB does not
exist so it cannot be begun.  If it has already been started the Scout can
continue to work on it until his 18th birthday.  This is in conformity with
the policy that has been used in each of the last 3 or 4 changes, at least.

Please see my post from yesterday which contains more details about my
discussion yesterday with John.

--
Bruce E. Cobern
Advancement Chairman, Dan Beard District, Queens, NY

Date:         Thu, 25 Jan 1996 21:41:32 -0500
From: "Norman J. MacLeod" <gaelwolf@SSNET.COM>
Subject:      My Concerns With BSA's Wildernsess Survival Merit Badge

I ve been asked to be a counselor for the BSA s Wilderness Survival
Merit Badge. After taking a good look at the requirements and the
materials presented in the merit badge pamphlet, I am somewhat
concerned as to the level of training expected of the Scouts
working on earning the badge. While the training is sufficient for
someone who will never be too far from civilisation, there are some
very significant deficiencies for someone who will actually be out
in a true wilderness area.

The five Scouts who are taking the badge with me are quite
experienced as Scouts, and are all fairly capable in backcountry
skills. I discussed my concerns with them, and they agreed that it
would be better to have more training in survival skills than those
required by the badge. They are all interested in the subject,
since they are motivated toward wilderness adventures, which their
Troop will be doing in the coming years.

I will sign their "blue" cards once they have met the BSA s
requirements, but we will be continuing the training throughout the
coming year, so that we get some experience for them in all seasons
and a variety of terrain types and vegetation zones.

Now, I realise that we are not intended to turn thes  Scouts into
survival education specialist in the course of earning the badge.
However, the materials and requirements supplied would seem to
provide a Scout with the idea that he has learned all he needs to
know about survival. In reality, though, I fear that the knowledge
gained will often be enough to give him a false sense of security
and may actually be enough to get him into real trouble, were he to
enter a survival situation without anyone else around. What the
badge is more appropriate for is training a Scout to the point
where he would be a real help in a group survival situation where
there was a more skilled person on hand to provide leadership and
added expertise.

Let s go to the badge s requirements, and I will explain my concerns
where they exist...

===================================

        1.      From memory, describe the priorities for survival in
                a backcountry or wilderness location.

When I look at the text in the pamphlet, I am left with the feeling
that there just isn t enough "meat" to the learning required. You
see, every survival situation is different. While there is a small
core of absolutely essential priorities, they are not always
prioritised the same. For instance, locating a good source of water
may be the first priority in the summer, especially if the weather
is hot and you are running low on your water supply. On the other
hand, it will likely come in third behind shelter and heat in the
midst of a winter snowstorm.

I really think that someone who may actually have to use these
skills will also need to have the training that will firmly instill
a set of sequences to be followed for the widest possible group of
scenarios for different times of the year and different types of
wilderness. While it takes a little more time and effort to learn
this, that time spent now can mean the difference between life and
death a few weeks, months, or years from now.

        2.      Describe ways to (a) avoid panic and (b) maintain a
                high level of morale when lost.

Definitely can t argue with this! However, it would be nice if there
was a bit more text on the subject in the pamphlet. Of course, I
understand that a lot of this has to come from the counselor, but I m
afraid that there are not many counselors at a summer camp that will
have the depth of experience to really be able to help the Scouts
learn how to put together some really effective individual coping
strategies that will stand them in good stead in high-stress survival
situations. It s not all that difficult to do - providing you have
the background to be able to teach them how to develop their own
techniques for doing this for themselves and the others around them.

        3.  Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses
                likely to occur in backcountry outings, including
                hypothermia, hyperthermia, heat stroke, heat
                exhaustion, frostbite, dehydration, sunburn, stings,
                ticks, snakebite, blisters, and hyper-ventilation.

You know what? These are some of the most difficult types of medical
problems to deal with at any time, and are even harder to work with
in remote area situations. There are some real sneaky killers here,
especially the heat and cold illness/syndrome problems. Most of them
have more to do with prevention than with actual treatment, but you
also should know how to detect the earliest possible warning signs
that some of these situations are developing. There isn t a lot of
information on dealing with these in the pamphlet, so this is again
something that is going to have to come from the counselor. How much
do you know about these things yourself?

        4.      Tell what you would do to survive in the following
                environments:
                        (a) Cold and snowy
                        (b) Wet (forest)
                        (c) Hot and dry (desert)
                        (d) Windy (mountains or plains)
                        (e) Water (ocean or lake)

Fairly diverse set of situations. But, what about hot and humid
environments, like those you can so easily get in the southeastern
part of the USA? You can develop heat emergencies much more rapidly
in this kind of environment than you can in the desert southwest

In the north, a more common instant survival situation could easily
involve falling through thin ice on a pond or stream. How much do you
know about the gasp reflex for someone who has a major portion of the
body immersed in really cold water - and how dangerous this can be
for your continued well-being? Do you know whether it is safer to
remain in the cold water or to get out into the cold air - and why?
These are basic things I want my kids to know from their earliest
ages, since I grew up in the north and went through ice a time or two
myself. I knew how to deal with it, but only a tiny minority of the
kids around here have ever been taught what to do.

What I think is called for here is a more comprehensive list in the
requirement, coupled with an emphasis from the counselor on the full
range of survival environments for the region you live in.

        5.      Make up a small survival kit and be able to explain
                how each item in it is useful.

Great! But wouldn t it be nice if the pamphlet included a few
suggested survival kit essentials lists?

        6.      Show that you can start fires using three methods
                other than matches.

We ll be doing that, but you can bet we will be working with more
than three ways to do it. Knowing only three methods, while it is
helpful, again will not cover a very wide range of situations. I d
rather they tried out at least ten different methods often enough
that they will have a good chance of success in getting a fire
going in any environment where there is some kind of fuel to burn.

                7.      Do the following:
                        (a) Tell five different ways of attracting
                                attention when lost.
                        (b) Show how to use a signal mirror to
                                attract attention when lost.
                        (c) From memory, describe five international
                                ground-to-air signals and tell what
                                they mean.

I d like (a) to include the word "demonstrate" in place of the word
"tell". I d also replace the words "from memory, describe" with
"demonstrate". Actually making and using all the available signaling
resources is  afar better teacher than reading and telling about
them. You can work with your local authorities who have the local
responsibility for search and rescue (SAR) to set up controlled
situations where the Scouts can work with the various signaling
methods and materials.

        8.      Show that you can find and improvise a natural
                shelter minimizing the damage to the environment.

Good enough. That s what we will do. The pamphlet has some pretty
good illustrations and descriptions of a few types of shelters.
However, we could do with a treatment on how to improvise the tools
needed to make them  Again, this is something that we will be
stretching out a bit, since there are different types of shelters
for different environments and seasons.

I would, however, have preferred that the phrasing about minimising
environmental damage have been left in the pamphlet s text, and out
of the requirement. I would hate to have that phrase stick out in
anyone s mind in a real survival situation. While environmental
protection is admirable in all cases, it has to take second seat to
the needs of the survivor.

        9.  Spend a night in your shelter.

We ll be doing this in a number of different types of shelters. Of
course, we will count the requirement as "passed" in a couple of
weeks when they sleep in their own shelters for the first time.
However, I would like them to get to the point where they will be
able to do so with far more comfort than they are likely to enjoy
on their first few attempts.

        10.  Explain how to protect yourself against insects,
                reptiles, rodents, and bears.

OK - but let s remember that a lot of those same critters are
actually food!

        11.  Show three ways to purify water.

How about ten different ways to collect enough water to have to
purify it?

        12.  Show that you know the proper clothing to be worn in
                your area on an overnight in extremely hot weather
                and extremely cold weather.

...not to mention wet weather in any temperature! How about
something on the variety of ways to keep the clothing you are not
wearing from getting wet?

        13.     Explain why it usually is not wise to eat edible
                wild plants or wildlife in a wilderness survival
                situation.

OK, I ll admit it. This one REALLY bothers me! This is likely based
on the idea that most people in survival situations are found within
three days. However, I would like to point out that there are a lot
of areas in North America where situations can easily develop in such
a manner as to prevent the launch of a SAR operation to find you.
Have you ever been in the Pacific west when the fog and rain rolled
in and didn t leave for the next ten days? People who live in those
coastal regions know what I m talking about, here!

Have you ever seen a western forest from the air? The rain, snow, or
fog will eventually clear, regardless of how long it takes. If it
were to be one of the ten-day ground-hiders, though, you will have
needed to be eating something on a reasonably regular basis, even if
it s nothing more than a few recognisable plants, some worms and
grubs, with the occasional small animal, bird, or fish added in for
tastier variety.

Once you hear a plane that might be looking for you, you will need
to get your signal fires going pretty quick. Thing is, the wood may
be really wet and hard to start, and the plane might well be long
gone before you get smoke into the air. The area has been
"searched" and you weren t seen...

The last requirement makes some sense for the densely populated
eastern areas, where all you really need to do in many areas is to
hike a straight line until you come to a traveled road. It makes
far less sense for those regions where it can be more than fifty
miles to the nearest road in active use.

Now, it may seem that I expect too much for the merit badge, but I
am working with kids who are going to be going on wilderness trips.
I think it is simply too dangerous to let them go out there
half-trained. Yes, they will be with a group when they go with us,
but these are folks who are likely to also be doing wilderness
adventuring on their own or with just a couple of friends along in
the coming years. I think it would be irresponsible of me to stop
at the line these requirements define - not to mention the possible
liability issues of not ensuring a reasonable level of competency
based on our projected programme.

I really think the BSA s Risk Management Team needs to take a REAL
close look at the way this badge is presently set up. I can foresee
significant legal liability problems for the corporation on the day
a Scout who holds the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge fails to
survive after becoming separated from a BSA sanctioned backpacking
trip and fails to survive the challenge. It wouldn t take much of a
lawyer to win a bundle, especially if the Scout isn t found for a
couple of weeks and there is reason to believe he didn t at least
try to become a basic hunter-gatherer from the beginning of the
situation.

Well, now we are open for some discussion. I hope that many of you,
both from urban and rural areas, will weigh in with your opinions and
experiences. I know there are some who will feel that the training
included in the badge is more than sufficient - and that there are
some who will at least basically agree with me. I think this will
make for a valuable thread for those who wish to pick it up and run
with it.

        Norman

Date:         Fri, 26 Jan 1996 10:45:32 -0800
From: Warren Williams <warrenw@FELIX.TECLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: My Concerns With BSA's Wildernsess Survival Merit Badge

I don't think the purpose of a earning Wilderness Survival merit badge is
to make the Scout an expert on survival, any more than a scout who earns
Dentistry mb is qualified to set up shop as a dentist. I think the
requirements for merit badges give a basic knowledge of the subject and
leave the Scout with an idea of where he can learn more, if he is
interested.

If the requirements are toughened, then some Scouts will be put off by
the difficulty of the merit badge and will never attempt it. Lifesaving
is a good example. I've seen summer camps that add to the requirements
for Lifesaving so that Scouts see it as one that only the top athletes
should even attempt; if the requirements were followed, a lot more Scouts
would be exposed to and benefit from the material.

The scouts in my troop have really taken to Wilderness Survival; we've
made is part of a venture program several times over the past 10 years.
The work on the merit badge whets their appetite and they are eager to
learn more.

As far as treks into "wilderness" type settings, I wouldn't rely on merit
badges, but on demonstrated knowlege of how to handle various situations.
The more remote/rugged/inaccessible the wilderness area, the greater the
level of knowledge I would expect/require before a Scout can go on the
trek. Just because a patrol wants to go somewhere and have a
particular set of merit badges doesn't mean I will take them. I consider
it my responsibility to weigh the risks involved before approving their
plan. If I'm not comfortable with the level of risk, the size of the
group, and/or the experience level of any member of the group, I won't
hesitate to veto the plan and/or suggest alternatives.

I've sort of wandered around here, I hope you understand what I'm trying
to say here...!

YiS,
Warren Williams
Chairman, Camp Promotion and Outdoor Committee
Eastern District, Andrew Jackson Council
warrenw@teclink.net
http://members.aol.com/ajxnbsa/eastern/

Date:         Wed, 10 Jan 1996 00:07:40 -0500
From: Ed Henderson <BigEdBSA@aol.com>
Subject:      New Merit Badge in Crime Prevention to be kicked off in May 1996
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

HOT OFF THE
PRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!

For all of those who morn the passing of Botany, Consumer Buying, General
Science & such, and were even more disapointed that no new badges were
intorduced.....here comes the first replacement:

CRIME PREVENTION MERIT BADGE:

The BSA will launch a national crime prevention program in May 1996; the
initiative will be unveiled at the 1996 National Annual Meeting.  In
addition, a Crime Prevention merit badge will be introduced.  The program
will kick off during National Crime Prevention Month in October.  Preparation
and input for the new merit badge has come from many sources: National Crime
Prevention Council, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National
Sheriff's Association, U.S. Inspector General's Office, U.S. Department of
Defense, International Juvenile Officer's Association, and the International
Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners.

Date:         Thu, 25 Jan 1996 21:41:32 -0500
Reply-To: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Sender: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
From: "Norman J. MacLeod" <gaelwolf@SSNET.COM>
Subject:      My Concerns With BSA's Wildernsess Survival Merit Badge
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Status: RO
X-Status: 

I ve been asked to be a counselor for the BSA s Wilderness Survival
Merit Badge. After taking a good look at the requirements and the
materials presented in the merit badge pamphlet, I am somewhat
concerned as to the level of training expected of the Scouts
working on earning the badge. While the training is sufficient for
someone who will never be too far from civilisation, there are some
very significant deficiencies for someone who will actually be out
in a true wilderness area.

The five Scouts who are taking the badge with me are quite
experienced as Scouts, and are all fairly capable in backcountry
skills. I discussed my concerns with them, and they agreed that it
would be better to have more training in survival skills than those
required by the badge. They are all interested in the subject,
since they are motivated toward wilderness adventures, which their
Troop will be doing in the coming years.

I will sign their "blue" cards once they have met the BSA s
requirements, but we will be continuing the training throughout the
coming year, so that we get some experience for them in all seasons
and a variety of terrain types and vegetation zones.

Now, I realise that we are not intended to turn thes  Scouts into
survival education specialist in the course of earning the badge.
However, the materials and requirements supplied would seem to
provide a Scout with the idea that he has learned all he needs to
know about survival. In reality, though, I fear that the knowledge
gained will often be enough to give him a false sense of security
and may actually be enough to get him into real trouble, were he to
enter a survival situation without anyone else around. What the
badge is more appropriate for is training a Scout to the point
where he would be a real help in a group survival situation where
there was a more skilled person on hand to provide leadership and
added expertise.

Let s go to the badge s requirements, and I will explain my concerns
where they exist...

===================================

        1.      From memory, describe the priorities for survival in
                a backcountry or wilderness location.

When I look at the text in the pamphlet, I am left with the feeling
that there just isn t enough "meat" to the learning required. You
see, every survival situation is different. While there is a small
core of absolutely essential priorities, they are not always
prioritised the same. For instance, locating a good source of water
may be the first priority in the summer, especially if the weather
is hot and you are running low on your water supply. On the other
hand, it will likely come in third behind shelter and heat in the
midst of a winter snowstorm.

I really think that someone who may actually have to use these
skills will also need to have the training that will firmly instill
a set of sequences to be followed for the widest possible group of
scenarios for different times of the year and different types of
wilderness. While it takes a little more time and effort to learn
this, that time spent now can mean the difference between life and
death a few weeks, months, or years from now.

        2.      Describe ways to (a) avoid panic and (b) maintain a
                high level of morale when lost.

Definitely can t argue with this! However, it would be nice if there
was a bit more text on the subject in the pamphlet. Of course, I
understand that a lot of this has to come from the counselor, but I m
afraid that there are not many counselors at a summer camp that will
have the depth of experience to really be able to help the Scouts
learn how to put together some really effective individual coping
strategies that will stand them in good stead in high-stress survival
situations. It s not all that difficult to do - providing you have
the background to be able to teach them how to develop their own
techniques for doing this for themselves and the others around them.

        3.  Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses
                likely to occur in backcountry outings, including
                hypothermia, hyperthermia, heat stroke, heat
                exhaustion, frostbite, dehydration, sunburn, stings,
                ticks, snakebite, blisters, and hyper-ventilation.

You know what? These are some of the most difficult types of medical
problems to deal with at any time, and are even harder to work with
in remote area situations. There are some real sneaky killers here,
especially the heat and cold illness/syndrome problems. Most of them
have more to do with prevention than with actual treatment, but you
also should know how to detect the earliest possible warning signs
that some of these situations are developing. There isn t a lot of
information on dealing with these in the pamphlet, so this is again
something that is going to have to come from the counselor. How much
do you know about these things yourself?

        4.      Tell what you would do to survive in the following
                environments:
                        (a) Cold and snowy
                        (b) Wet (forest)
                        (c) Hot and dry (desert)
                        (d) Windy (mountains or plains)
                        (e) Water (ocean or lake)

Fairly diverse set of situations. But, what about hot and humid
environments, like those you can so easily get in the southeastern
part of the USA? You can develop heat emergencies much more rapidly
in this kind of environment than you can in the desert southwest

In the north, a more common instant survival situation could easily
involve falling through thin ice on a pond or stream. How much do you
know about the gasp reflex for someone who has a major portion of the
body immersed in really cold water - and how dangerous this can be
for your continued well-being? Do you know whether it is safer to
remain in the cold water or to get out into the cold air - and why?
These are basic things I want my kids to know from their earliest
ages, since I grew up in the north and went through ice a time or two
myself. I knew how to deal with it, but only a tiny minority of the
kids around here have ever been taught what to do.

What I think is called for here is a more comprehensive list in the
requirement, coupled with an emphasis from the counselor on the full
range of survival environments for the region you live in.

        5.      Make up a small survival kit and be able to explain
                how each item in it is useful.

Great! But wouldn t it be nice if the pamphlet included a few
suggested survival kit essentials lists?

        6.      Show that you can start fires using three methods
                other than matches.

We ll be doing that, but you can bet we will be working with more
than three ways to do it. Knowing only three methods, while it is
helpful, again will not cover a very wide range of situations. I d
rather they tried out at least ten different methods often enough
that they will have a good chance of success in getting a fire
going in any environment where there is some kind of fuel to burn.

                7.      Do the following:
                        (a) Tell five different ways of attracting
                                attention when lost.
                        (b) Show how to use a signal mirror to
                                attract attention when lost.
                        (c) From memory, describe five international
                                ground-to-air signals and tell what
                                they mean.

I d like (a) to include the word "demonstrate" in place of the word
"tell". I d also replace the words "from memory, describe" with
"demonstrate". Actually making and using all the available signaling
resources is  afar better teacher than reading and telling about
them. You can work with your local authorities who have the local
responsibility for search and rescue (SAR) to set up controlled
situations where the Scouts can work with the various signaling
methods and materials.

        8.      Show that you can find and improvise a natural
                shelter minimizing the damage to the environment.

Good enough. That s what we will do. The pamphlet has some pretty
good illustrations and descriptions of a few types of shelters.
However, we could do with a treatment on how to improvise the tools
needed to make them  Again, this is something that we will be
stretching out a bit, since there are different types of shelters
for different environments and seasons.

I would, however, have preferred that the phrasing about minimising
environmental damage have been left in the pamphlet s text, and out
of the requirement. I would hate to have that phrase stick out in
anyone s mind in a real survival situation. While environmental
protection is admirable in all cases, it has to take second seat to
the needs of the survivor.

        9.  Spend a night in your shelter.

We ll be doing this in a number of different types of shelters. Of
course, we will count the requirement as "passed" in a couple of
weeks when they sleep in their own shelters for the first time.
However, I would like them to get to the point where they will be
able to do so with far more comfort than they are likely to enjoy
on their first few attempts.

        10.  Explain how to protect yourself against insects,
                reptiles, rodents, and bears.

OK - but let s remember that a lot of those same critters are
actually food!

        11.  Show three ways to purify water.

How about ten different ways to collect enough water to have to
purify it?

        12.  Show that you know the proper clothing to be worn in
                your area on an overnight in extremely hot weather
                and extremely cold weather.

...not to mention wet weather in any temperature! How about
something on the variety of ways to keep the clothing you are not
wearing from getting wet?

        13.     Explain why it usually is not wise to eat edible
                wild plants or wildlife in a wilderness survival
                situation.

OK, I ll admit it. This one REALLY bothers me! This is likely based
on the idea that most people in survival situations are found within
three days. However, I would like to point out that there are a lot
of areas in North America where situations can easily develop in such
a manner as to prevent the launch of a SAR operation to find you.
Have you ever been in the Pacific west when the fog and rain rolled
in and didn t leave for the next ten days? People who live in those
coastal regions know what I m talking about, here!

Have you ever seen a western forest from the air? The rain, snow, or
fog will eventually clear, regardless of how long it takes. If it
were to be one of the ten-day ground-hiders, though, you will have
needed to be eating something on a reasonably regular basis, even if
it s nothing more than a few recognisable plants, some worms and
grubs, with the occasional small animal, bird, or fish added in for
tastier variety.

Once you hear a plane that might be looking for you, you will need
to get your signal fires going pretty quick. Thing is, the wood may
be really wet and hard to start, and the plane might well be long
gone before you get smoke into the air. The area has been
"searched" and you weren t seen...

The last requirement makes some sense for the densely populated
eastern areas, where all you really need to do in many areas is to
hike a straight line until you come to a traveled road. It makes
far less sense for those regions where it can be more than fifty
miles to the nearest road in active use.

Now, it may seem that I expect too much for the merit badge, but I
am working with kids who are going to be going on wilderness trips.
I think it is simply too dangerous to let them go out there
half-trained. Yes, they will be with a group when they go with us,
but these are folks who are likely to also be doing wilderness
adventuring on their own or with just a couple of friends along in
the coming years. I think it would be irresponsible of me to stop
at the line these requirements define - not to mention the possible
liability issues of not ensuring a reasonable level of competency
based on our projected programme.

I really think the BSA s Risk Management Team needs to take a REAL
close look at the way this badge is presently set up. I can foresee
significant legal liability problems for the corporation on the day
a Scout who holds the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge fails to
survive after becoming separated from a BSA sanctioned backpacking
trip and fails to survive the challenge. It wouldn t take much of a
lawyer to win a bundle, especially if the Scout isn t found for a
couple of weeks and there is reason to believe he didn t at least
try to become a basic hunter-gatherer from the beginning of the
situation.

Well, now we are open for some discussion. I hope that many of you,
both from urban and rural areas, will weigh in with your opinions and
experiences. I know there are some who will feel that the training
included in the badge is more than sufficient - and that there are
some who will at least basically agree with me. I think this will
make for a valuable thread for those who wish to pick it up and run
with it.

        Norman
--
____________________________________________________________

Try this Scouting Link in your WWW browser:

        http://www.win.net/~gws/gaelwolf/home.htm

Includes "The Serious Side of Scouting" pages where we take
     on subjects such as ADD and survival training courses
     for Scouts and Leaders, along with much, much more!

All pages optimised for use with the Netscape Navigator.
____________________________________________________________

Date:         Wed, 14 Aug 1996 21:16:21 -0700
From: Bill Wheeler <wwheeler@BUFFNET.NET>
Subject:      Crime Prevention Merit Badge

I just saw information about "Crime Prevention Merit Badge" tonight.  It
is not listed in the 1995-1996 Boy Scout Requirement Book.

The information I received states that the merit badge pamplet, Supply
Division catalog number 33400, is scheduled to be released on July 1,
1996.

If there is interest, I will post the requirements.

Date:         Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:52:23 -0400
From: "Paul S. Wolf" <aa854@cleveland.Freenet.Edu>

>Brad Hall

I have already posted them.  I can send copies to anyone that needs them.

I also sent them to the US Scouting Service site for adding to their web
pages.  they should be up soon.

The MB book is available at my council Scout Shop, so it should be around.

The other 2 new badges will be out soon also:
        Archeology
        Climbing

Per Troopmaster, Arch is #131, Climb is 132 and CP is 133.

--
Paul S. Wolf, P.E.                              aa854@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu
           Traffic Engineer, Cuyahoga County Engineer's Office
           SIGOP, The Scouting Center on The Cleveland Freenet
   Past President, Great Lakes Region, Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs

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Date:         Sat, 12 Oct 1996 20:47:25 GMT
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              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Sender: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
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From: "Bruce E. Cobern" <bec@NYC.PIPELINE.COM>
Subject:      1996-97 Boy Scout Reqiurements: Changes (long)
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Status: RO
X-Status: 

I have just returned from my local Scout Shop with the NEW 1996-97 Boy
Scout
Requirements book.  (It was SO new that it wasn't even in the computer
system
yet.)

Guess what, there are some changes!  :-)

First of all, Crime Prevention is now in the book, although it is listed on
the
inside front cover as a merit badge whose requirements have "changed."  I
guess
going from nothing to something is a "change."  I could not find any change

from the original set of requirements announced in May, which doesn't
surprise
me.

Crime prevention is the ONLY new merit badge in this edition.  Apparently
the
other two anticipated new merit badges, archeology and climbing, were NOT
released this year, even though many of us were expecting them and we even
had
one Climbing merit badge counselor post about the merit badge.

There is one change to the rank requirements, and two other merit badges
whose
requirements have changed.

The rank requirement change is to Eagle requirement 4, where historian has
now
been added to the list of acceptable positions of responsibility.  That
leaves,
I believe, bugler as the only position acceptable for Star and Life that is
NOT
acceptable for Eagle.

The two merit badges reporting requirement changes are Public Health and
Sports, as follows:

Sports - In requirement 7, the term "attributes" has been replaced with
"attributes (qualities)."  I guess they didn't think that Scouts knew the
meaning of the word attributes.  :-)

Public Health - The changes here are somewhat more substantial as follows:

In requirement 1's lead paragraph, "Prepare an outline of its . . ." has
been
changed to "Prepare an outline of the agency's . . ."  1(b) goes from
"Explain
how these affect you." to "Explain how these services affect you."  1(c)
replaces "Find out" with "Identify" and "the United States" with "your
community."  1(d) adds "at the agency" to the end of the sentence.

The most significant change in these requirements is in requirement 2 where
the
list of diseases has been changed.  It now reads: "Explain how the
following
diseases are contracted: tetanus, influenza, syphilis, hepatitis,
emphysema,
AIDS, encephalitis, meningitis, salmonellosis, Lyme disease, herpes, and
lead
poisoning."  This involves eliminating a couple, adding a couple, and
expanding
"sexually transmitted diseases" by being specific.

In 3(b), "baby" has been replaced with "young child."  3(c) has added the
word
"periodically" at the end.

Requirement 4 now requires you to "Visit a restaurant or other commercial
food
service facility and observe food preparation, handling, and storage.
Interview a food service inspector and explain" the items in parts (a)
through
(d).

Requirement 5(b) has been changed to read: "Visit a water treatment
facility
and describe the steps used in making public drinking water safe; OR visit
the
drinking-water quality-control agency in your community.  Describe how
water
quality is monitored."

In requirement 6(a) delete the word "household."  6(b) has been replaced
by:
"Visit a municipal wastewater treatment facility and a solid-waste
management
operation in your community.  Describe how sewage and solid waste disposal
is
done safely in urban and rural environments, and under wilderness camping
conditions."

Requirement 7(b) has been reworded to read: "Describe the health dangers
from
tobacco use and alcohol and drug abuse."

So, there you have it, as near as I can tell.  As I did last year, I will
most
likely prepare a summary of these changes for distribution within my
district.
When I have done so, I will once again submit the file for posting in the
Scouts-L archive and on the US Scouting Service web site.  Stay tuned.

--
Bruce E. Cobern
Advancement Chairman
Founders District, Queens Council, NY
bec@pipeline.com

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From: "Bruce E. Cobern" <bec@NYC.PIPELINE.COM>
Subject:      1996-97 Boy Scout Reqiurements: Changes (long)
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Status: RO
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Sorry for the line wrap problems.  I sent this first to rec.scouting.usa
and then forwarded it to the list and apparently my software inserts hard
returns while forwarding, so the line wrap was messed up.  I've tried to
clean it up here so it should be much better, if not perfect.

I have just returned from my local Scout Shop with the NEW 1996-97 Boy
Scout Requirements book.  (It was SO new that it wasn't even in the
computer system yet.)

Guess what, there are some changes!  :-)

First of all, Crime Prevention is now in the book, although it is listed on

the inside front cover as a merit badge whose requirements have "changed."
I guess going from nothing to something is a "change."  I could not find
any change from the original set of requirements announced in May, which
doesn't surprise me.

Crime prevention is the ONLY new merit badge in this edition.  Apparently
the other two anticipated new merit badges, archeology and climbing, were
NOT released this year, even though many of us were expecting them and we
even had one Climbing merit badge counselor post about the merit badge.

There is one change to the rank requirements, and two other merit badges
whose requirements have changed.

The rank requirement change is to Eagle requirement 4, where historian has
now been added to the list of acceptable positions of responsibility.  That

leaves, I believe, bugler as the only position acceptable for Star and Life

that is NOT acceptable for Eagle.

The two merit badges reporting requirement changes are Public Health and
Sports, as follows:

Sports - In requirement 7, the term "attributes" has been replaced with
"attributes (qualities)."  I guess they didn't think that Scouts knew the
meaning of the word attributes.  :-)

Public Health - The changes here are somewhat more substantial as follows:

In requirement 1's lead paragraph, "Prepare an outline of its . . ." has
been changed to "Prepare an outline of the agency's . . ."  1(b) goes from
"Explain how these affect you." to "Explain how these services affect you."

1(c) replaces "Find out" with "Identify" and "the United States" with "your

community."  1(d) adds "at the agency" to the end of the sentence.

The most significant change in these requirements is in requirement 2 where

the list of diseases has been changed.  It now reads: "Explain how the
following diseases are contracted: tetanus, influenza, syphilis, hepatitis,

emphysema, AIDS, encephalitis, meningitis, salmonellosis, Lyme disease,
herpes, and lead poisoning."  This involves eliminating a couple, adding a
couple, and expanding "sexually transmitted diseases" by being specific.

In 3(b), "baby" has been replaced with "young child."  3(c) has added the
word "periodically" at the end.

Requirement 4 now requires you to "Visit a restaurant or other commercial
food service facility and observe food preparation, handling, and storage.
Interview a food service inspector and explain" the items in parts (a)
through (d).

Requirement 5(b) has been changed to read: "Visit a water treatment
facility and describe the steps used in making public drinking water safe;
OR visit the drinking-water quality-control agency in your community.
Describe how water quality is monitored."

In requirement 6(a) delete the word "household."  6(b) has been replaced
by: "Visit a municipal wastewater treatment facility and a solid-waste
management operation in your community.  Describe how sewage and solid
waste disposal is done safely in urban and rural environments, and under
wilderness camping conditions."

Requirement 7(b) has been reworded to read: "Describe the health dangers
from tobacco use and alcohol and drug abuse."

So, there you have it, as near as I can tell.  As I did last year, I will
most likely prepare a summary of these changes for distribution within my
district.  When I have done so, I will once again submit the file for
posting in the Scouts-L archive and on the US Scouting Service web site.
Stay tuned.

--
Bruce E. Cobern
Advancement Chairman
Founders District, Queens Council, NY
bec@pipeline.com

From <@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU:owner-scouts-l@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>  Tue Oct 22 22:22:16 1996
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From: "Bruce E. Cobern" <bec@PIPELINE.COM>
Subject:      Re: New Merit Badges
X-To:         bolton@mail.kdcol.com
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
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At 06:30 PM 10/22/96 +0000, Dean and Robin Bolton wrote:

>As of September 1, I believe that there are three new merit badges.
>Archaeology, Climbing and Crime Prevention.

>Does anyone know where to find the requirements for the new Climbing
>Merit Badge?

Actually, that is what we anticipated.  In reality, the only new merit badge
that made it into the program this year is Crime Prevention.  The 1996-1997
edition of Boy Scout Requirements has been released (#33215) and does not
contain either archaeology or climbing so, until we see official notice of
their release (which will probably now not be until NEXT September) they
just don't exist.

--
Bruce E. Cobern
bec@pipeline.com