Historic Trails Award

Love of America and devotion to our country depend upon a thorough appreciation, and understanding of the ideals, principles, and traditions that have made our country strong. The Historic Trails Award requirements emphasize cooperation between historic societies and Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, and Venturing units. A unit should establish a close relationship with a local society as soon as possible when planning a historic activity.

To earn this award, members of your unit must plan and participate in a historic activity. A unit historic activity requires members to:

• Locate a historic trail or site and study information relating to it. (The information may be obtained from an adult historic society, public library, or people living near the trail or the site.)
• Hike or camp 2 days and 1 night along the trail or near the site.
• Cooperate with an adult group such as a historic society to restore and mark all or part of this trail or site. (This may be done during the hike or overnight camp.) Alternatively, cooperate with such a group to plan and stage a historic pageant, ceremony, or other public event related to this trail or site – such event should be large enough to merit coverage by the local press.
• Your unit leader must then file the Historic Trails Award application with your council service center.

50 Miler Award

The primary objective of this program is to stimulate Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, and Venturer interest in the ideals of the movement and to promote activity that will result in personal fitness, self-reliance, knowledge of wood lore, and a practical understanding of conservation. Chartered unit participation is most desirable; however, provisional groups are eligible. This award does not apply if any other is available for a trip.

The Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or Venturing unit or provisional group must follow these rules for a 50-Miler trip:

• Select a suitable trail or waterway.
• Adult leaders older than 21 must make the entire trip.
• If the trip is five hundred miles or more from homes of group members (local council camp excepted) or crosses national boundaries and into the territory of other nations, a National Tour Permit Application, No 34419, is necessary. For trips and overnight camps less than five hundred miles, use a Local Tour Permit Application, No. 34426.
• The 50-Miler Award is presented to each qualifying individual for satisfactory participation in an approved trip. In order to qualify for the award the group of which the individual is a member must fulfill all of the following requirements.
• Make complete and satisfactory plans for the trip, including the possibilities of advancement.
• Cover the trail or canoe or boat route of not less than 50 consecutive miles (a maximum of 10 miles per day); take a minimum of five consecutive days to complete the trip without the aid of motors. (In some areas, pack animals may be used.)
• During the time on the trail or waterway, complete a minimum of 10 hours each of group work on projects to improve the trail, springs, campsite, portage or area. If after checking with recognized authorities, it is not possible to complete 10 hours each of group work on the trail, a similar project may be done in the unit's home area (There should be no unauthorized cutting of brush or timber.)
• Unit or tour leader must then file a 50-Miler Award application with the local council service center. This application gives additional details about planning the trip.

Conservation Awards

Conservation awards include the Leave No Trace Award, the Boy Scout World Conservation Award, and the William T. Hornday Award.

Leave No Trace Award

Leave No Trace is a plan that helps people to be more concerned about their environment and to help them protect it for future generations. Leave No Trace applies in a backyard or local park (front country) as much as it does in the wilderness (backcountry). Leave No Trace is awareness and an attitude rather than a set of rules. We should practice Leave No Trace in our attitude and actions wherever we go.  

Leave No Trace Backcountry Guidelines

• Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
• Dispose of Waste Properly
• Leave What You Find
• Minimize Campfire Impacts
• Respect Wildlife
• Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Boy Scout World Conservation Award

Recognition bestowed upon scouts who satisfy the following requirements:

• Earn Environmental Science merit badge.
• Earn either Soil and Water Conservation Merit Badge or Fish and Wildlife Management merit badge.
• Earn Citizenship in the World merit badge.

William T. Hornaday Award

Recognizes Scouts and Scouters for ecology efforts and service to conservation in their communities. To earn the Hornaday Award as an individual, youth members must earn a series of merit badges followed by a concentrated series of conservation and/or environmental education projects to be conducted in the member's community or nearby, under the advice of a trained conservation, naturalist, or environmental engineering expert.

There are five levels to this award -- Unit Certificate, Badge, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Holders of the Bronze and Silver levels may wear the square knot. Holders of the Gold medal may also wear the gold medal or the square knot.

National Camping Award

The National Camping Award is granted to Boy Scout troops and Varsity Scout teams for attaining, on either an annual or a cumulative basis, or both, the required number of days and nights of camping. The ribbon that is awarded recognizes significant achievement in annual campouts and/or cumulative camp outs over a period of years. The ribbon is designed to be displayed with the troop flag.

Patrol Activities. Each patrol of the troop participated in at least three of the following activities during the last 12 months:

• Attended a Camporee
• Held a day hike
• Did a conservation project
• Attended a Scout retreat
• Conducted a project for BSA Anniversary Week
• Conducted a father-and-son campout
• Attended a Klondike Derby
• Short Term Camp. All patrols in the troop were represented four or more short-term campouts during the past 12 months.
• Long Term Camp. All patrols in the troop were presented in a long-term (6 or more consecutive days)

Fill out the application and deliver it to one of our council offices.