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Fox
Patrol News
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Fox
Patrol News
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| Fox Patrol Activities - Nature Hike and Campfire Exercise,
Saturday, April 30, 2005 On Saturday, April 30, the Fox Patrol (Henry Greenberg, Brett Jensen, Forrest Edwards, Joseph Harkins) and their dads met at the Jensen's home to prepare for a nature hike at Warner Park. Although the day was cool and overcast, our Scouts were fired up about the events lurking ahead. After the hike, the Scouts were schedule to return to the Jensen's to build campfires. 1. Fox Patrol Nature Hike at Warner Park At 4 pm we began a 2 mile hike through the park with the intent of finding 10 or more animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, bugs) and for the experience of effective nature observation. The Scouts came prepared with paper, writing instruments, and field glasses. In advance of the hike, the patrol reviewed the requirements for a successful Nature Hike, including the following tips from the Scout Handbook: - always walk silently - look, listen, smell, and touch to track an animal - if "scat" (feces) is spotted, break it apart with a stick and be able to tell if it came from an omnivore, herbivore or carnivore by the "contents" in the scat. - be able to identify if animal spotted or identified is a bird, mammal, reptile, fish, or amphibian By the end of the hike, the Fox Patrol Scouts had spotted the following: a. Birds - Cardinal, Hummingbird, Gray Hawk b. Bugs - Mosquitoes, termites, spiders (various), waterbugs, gnats, slug, earthworms, snails, caterpillars, woodworm c. Mammals - squirrel, dogs (on leashes!) d. Amphibians - Box Turtle Regrettably, the turtle had been run over by a mowing tractor and was in the final stages of life when our scouts came upon him in an open field while observing a caterpillar nest nestled in a nearby tree. Also, scat was found during the hike and deemed to be from a domestic dog. Various snake holes and mole hills/holes were also observed. In all, the patrol had a great time and agreed that another Nature Hike would be scheduled this summer. 2. Fox Patrol Campfire Exercise After reading, reviewing and discussing the proper materials and methods for building a campfire, the members of the Fox Patrol set out to build individual fires on Saturday, April 30th. The following info from the Scout Handbook (pp 248 to 251) was reviewed and discussed prior to the exercise: Goal of the Exercise - Each scout must build their own individual campfire using tender, kindling, fuelwood and proper technique. (The Patrol agreed to meet Mr. Perutelli's challenge of building fires with flames reaching 18" in height or more) Tips for preparing for a campfire: - Matches: bring one pack of dry, wooden matches - Tender: Scouts to gather tender prior to campfire exercise. Discussed the role of tender - catches fire easily and burns very fast. Examples include - dry pine needles, dry grasses, and bark. Each scout collected enough tender to fill a hat. - Kindling: Scouts gathered kindling prior to the campfire exercise. Discussed the role of kindling - small dead twigs and sticks that are no bigger than a pencil used to accelerate the flame initiated by the tender. Each Scout was to gather enough kindling to fill a hat twice. - Fuelwood: Medium and large sticks for fueling the fire. Scouts needed enough to keep your fire going once it has been started. (Due to extremely wet conditions, some purchased fuelwood was also used.) Instructions for Campfire building discussed with Fox Patrol Scouts: 1. Place pile of tender in the middle of campfire bed 2. Use place kindling on top of the tender 3. Arrange fuelwood in a teepee like fashion over the pile of tender and kindling 4. Light the tender/kindling with a match 5. Flame must reach 18" or higher Summary The Fox Patrol had a very productive day of outdoor activities. With the completion of the Nature Hike and the Campfire Exercise, the Fox Patrol has now met their requirements for Second Class rank. We are now looking forward to the following activities: May 2005 - completion of Personal Fitness Badge (in progress) May to October 2005 - Citizenship in the Community (in progress). Senator Jim Bryson to speak on Tuesday, May 3rd, on the role of state and local government May 31st - Court of Honor. Fox Patrol to receive recognition for earning Second Class June 12th - 17th - Summer Camp at Mack Morris. Activities - Canoeing, Riflery, Environmental Science, Astronomy, Indian Lore |
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