Tuesday, March 15, 2011

7 Principles of Leave No Trace

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.
Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
Visit in small groups when possible. Consider splitting larger groups into smaller groups.
Repackage food to minimize waste.
Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.


Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.
In popular areas:
Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
In pristine areas:
Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.


Dispose of Waste Properly
Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter.
Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.


Leave What You Find
Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.


Minimize Campfire Impacts
Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the back country. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.


Respect Wildlife
Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.


Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.
Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Eight Basic Camping Skills

There are several Girl Scout Councils with badges for the Eight Basic Camping Skills. Finding them can be a challenge since the realignment though. As always this information is provided for informational purposes only, contact the Council BEFORE beginning work on any program and ORDER badges/patches immediately.

The following requirements are form a program available through Girl Scout Council of Greater Los Angeles formerly known as the San Fernando Valley Girl Scout Council for teaching the basic camping skills to girls.

The recognition symbol for the completion of these skills is a round patch with four segments. When Level I is completed the patch and the first segment may be awarded and worn. With the completion of Levels II, III and IV, the appropriate segments may be added

Everyone, Brownies through adult, begins with Level I and continues at their own pace. Brownies and Juniors may earn them in day camps, established camps or in their own troop. Cadettes, Seniors and adults may earn them in the same way or by teaching these same skills to a camp unit or troop.

Each level must be completed before the next level is begun. It is best if the girls see only the requirements for the level on which they are working.

You don't have to do a whole level in one week or one month. You can take all year with a group of Brownies. With Juniors, you may complete a whole level in 3 days of day camp or a weekend camp out. Cadettes (and older) may finish level I and II quickly, but spend much longer on Level III and IV.

Level I

These are basic steps to help a girl get acquainted with skills needed to be resourceful, happy and comfortable in the out-of-doors.

  1. Learn good manners to us in the out-of-doors.
  2. Learn how to dress for the expected weather and what to bring along for the unexpected.
  3. Learn how to tie and release a square knot and what a square knot is used for.
  4. Find out how to open, close and pass a knife safely.
  5. Learn first aid for a skinned knee and a bee sting.
  6. Learn how to choose a safe spot to build a fire and why hair should be tied up when working near fires.
  7. Help prepare a meal that needs no fire.
  8. Find out how trees and plants help us. do something to help a tree or a plant.

Leader's Guide

  1. Discuss with girls that good manners mean caring for the feelings of others. Respect other campers boundaries and always "ask permission" to enter their camp. Leaving your litter behind is not considerate. A Scout always leaves her campsite better than she found it.
  2. Have girls explain how they should dress for different situations, like a day at the beach, a rain hike, a windy bike ride, a summer picnic, etc. Keep health and safety in mind when discussing sleeves to prevent sunburn, pants to protect legs and proper shoes.
  3. A square knot is used for tying two ends together when both ropes are of about the same thickness. Practice tying and releasing the knot until the girls can do it fairly fast. Knots are shown in Brownie and Junior Handbooks. Try a knot tying relay (i.e. closing flaps on tent, tying a bandanna.) One of our favorite ways to teach knots is to use the long string licorice, when they get the knot right, they get to eat it.
  4. Keep safety in mind when using a knife of any kind. Give every girl a chance to open, close and pass a knife safely. Brownies may not all be strong enough to open a knife themselves, but they should learn to handle them correctly because they will need to use knives in simple cooking. Have them practice with a buddy, ensuring girls are far enough apart so their arms do not reach each other. Good descriptions are in Brownie and Junior Handbooks.
  5. Always stress the importance of preventing accidents, if instance,running may lead to skinned knees or disturbing bees may lead to being stung. Learn first aid for a skinned knee and a bee sting. You can make a customized "stinger remover" with shrink-a-dink.
  6. Choose a safe spot to build a fire. Fires burn upward. Don't ever build one under low or overhanging branches. Make sure the ground area is clear of things like leaves, dry grass, twigs, etc. The best place for fires is in designated fire rings or park stove. Long hair should be in braids or tied back to keep it from catching fire. (this is also good to do to keep the hair out of the food when the girls cook.) See Safety Wise for more tips.
  7. Prepare a meal that needs no fire. Her are some ideas to get you started - Friendship salad made of cut fruit and a sack of mini marshmallows; celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter, cream cheese or cheese spreads; sandwiches - think of different kinds of bread, rolls, buns, bagles or even open face: raw vegetables; desserts like graham crackers spread with frosting made from mix or a can, or fill cones with instant pudding or homemade ice cream; mix up some punch to top it off.
  8. Discuss with the girls how trees and plants help us. Ideas - shade, food, furniture, beauty, animal homes, paper, fuel, toothpicks, flood control, oxygen, building material, toys, smog absorber. As an outdoor activity, choose a community area (park center, recreation area) in which to plant a tree or shrub.
Level II

  1. Know rules to follow for hiking safely on city streets or country roads.
  2. Find out what "dressing in layers" means and how it helps you to be more comfortable.
  3. Show that you can tie a square knot and clove hitch and know the uses of both knots.
  4. Find out how to clean and sharpen a knife and know why it is safer to use a sharp knife.
  5. Learn first aid for cuts and burns and discuss ways to prevent these accidents.
  6. Know what safety equipment should be ready before a fire is started. Practice laying a foundation fire.
  7. Help prepare a one-pot meal.
  8. Find out more about ways to protect the natural world and choose an outdoor good turn to include in your next outdoor activity.

Leader's Guide

  1. Safety means walking on sidewalks, crossing with the light, walk facing traffic when there are no sidewalks, crossing together as a group--not all strung out. Do not obstruct the sidewalk. Girls should walk with a buddy. It is a good idea to have the girls count-off and keep the same number for a hike, then it is easy to check the girls when you leave and arrive at each rest or lunch stop. Always keep yourself very visible; wear bright colors by day, white by night. It is also best to carry a light at night, but do not aim it at drivers eyes which blinds them; keep the light aimed below driver's line of vision. Have whole troop get up and take a walk to practice some of the things discussed above.
  2. Dress in several layers of clothing. As the day warms it is easy to peel off a layer or two and add them back on in the evening. The layers also serve to trap body heat and are often warmer than one heavy garment. Always take a hat for sun protection and heat retention. Girls might want to have a "fashion show" using the layering technique.
  3. Review the square knot from level one and add the clove hitch. Clove hitch is used to put up a clothesline, tie the end of a rope around a pole or tree, and to start lashing.
  4. Clean a knife by washing with water and drying with a soft cloth. Never clean a knife in the dirt or sand. To sharpen a knife, use a sharpening stone which has been lubricated with oil or water before using. Always keep blade pointed away from body. Practice with a buddy.
  5. Talk with girls about preventing cuts and burns. Cuts should be washed well with soap and water, and covered. Minor burns should be put in cold water quickly. More severe burns should be treated by a doctor immediately. Girls should practice what to do if someone's clothing catches fire ("stop, drop, and roll"). American Red Cross offers basic aid training.
  6. Safety equipment for fires consists of a bucket of water, a bucket of sand, and a shovel. It's a good idea to have a box of baking soda near by. The A-frame foundation is to hold the kindling off the ground so air can circulate. Teach the girls about the three sizes of wood used in fire building.
  7. One pot meal can be your favorite casserole cooked outdoors. Some other Girl Scout favorites to try are Brownie stew, fractured tacos, casualty (a huge omelet with bacon and potatoes cooked in), campfire stew, tuna casserole, and/or macaroni and cheese with diced hot dogs.
  8. The girls should now be ready for a walk, a cook out or a backyard overnight. Find out more about ways to protect the natural world and choose a project to include in your next outdoor activity.
Level III

  1. Discuss the buddy system and triple buddy system and how they add safety to trail hiking and swimming.
  2. Find out what equipment each person needs on a hike and what items are needed by the whole group.
  3. Show that you can tie a square knot, clove hitch and bowline, and know the uses of each knot.
  4. Working a safe distance from others, carve or whittle something. Plaster sculpture, soap sculpture, furs sticks, pointed stick for cooking, are examples.
  5. Practice tying a triangle bandage for an arm sling and scalp or forehead injuries.
  6. Know how to light a charcoal fire by helping to build one and keep it going.
  7. Cook something in foil or on a stick.
  8. On an outdoor activity, do something to improve the site that shows you understand the saying, "A Girl Scout leaves a place better than she found it".

Leader's Guide

  1. The buddy system is having a partner to help you. If a girl gets into difficulty in a pool, or on a hike, there is someone to call the leader. The buddy system helps to keep a girl from wandering off and getting lost. The triple buddy system is excellent for trips or backpacking adventure because if one of the three is injured, there is one to go for help, and one to stay to give first aid to the injured party, or to keep her company.
  2. When your troop plans a hike, determine what equipment will be needed. The troop needs a well stocked first-aid kit, map of hiking area, flashlights and water proof matches. The girls should have sturdy shoes, a bandanna or sun hat, sun screen and chap stick, canteen full of water, a whistle, and food. As the complexity of your hike increases add additional items such as extra socks, rain poncho, compass, and a jack knife. Plan clothing accordingly.
  3. Review square knot and clove hitch. Teach how to tie a bowline knot which is used in life saving and rescue work; or, to make a loop in the end of a rope that will not slip or change size.
  4. Review knife safety. Consider carving a potato, balsa wood, apple heads for dolls, or a walking stick.
  5. Practice tying a triangle bandage for an arm sling. Triangular bandages may be cut from unbleached muslin or old sheets. Discuss other uses for a triangle bandage.
  6. Teach how to light a charcoal fire. Charcoal may be lit with fire starters. Remember to allow about thirty (30) minutes from the time you start the charcoal until the time you need to have the fire ready for cooking. Place fire-starters on the bottom and charcoal on the top. Never use liquid type starters, they are extremely dangerous. This fire is used for foil cooking.
  7. A foil packet may be placed directly on the coals. Use heavy duty foil or two layers of the lighter weight to form foil packages. Seal well on all edges. You will need a pair of long handled tongs for turning packets and removing them from the fire. The packets can contain a complete meal or a side dish. Some examples are potatoes and onion with a pat of butter. Fish, hamburger patty, or chicken leg with sliced vegetables. Sliced ham or spam with pineapple and sweet potatoes. Slice vegetables thin so they will cook through. Core an apple and fill with cinnamon, raisins, and brown sugar, bake in foil. Time depends on kind of food, heat of fire, and size of package. Use outdoor cookbooks for reference or experiment a bit. Open one packet to test for doneness. If it is not cooked enough, seal it up and put it back for longer cooking.
  8. Share with girls activities that will improve their outdoor site. Let the girls think up ways to put their ideas into action. Remain flexible to new ideas when you arrive at the activity site.
Level IV

  1. With a buddy, make a sketch map for someone else to follow. With a buddy, follow the sketch map drawn by another team.
  2. Using 3 blankets and a ground cloth, make a bed-roll and tie it securely. Know how to roll and tie your own sleeping bag.
  3. Show that you can tie a square knot, clove hitch, bowline, and sheetbend; know the use of each knot.
  4. Learn how to hold and pass an axe safely. Learn how to sharpen an axe.
  5. Learn what to do if someone faints, or is severely sunburned. Discuss ways to help prevent these conditions.
  6. Be able to lay and light a fire and keep it going. Know how to put out a fire when you are done using it.
  7. Use at least two of the following cooking methods; reflector oven, dutch oven, beanhole, planking, paper bag cooking, orange shell on coals, coffee can cooking, solar cooking, box oven or other method you have not tried before.
  8. Practice conservation of fuel using only as much fuel as needed for cooking and campfires.

Leader's Guide

  1. The length of the hike will depend on your site; it may be through a park, around school buildings, or around a campground. In pairs, have girls note landmarks on their maps and make a legend. Have the girls had fun? Maybe they would like to do this again on another day with a different destination. Trail signs and sketch maps are in several Girl Scout resource books.
  2. Practice with girls how to roll and tie their own sleeping bag or bed-roll. At day camp, or resident camp, sleeping bag or bed-roll rolling can be practiced.
  3. Review square knot, bowline, and clove hitch. Teach sheetbend. Sheetbend is used when you need to join two ropes of unequal thickness together.
  4. Practice knife safety. A good habit to develop when passing a knife,is to always wait for the receiver to say, "thank you" before letting go. This can prevent the tool from being dropped and causing injury. Try a new project with your knives. Be sure they are sharp!
  5. Discuss prevention of accidents. Fainting - have victim lie down for at least 10 minutes; keep head low; if recovery is not prompt or if condition recurs, seek a doctor's help. Sunburn - try to prevent by limiting exposure at start of season; once burned stay out of sun completely until soreness is all gone. If burn covers large area or is severe, a doctor may be needed. Whenever possible, have a nurse talk with the girls about these conditions.
  6. Lay and light a fire. The girls should know what the fire will be used for. This will assist them in deciding what kind of fire to build and how large it needs to be. Girls need to know how to put out a fire first, before starting to build one. Fire should be put out by, first spreading out what is left with tongs or shovel so it can cool down, then sprinkle water a little at a time around the fire with a small cup or your hand or a squirt gun, then stir ashes around and wet down again. Be careful with water - too much all at once will send up large clouds of dangerously hot steam.
  7. Try a new cooking method. Use any two cooking methods not employed in Levels I, II, or III. If you can find a new one that is not on the list, so much the better.
  8. Practice conservation of fuel using only as much fuel as needed for cooking and campfires. Let the girls try practicing this as they use fuel for cooking and campfire. A fire that is too big is also too hot to get close enough to use for cooking. Plan for a fire to burn itself out about the time you are done using it. Don't add a lot of wood to a campfire just before bedtime.