What is the BSA?
The Boy Scouts of America (the BSA) is one of the largest Scouting organizations in the United States of America and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with more than 2.4 million youth participants and nearly one million adult volunteers. The BSA was founded in 1910, and since then, more than 110 million Americans have been participants in BSA programs at some time. The BSA is part of the international Scout Movement and became a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.
The BSA’s goal is to train youth in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations. For younger members, the Scout method is part of the program to instill typical Scouting values such as trustworthiness, good citizenship, and outdoors skills, through a variety of activities such as camping, aquatics, and hiking. In order to further these outdoor activities, the BSA has four high-adventure bases: Northern Tier (Minnesota, Manitoba, and Ontario), Philmont Scout Ranch (New Mexico), Sea Base (Florida), and Summit Bechtel Reserve (West Virginia). (scouting.org)
The BSA’s goal is to train youth in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations. For younger members, the Scout method is part of the program to instill typical Scouting values such as trustworthiness, good citizenship, and outdoors skills, through a variety of activities such as camping, aquatics, and hiking. In order to further these outdoor activities, the BSA has four high-adventure bases: Northern Tier (Minnesota, Manitoba, and Ontario), Philmont Scout Ranch (New Mexico), Sea Base (Florida), and Summit Bechtel Reserve (West Virginia). (scouting.org)
AwardsRanksArrow of Light - February 16, 2012
Scout - April 2, 2012 Tenderfoot - October 1, 2012 Second Class - June 3, 2013 First Class - August 5, 2013 Star - November 11, 2015 Life - April 17, 2017 Eagle - July 2, 2019 Other AwardsTotin' Chip - August 20, 2012
Firem'n Chit - August 20, 2012 Order of the Arrow - April 25, 2015 50 Miler - October 17, 2015 National Youlth Leadership Training - May 21, 2017 Paul Bunyan Woodsman - July 7, 2017 Cyber Chip - November 11, 2017 National Outdoor Achievement Award for Riding - August 6, 2018 Bronze Eagle Palm - July 2, 2019 Gold Eagle Palm - July 2, 2019 Silver Eagle Palm - July 2, 2019 |
Zach Binnix leading the 2019 4th of July Parade through Pawley's Island, South Carolina.
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Merit Badges
Basketry - July 6, 2012
Fingerprinting - July 6, 2012 Leatherwork - July 6, 2012 Mammal Study - July 6, 2012 Automotive Maintenance - March 23, 2013 Skating - March 24, 2013 First Aid - July 5, 2013 Nature - July 5, 2013 Space Exploration - July 5, 2013 Swimming - July 5, 2013 American Business - December 13, 2013 Truck Transportation - December 14, 2013 Camping - March 22, 2014 Crime Prevention - March 23, 2014 Environmental Science - July 11, 2014 Lifesaving - July 11, 2014 Shotgun Shooting - July 11, 2014 Kayaking - July 11, 2014 |
Robotics - February 8, 2015
Emergency Preparedness - March 29, 2015 Climbing - July 10, 2015 Motorboating - July 10, 2015 Rifle Shooting - July 10, 2015 Woodworking - January 28, 2017 Cycling - February 16, 2017 Family Life - June 5, 2017 Personal Fitness - June 5, 2017 Personal Management - June 5, 2017 Citizenship in the Nation - July 7, 2017 Communication - July 7, 2017 Nuclear Science - July 7, 2017 Citizenship in the World - July 8, 2017 Canoeing - June 10 - 2018 Geology - April 27, 2019 Cooking - June 8, 2019 Citizenship in the Community - June 23, 2019 |
Eagle Scout Project
Please click HERE to see the full project report.
DescriptionIn this project, the goal was to remove and replace two small foot bridges over a drainage swale at a community beach. The original bridges were posing a safety hazard due to age and rot. During the project, we also removed excess debris and dirt from under one of the bridges that had built up over time and was inhibiting the flow of water. The new bridges are safer and the clean-up also allows for better drainage of rain water.
PlanningAfter the project was approved, I designed the new bridges that we would be building. I had to make a final list of materials, tools, and supplies to buy, borrow, and gather. I then had to decide on what day(s) to do the project and communicate that information to my Troop. Once the date(s) of the project were set, I had to plan when I would precut and drill the materials.
ExecutionThe first step in the project was to remove the old bridges. To do this, we removed a few of the deck planks before cutting the main beams to seperate each bridge into smaller pieces. These pieces were then carried out and disposed of. After that, the areas under the bridges were cleaned and prepaired. The new materials were then laid out and the new bridges were built in place.
LeadershipThe main leadership given was guiding the volunteers in what the project was and what needed to be done. I delegated the various jobs to the volunteers based on their abilities and how many people would be needed to perform each job. The most difficult part was deciding who would be best to complete each job and communicating the requirements of those jobs to the volunteers. The most rewarding part was seeing the many volunteers working together to make the community a better place and looking at the before-and-after pictures to see what a difference was made. In leading this project, I learned more about how to adequately communicate what needs to be done to a large group of volunteers as well as deciding when and how to have one group continue on one task while having another group move on to start another phase.
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The picutre above shows one of the old bridges that was removed. The pictures below show the new bridges built during the project.
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Experiences
Order of the Arrow (OA)
"For over 100 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America's youth." (oa-bsa.org)
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National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)
"National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is an exciting, action-packed program designed for councils to provide youth members with leadership skills and experience they can use in their home troops and in other situations demanding leadership of self and others. [...] The NYLT course centers around the concepts of what a leader must BE, what he must KNOW, and what he must DO. The key elements are then taught with a clear focus on HOW TO. The skills come alive during the week as the patrol goes on a Quest for the Meaning of Leadership." (scouting.org)
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Philmont Scout Ranch
"Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America’s largest National High Adventure Base. Born in 1938 as Philturn Rocky Mountain Scout Camp, Philmont has become a bustling center for high adventure and training. It covers 140,177 acres of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern New Mexico. Philmont has a unique history of ancient Native Americans who chipped petroglyphs into canyon walls, Spanish conquistadors, who explored the Southwest long before the first colonists arrived on the Atlantic coast, the rugged breed of mountain man such as Kit Carson, who blazed trails across this land, the great land barons like Lucien Maxwell who built ranches along the Santa Fe Trail and miners, loggers and cowboys. All left their mark on Philmont." (philmontscoutranch.org)
I traveled to Phimont in July of 2016. There, my crew and I spent two weeks backpacking over 70 miles. We lived out of our backpacks, carrying everything we needed with us. We did a variety of activities including rock climbing, blacksmithing, mountaineering, shooting blackpowder rifles, spar pole climbing, caving, and many more. Please watch the video below to see some of the highlights from my experiences at Philmont. |