Scouting For Food

April is Scouting for Food Month and this is our chance to do a Good Turn for America by supporting our local food banks.

We will donations during the April Troop Meetings for the food pantry at the First Presbyterian Church of Finleyville.

Merry Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: How to be Trustworthy

On the second day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the third day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the fourth day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the fifth day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 5 Courteous gestures, 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the sixth day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 6 Kind siblings, 5 Courteous gestures, 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the seventh day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 7 Obedient dogs, 6 Kind siblings, 5 Courteous gestures, 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the eighth day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 8 Cheerful Webelos, 7 Obedient dogs, 6 Kind siblings, 5 Courteous gestures, 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the ninth day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 9 Thrifty boys, 8 Cheerful Webelos, 7 Obedient dogs, 6 Kind siblings, 5 Courteous gestures, 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the tenth day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 10 Brave accomplishments, 9 Thrifty boys, 8 Cheerful Webelos, 7 Obedient dogs, 6 Kind siblings, 5 Courteous gestures, 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the eleventh day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 11 Clean uniforms, 10 Brave accomplishments, 9 Thrifty boys, 8 Cheerful Webelos, 7 Obedient dogs, 6 Kind siblings, 5 Courteous gestures, 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy

On the twelfth day of Christmas my Scoutmaster brought to me: 12 Reverent Scouts, 11 Clean uniforms, 10 Brave accomplishments, 9 Thrifty boys, 8 Cheerful Webelos, 7 Obedient dogs, 6 Kind siblings, 5 Courteous gestures, 4 Friendly people, 3 Helpful hints, 2 Loyal friends, and How to be Trustworthy.

Happy Thanksgiving

For food, for raiment

For life, for opportunity

For friendship and fellowship

We thank thee, O Lord

Backpacking

Backpacking can be a great activity as long as you are well prepared.  The troop plans at least one backpacking trip a year. Everything you need must go in or on your pack.  Everything that gets packed in also gets packed out. You cannot carry all the water you would need, so you need to be prepared to treat water you find. 

JP Saylor Trail

In 2016 Troop 510  backpacked on the JP Saylor Memorial Trail. If this is something you would like to do again, talk to your patrol leader.

The Northern Loop is 12 miles and the Southern Loop is 5 miles so there are two options based on your skill level and experience backpacking.

Map of the JP Saylor Trail

Fire Safety

October is Fire Safety Month

The challenge to every scout is to earn the Fire Safety Merit Badge 

Haunted Guyasuta

Troop 510 will be acting as trail guides for this year's Haunted Guyasuta on October 19-21.

While this camp out promises to be a lot of fun, it is also a working camp out for the troop with 10 service hours as the reward.

We will be camping at the Oneida Adirondack but this time the camp ranger will haul our gear for us on his tractor.

9/11 Ceremony

Each year we remember the terrible events of 9/11 and honor those who died that day with a memorial ceremony on Sunny Slopes.

We will meet in the parking lot at Windover Hills at 6:00 PM. Please wear your Class A Uniform with uniform pants or jeans and your merit badge sash. We will be taking part in the ceremony and handing grommets from retired flags to veterans. 

Star Party

September 7-9, Troop 510 will be attending a Star Party at the Mingo Park Observatory. We will be camping this weekend at Mingo's designated BSA camping area just south of the observatory.

What will you do all day while the sun is out?

Mingo has an American Ninja Course, a trout stream, and two waterfalls. There is also a 7 mile hike with a 1300' elevation gain. That would cover the Second Class Hiking Requirement and a specialty night for your Camping Merit Badge.

Scouts interested in the Astronomy Merit Badge can see Mr. Bove before or during the campout to get a blue card and a merit badge workbook. 

Astronomy Merit Badge Pamphlet

Wild Card Camp Out

September is a busy month for OA members and whatever it is that they do when they get together.

For the rest of us who are not Arrowmen, there is still good weather for camping before school starts and the temperatures drop.

Talk to your patrol leader and let them know what you would like to do in September. It could be based around fishing, canoeing, or an inside event like an escape room or game night.

Come up with some ideas and have your patrol leader present them at the Patrol Leaders Counsel.

This is how boys lead a troop!

Aquatics Awards

In addition to aquatic related merit badges, there are six BSA Aquatic Awards that can be earned. Four of these awards can be earned at summer camp.  

The patch is worn on your swim trunks or you can display it on a red vest or blanket.

Ask an adult leader for more information on earning one of the Aquatic Awards.

Flag Retirement Ceremony

Boy Scouts are among the few groups that have been granted the privilege to retire American Flags at the end of their service. We are also fortunate enough to have a place to retire flags in a deserving manner. The flag retirement plaza is usually overflowing with tattered and worn flags. The grommets of large flags are removed and given to veterans.

Water

The ability to stay hydrated is essential for survival. You need to drink water throughout the day to keep your self from dehydrating. It is always a good idea to bring a bottle of water with you in the woods.  At Troop and counsel events there is always plenty of clean water around, but what about water that we see out in the wild.

Water from creeks, ponds, streams, or any unknown source is always assumed to be unclean.  If you must resort to drinking stream water, it must be made safe somehow.  The most reliable method to make water safe to drink is by boiling it.  Any bacteria or parasites  will be rendered harmless by boiling.  

There are other methods to make water safe to drink.

Filtering - A water filter like a "life straw" will filter out almost everything harmful

UV Light - This kind of light will kill microorganisms. This treatment requires clear water to be effective.

Iodine Tablets - These are tablets of a chemical that will make water safe to drink. They require time to work completely and may make water taste funny.

CDC's Drinking Water Fact Sheet

Snakes

Warm weather will bring snakes out of their dens and into the woods where you are hiking.

Of all the reptiles you might encounter in our woods, only a few are poisonous. No Pennsylvania turtles or lizards are poisonous and only three snakes.  They are: the copperhead, the timber rattler and the massasauga.  These snakes are called "Pit Vipers".  If you are bitten by a snake it is important to remain calm and get medical attention. Even a non-poisonous snake bite will require aid and may require a tetanus shot. Doctors suggest that so-called snake bite kits that "extract the venom" actually do more harm than good.  A cell phone is your best first aid for a snake bite.  

Here is a copperhead.  It does not have a rattle. Copperheads are not usually aggressive and bites rarely result in death. They are sometimes called "upland moccasins".  This is the poisonous snake that you are most likely to see.

Here is a timber rattlesnake. These snakes are distributed throughout our state.

Due to the its long fangs overall size and venom capacity, this is our states most dangerous snake.

The conservation status of the Timber Rattler is "least concern"

Here is a massasauga. This snake is only found in a small section of Western Pennsylvania. It is endangered in our state and it is unlikely you would encounter one.

Penn State has a pamphlet about snakes that can be downloaded here:

Snakes

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will mail you a free snake poster that is filled with information - A Scout is Thrifty! Click the link below to go to their web site.

http://fishandboat.com/promo/form/pubs_free.htm 

Neckerchiefs

A few years ago, the scouts of Troop 510 voted to abstain from wearing the neckerchief as part of our Class A Uniform.

This year, the neckerchief is coming back, but will only be required for events when you would wear your sash.

The winner design of the new troop neckerchief was a white embroidered eagle, white lettering and white piping on a blue neckerchief. They will be available at the upcoming troop meeting.

FYI, Lord Baden-Powell preferred the square the neckerchief. It was larger and covered the neck better and it could be used as a sling.

Here are a couple options using knots with your neckerchief rather than a woggle.

You can download a printable pdf of this here:

Neckerchief Knots and Folds

C.O.P.E.

On May 18-20, Troop 510 will be participating in the Open C.O.P.E. Day and Climb the Night Away at Camp Guyasuta.

Experience the Zip Lines and the Climbing Tower. Make sure you repel back to make this a specialty night toward your Camping Merit Badge.

Scouts interested in the Climbing Merit Badge can see Mr. Bove before or during the campout to get a blue card and a merit badge workbook.  

Climbing Merit Badge Pamphlet

We will be camping at the Mingo Pavilion, its not the farthest campsite from the parking lot, but still try to pack light and be ready to have a great weekend.

All campers are required to bring the          
Camp Guyasuta Consent Form

Make sure to sign up at the next troop meeting.

Wilderness Survival

Earning the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge will prepare you for things that can happen while you are camping or hiking. A special set of skills are required to deal with emergencies while out as a patrol. Learning these skills can be fun and exciting, but it is important to learn them well.

Summer camp is a great place to earn the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. If you are interested in this merit badge let your patrol leader or an adult leader know so that you can be prepared for it and have any prerequisites covered.

Wilderness Survival Merit Badge Pamphlet

Fishing

Many scouts enjoy fishing and scout camps offer lakes to try your skill and maybe luck.

The BSA offers merit badges for Fishing and

 Fly-Fishing. If you can combine both of those with Fish and Wildlife Management you have earned the Complete Angler Award.

Trout Season is about to begin, if you are interested in the Fishing or Fly-Fishing Merit badges, see Mr. Bove at the next troop meeting.

All three of the Complete Angler Merit Badges are offered at Camp Liberty this summer.

Ticks

Springtime marks the awakening of all the animals of the woods, including Ticks.

Ticks are parasitic arachnids that feed on their host animals by burying their head under the host skin feeding on the host's blood.  Some ticks can cause disease, some do not. Any tick bite requires some level of medical attention. The best method of dealing with ticks keep them off of you altogether. 

Here is a deer tick.  It is shown on a man's fingernail for scale. They are about the size of a head of a pin or maybe 1-2 mm.  This is the tick that causes Lyme's Disease.  The Deer Ticks body is black.  It is sometimes found because it looks like a moving freckle.

This is a Wood Tick.  They are considerably larger than the Deer Tick and are reddish brown in color. Even though these ticks do not cause illness, the area of the bite may become infected, especially if the entire tick is not removed.

This is an engorged deer tick.  You can just see the black head and legs.  The entire abdomen is engorged with blood from its host.  When engorged the tick is many times larger than its original size.

The Mayo Clinic has the following advice for taking care of a tick bite:

• Remove the tick promptly and carefully. Use tweezers to grasp the tick near its head or mouth and pull gently to remove the whole tick without crushing it. Other methods — such as applying petroleum jelly, fingernail polish, rubbing alcohol or a hot match — aren't recommended.
• If possible, seal the tick in a container. Put the container in a freezer. Your doctor may want to see the tick if you develop signs or symptoms of illness after a tick bite.
• Wash your hands with soap and water. Also wash the area around the tick bite.

When to seek emergency care

Call 911 or your local emergency number if you develop:

• A severe headache
• Difficulty breathing
• Paralysis
• Heart palpitations

When to contact your doctor

• You aren't able to completely remove the tick. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting a disease from it.
• The rash gets bigger. A small red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. This is normal. But if it develops into a larger rash, perhaps with a bull's-eye pattern, it may indicate Lyme disease. Also consult your doctor if signs and symptoms disappear because you may still be at risk of the disease. Your risk of contracting a disease from a tick bite depends on where you live or travel to, how much time you spend outside in woody and grassy areas, and how well you protect yourself.
• You develop flu-like signs and symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
• You think the bite site is infected. Signs and symptoms include redness or oozing.

Shooting Sports

April 13-15 is the annual Shooting Sports Outing at the Carrick Sportsmen's Club located at 

3301 Ridge Rd, South Park Township, PA 15129

This is a great opportunity to sharpen your shooting skills and earn two merit badges under the guidance of NRA trained instructors.

    Rifle Shooting $10 for the dayShotgun Shooting $10 per line

                            

                               Rifle Shooting Pamphlet                    Shotgun Shooting Pamphlet

The instructors will sign the blue cards of those scouts who qualify for one or both merit badges.