Hometown U.S.A. Award

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Revision as of 20:33, March 20, 2010

Hometown U.S.A. Award

Created: Level: Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts

Hometown U.S.A. Award requirements

Merit badges. Earn three merit badges from the following list of twelve: Citizenship in the Community, Communications, Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Management, Forestry, Gardening, Geology, Landscape Architecture, Nature, Photography, Plant Science, Public Speaking, Soil and Water Conservation. Community service project. In addition to earning the merit badges, a Boy Scout is required to perform a community service project. The project should involve a minimum of eight hours of time, two of which must involve management planning, with the other six consisting of carrying out the project. It should help keep America beautiful and benefit the community either physically or financially. One way to do this is to plan the community service project as part of Keep America Beautiful Week or Public Lands Day. The text of these requirements may be locked. In that case, they can only be edited by an administrator. Please note any errors found in the above requirements on this article's Talk Page.

List of Ideas for Community Service Projects

1. Develop and help maintain a community garden.
2. Build a nature trail for use as an outdoor classroom or for community enjoyment.
3. Develop a recycling project that involves your whole troop (i.e., newspaper and/or bottle collection).
4. Conduct a survey of local storefronts. Determine areas where litter has accumulated. Work with storeowners to help improve conditions.
5. Plan and make a presentation to elementary students about the importance of conserving natural resources. Take students on a nature walk, pointing out natural resources.
6. Conduct soil and water conservation activities on a heavily used trail to prevent erosion. Record your activities.
7. Construct water facilities and plant vegetation that will provide food and shelter for wildlife in appropriate places.
8. Adopt a park, block, vacant lot, etc. Erect signs urging others not to litter or vandalize. Protect a flower bed or plant species with fencing. Remove litter and debris. Build picnic tables or fix up old ones, paint benches, etc.
9. Research which plant species are native to your area, and plant and maintain a community wildflower garden. Include descriptive and educational signs for the public.
10. Organize an anti-litter poster competition among junior and senior high schoolers. Arrange for businesses to donate awards for the winners and recruit community judges. Include media coverage. Get local businesses and schools to display the posters.
11. Become involved in a local environmental/recycling issue. Attend public meetings, talk to public officials, and make a report to your troop about what you have learned. Decide how you want to become involved in resolving the issue and spend your project time educating your fellow citizens as to your viewpoint and assisting your "side" in its campaign.
12. Establish and maintain a bird sanctuary.
13. Find out which birds, animals, and fish are native to your area. Write an article on the importance of maintaining proper balance between man and nature. Take steps to maintain habitat areas for this wildlife.

Keep America Beautiful Week

Keep America Beautiful Week developed from eleven consecutive years' observances of KAB Day. It originated in 1971 as "Scouting Keep America Beautiful Day." KAB Day was eventually extended to a weeklong observance (usually the fourth week of April). Millions of citizens across the nation participate each year.

Public Lands Day

Public Lands Day involves citizen volunteers in cleaning and maintaining nearby public lands. This event falls annually on the Saturday following Labor Day. The purpose of Public Lands Day is to instill a sense of pride and ownership among citizens through hands-on participation in continuing education and improvement projects on public properties.

Requirement resources

5. Presentation resources:

• Cub Scout: Communicating Belt Loop & Pin - Webelos: Communicator - Merit Badges: Public Speaking - Communication
• Speeches & Presentations: How to Choose a topic - How to Write a Speech - How to Give a Speech - Ideas from eHow
• Lesson Videos: ExpertVillage: Giving a Speech - Public Speaking Tips - Public Speaking - Eye Contact - Hand Gestures - Props

External links

• Keep America Beautiful at scouting.org
• American Society of Landscape Architects
• Keep America Beautiful Inc.
• National Gardening Association
• National Public Lands Day
• U.S. Department of Agriculture—Natural Resources Conservation Service
• U.S. Department of the Interior—Fish and Wildlife Service