Scouting, Volume 64, Number 3, May-June 1976 Page: 36
46 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
cal inhabitants simply used the streams
as dumping grounds.
What the troop did next was a logical
sequence from an enjoyable, outdoor
pursuit that was suddenly rendered less
than pleasant by the insensitivity of oth-
er people. "The Scouts realized,"
Wheeler relates, "that if we wanted to
keep these rivers attractive for the en-
joyment of future generations of Troop
Sixty-Oners and others, there was no-
body else who was going to do it. We
had to assume the job ourselves." After
that, every canoeing trip for Troop 61
also became a cleanup trip.
It didn't take too long for Troop 61 to
surrender to Ohio's rivers. There was
just too much human traffic and too
much trash being discarded for their
meager efforts to do much good. "So,"
says Bob Wheeler, "we concentrated on
Michigan's rivers, less used and a little
better respected." The troop has run
the Manistee, Pere Marquette, Rifle,
Little Manistee and Au Sable, all legen-
dary canoeing streams. Each time, the
Scouts would soak up all the usual bene-
fits of thrilling canoeing: the challenge
of whitewater, wild animals in their
natural habitat, scenic vistas, outdoor
skills like hiking, camping, cooking. But
the payoff back to Mother Nature be-
came the daily service project of clean-
ing up the river.
Besides sleeping bags, cook pots, food
and gear like first aid kits, one addition-
al staple for Troop 61 is a healthy sup-
ply of plastic garbage bags and tie
wires. The kids and adults fill dozens of
bags with litter harvested from the riv-
er bank. The Scouts then deposit the
bags for pickup by State Department of
Natural Resources people when the ca-
noes pull in for the night's stop.
Wooster's river garbage men pio-
neered in what Scouting now calls the
wilderness ethic, that is, keeping out-
door groups small and manageable to
reduce the impact on the out-of-doors.
"We use a group system," Wheeler ex-
plains, "whereby we have about three
groups of five or six canoes each travel-
ing on the river. The groups keep sepa-
rated from each other by 10 or 12 min-
utes of travel time." This system,
Wheeler learned, was one that the
French lumbermen developed. Group
travel also cuts down on the noise and
this disturbs fewer animals and those
humans who live along the streams. "It
makes for good public relations,"
Wheeler maintains.
"By keeping good faith with the pub-
lic, we often gain access to private land
to portage across, to refill empty can-
teens and get emergency help when we
need it. We've met some unpleasant
people too, but they probably react to
some unfortunate encounters with oth-
er, less considerate canoeists. We clean
up some private campgrounds along the
way and that enhances our reputation.
One man said we were crazy to clean up
someone else's mess — and in another
state at that. But we're nuts about those
wild rivers and want to keep them as
close as possible to the way that God
left them."
Because of their stream cleanups,
Troop 61 is renowned in Michigan and
in Ohio. Work on the Wolverine State's
Rifle River won for them the BSA's 50-
Miler Award. Michigan's United Con-
servation Clubs recognized Troop 61's
continuing labors to clean up the envi-
ronment by honoring them as Youth
Conservationists of the Year, 1974. A
contingent of Sixty-Oners traveled to
the awards banquet in Saginaw to re-
ceive the plaque.
Troop 61 has learned countless les-
sons from 12 years of running Michi-
gan's rivers. One of those lessons is the
value of advance preparations. "We
map out our itinerary completely way
before we ever wet a paddle," says As-
sistant Scoutmaster Fritz Schmitthen-
ner. "Letters go to the proper state,
county and private parties to pave the
way for a great trip. We follow up with
thank-yous when we get back to Ohio."
"We also take advantage of the fact
that we're Scouts," Wheeler adds.
"People know who we are. Once we got
a tour of an air force base and saw some
combat aircraft firsthand. We'd never
have gotten to that stuff if we hadn't in-
troduced ourselves to an air force man
we met and if we hadn't insisted that
our Scouts behave well."
A great deal of the credit for 61's suc-
cess goes to the troop's dads. They are
very much part of all that goes on in this
water- and conservation-oriented out-
fit. "We have a terrific bunch of fathers
and mothers," says Wheeler. Schmit-
thenner and Scouting Coordinator Jim
Taggart are examples. There are a few
dozen others. When Wheeler couldn't
make a couple of trips in past years be-
cause of vacation problems, Taggart and
Schmitthenner filled in and ran the out-
ings just as if the regular Scoutmaster
were on the scene. Taggart was a Troop
61 Scout in his youth. His dad, David,
was one of the pioneers of the outfit.
Troop 61 wouldn't think of using a
large school bus to get their canoeists
between Ohio and Michigan. Wheeler
explains why. "I demand lots of adult
leadership. The easiest way to get it is
to have the fathers provide transporta-
tion and come along as drivers. Once
they've got the kids to the jumping off
point, naturally they're going to want to
come along on the canoeing trip. When
we get them hooked on canoeing trips,
they're friends for life — or at least as
long as their kids are Scouts. Most fa-
thers who have been with us on canoe-
ing trips remain for years and help out
with other troop committee functions,
raising money, advising patrols — even
helping as assistant Scoutmasters. Some
even stay long after their boys leave the
troop."
Troop 61 knows the meaning of the
adage, "Necessity is the mother of in-
vention." Take tin cans, for example.
When you exhaust the possibility of col-
lecting discarded cans on the stream
bank, where else do you look? Under-
water, naturally. There's a bonanza of
tin cans on the bottom of most well trav-
eled streams. Problem is, how do you
dredge them up short of outfitting a
team of kids in scuba gear? Simple. You
buy a few heavy duty magnets, tie long
lines to them and drag them along the
bottom while holding the other end of
the line in your canoe. Up comes the
line, the magnet and assorted metal
containers that used to enclose soup,
beans and canned meat, among other
things.
The troop needed to add to their
canoe fleet but the necessary cash
wasn't there. How about making our
own, someone suggested? OK, said the
unit's leaders, let's give it a try. So a
group turned to the job of handcrafting
two fiberglass canoes. The results were
excellent and the canoes are still in
commission after several years wear.
But for the sheer strength demanded of
canoes that will run rockstrewn, white-
water streams, the troop still depends
on ready-made aluminum models. Some
are purchased secondhand from canoe
livery owners like Dick Schafrath of the
October Hill Livery, Loudonville, Ohio.
Schafrath, knowing of the troop's repu-
tation, was getting rid of some slightly
banged-up canoes. He made the troop a
generous offer. The troop scooped up
the bargain canoes. This kind of deal
turns out to be good business for both
the livery owner and the Scouts. The
owner realizes that the Scouts have the
time and know-how to rehabilitate the
craft. He also realizes that the Scouts
will not only use the canoes for recrea-
tion but to help clean up the rivers.
Cleaner rivers make for more pleasant
surroundings. More (continued on page 40)
36
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 64, Number 3, May-June 1976, periodical, May 1976; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353560/m1/36/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.