Environment Challenge Badges

By earning the various badges in this category, Scouts demonstrate a personal commitment to use and enjoy natural resources in an environmentally responsible way.

Agriculture Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate your knowledge and involvement in an agricultural project.

Requirements:

1. Participate in and be able to discuss a planned agricultural project. e.g. beef cattle, bee keeping, poultry farming, tree farming, and cereal crops.
2. Keep a record of your project and explain to your Patrol/Troop the costs, profits, methods, results and conclusions for improvement. A successful completion of a 4H or horticulture club project will qualify for this badge.

Fish & Wildlife Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate your knowledge and involvement in fish and wildlife management.

Requirements:

1. Investigate and be able to discuss factors which effect fish or wildlife management, such as diseases, pollution, endangered species and habitat destruction, carry capacity and edge effect.
2. Find out how to obtain a hunting or fishing licence and discuss the value of regulations.
3. After consulting with local authorities, participate and report to your troop on a fish or wildlife improvement project, such as restoring stream banks, planting stream cover, river bank clean up, building nest boxes, helping to tag or band wildlife or adopting a park.

Forestry Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate your knowledge and involvement in forest management.

Requirements:

1. Investigate and be able to discuss Forestry concerns such as diseases, pest control, logging, product utilization, replanting and fires.
2. Investigate and be able to discuss forest ecology such as forest types, factors of growth, the value to wildlife, and air quality.
3. Participate and report to your troop on a forest improvement project such as Scoutrees, stand improvement, reforesting or pest control.

Horticulture Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate your knowledge and involvement in an horticultural project.

Requirements:

1. Plan, plant, and tend throughout one complete growing season from early spring to early winter a flower garden of at least 4 m square, OR a vegetable garden of at least 9 m square OR a landscaped property of at least 16 m square.
2. Explain:
   1. Preparation of the soil
   2. Location of the plants
   3. Fertilization and mulching used
   4. The program of weeding, watering, and staking
   5. The preparation for winter.
3. Explain your choice of plants and show or illustrate your results. Photographs, floral displays, horticultural exhibits, growth records, and produce are interesting ways to present your report.

Naturalist Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate your knowledge and skill in the field of natural science with emphasis on outdoor activity.

Requirements:

1. In a presentation of your choosing, explain the meaning of: balance of nature, migration, life cycle, niche, community and food web.
2. Identify 15 trees or shrubs, 10 non-woody plants, 10 birds, and 10 mammals native to your area.
3. In the field, if possible, identify 20 species in any category of your choice: mammals, reptiles, fish, plants, birds, trees, butterflies, moths, or other insects. Know the habitat, migratory patterns, distinctive behaviour, and life cycle of each species in the category you have chosen.

Recycling Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate your knowledge and involvement in recycling.

Requirements:

1. Lead a discussion on what recycling means and describe why recycling has become increasingly important in the past few years.
2. Report on the "recycling process" in your community. What happens to a tin can or bottle?
3. 1. Starta recycling program at your house, school, church, troop or otherlocation. If you already have a program going, get involved and take amore active role. Continue this for at least three months. OR
   2. At a camp, with members of your patrol, organize a recycling program for the duration of the camp and deposit all recyclable materials at your local recycling centre. Document your program details and share them with the camp administrator.

Soil & Water Management Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate your knowledge and involvement in soil and water management.

Requirements:

1. Investigate and be able to discuss soil and water management concerns as they relate to soil erosion, food cycle, water cycle and the water table.
2. Demonstrate different soil make-ups in your area and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each.
3. Visit local farm lands, industrial site, marsh areas, ponds or lakes and describe their importance in relation to soil and water management.