Fall Boy Scout Individual Enrollment Programs Offered

New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s Scout program offers Individual Enrollment programs in the fall. The environmental science program is now fully booked and closed but there are still spaces in the oceanography program. You can register here.

For more information please contact Jody Sackett, scout program coordinator, at 732-872-1300, Ext 20 or [email protected].

OCEANOGRAPHY MERIT BADGE

Individual Oceanography. Saturday, October 1st from 10:30 – 2:30, here at NJSGC, rain or shine.
The fee is $35.00/scout; adults are free.
In a fun “hands on” ocean experience at Sandy Hook, Boy Scouts can complete all badge Requirements (except #8) of the Oceanography Merit badge in one day, with the help of a NJSGC Instructor. Scouts will explore the salt marsh and discover why the ocean is important to people. Activities include measuring beach water quality, studying waves and currents, viewing worldwide sand samples under the microscope, plankton collection and identification, laboratory experiments, and seining in Sandy Hook Bay. If scouts choose to, they can complete Requirement #8 (and the badge) by writing a 500-word report about their visit to NJSGC or give a 5-minute speech about Oceanography to their troop after providing an outline to the NJSGC instructor. A pre-program activity packet is sent to each troop leader before the program. It includes a mandatory Oceanography Worksheet and directions on how to make a plankton net. The packet and plankton net MUST be completed and brought to the scheduled program. This program is conducted by NJSGC educators who are also certified merit badge counselors. The program runs approximately four hours and scouts will need transportation to the marsh site.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MERIT BADGE

***Update: Individual Enrollment Environmental Science merit badge program for fall is fully booked.

Individual Environmental Science. Sunday, September 25 from 10:00 – 3:00 here at NJSGC, rain or shine.
The fee is $45.00/scout; adults are free.
In this interactive program at Sandy Hook, scouts will learn the basics of environmental science as we explore various aspects of the maritime environment. Through seining (net and boots provided), we will learn what lives in Sandy Hook Bay and about aquatic-based food webs. Hiking through the salt marsh, we will learn about its ecology through birding, plant identification, tidal impacts, water chemistry tests, and conduct a vegetation survey. We will study the effects of pollution on various environments both at the beach and in the laboratory, including simulated oil spills and acid rain, and discover how waves and tides affect pollution. Scouts will learn about biodegradable materials. We will study ocean acidification and soil erosion effects and analyze an Environmental Impact Statement. All badge requirements will be covered in one day except #4A. If scouts choose to, they may finish the badge by writing a lab report for Requirement 4A using vegetation data collected at the marsh. A pre-program activity packet is sent to each troop leader before the program, including an Environmental Science Worksheet which scouts MUST complete and bring with them to the scheduled program. This program is conducted by NJSGC educators who are certified merit badge counselors. The program runs approximately five hours and scouts will need transportation to the marsh site.