NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF TEXAS

AWARD FOR BOY SCOUTS AND CUB SCOUTS

 

The Native Plant Society of Texas and the various Texas Councils of the Boy Scouts of America are jointly sponsoring an award to make our young people aware of the state’s native plants. The NPSOT/BSA award is intended to promote appreciation of native plants for their aesthetic and practical virtues, and preservation of their habitats.

The award will be an enameled hat pin depicting the symbols of both organizations. When earned by either Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts the award will be sent from the Southern Regional office to the Unit Leader, to be awarded to the scout. There is a $1.45 charge for each pin.

Required Activities for the NPSOT/BSA Award for Cub Scouts

Learn the differences among native, naturalized and exotic plants. Learn the difference between the common name and the botanical (scientific) name of a plant. Learn why plants have these two kinds of names.

Take a trip to a nature center or other piece of wild land. Choose an area there and list by common name 20 kinds of native plants from any of the following categories: trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, cacti, ferns and vines.

Collect and label the seeds of 15 native plants. Determine how each seed is carried to a new place where it can germinate and grow. For example, seeds may be windborn, waterborn, stored by animals, carried in animal fur, passed through digestive systems of birds or mammals.

List by common name 10 native plants that grow wild, and 10 native plants that people have planted in the vicinity of your home. Be sure not to include naturalized plants.

Observe six (6) native plants in your area used by Indians and learn how they were used. For example, berries eaten for food, acorns leached and ground for flour, wood used for tools and bows, roots, leaves and fruits used for fiber, dyes and medicines.

Recommended Resources for Cub Scout Activities:

A Practical Guide to Edible and Useful Plants, D. Tull, Texas Monthly Press

Landscaping with Native Texas Plants, S. Wasowski and J. Ryan, Texas Monthly Press

Texas Trees, A Friendly Guide, P.W. Cox and P. Leslie, Corona Publishing

The Boy Scout Handbook, Boy Scouts of America

Requirements for the NPSOT/BSA Award for Boy Scouts

The scout shall have completed the Environmental Science* merit badge. * Required for Eagle rank.

Complete at least one of the following merit badges, referring specifically to the native plants and habitats of Texas when fulfilling the requirements: Botany, Forestry, Landscape Architecture, or Nature. The merit badges may be earned concurrently with the NPSOT/BSA award, but must be complete in order to receive it.

Describe the following terms: native plants, naturalized plants, indigenous plants, endemic plants, annuals, perennials, evergreen and deciduous plants.

Visit a local natural area and list by common and scientific name 20 species of native plants which are abundant on the site. Learn what native plants are protected by state law or the Endangered Species Act. List any found in your region of Texas. (Contact Texas Organization for Endangered Species, TOES, P.O. Box 12122, Austin, Texas 78711, for lists.) Tell what is being done or should be done to protect them.

Observe six (6) native plants in your area used by Indians and learn how they were used. Locate and describe how a specific public building or space (i.e. a park, school, historic site) could benefit from landscaping with native plants. Name some native plants that would be good plants to use in your town in each of the following categories: trees, shrubs, ground covers (including grasses), perennials and annuals.

List representative areas of preserved land, such as county forest preserves, state and national forests, parks, grasslands, or wildlife management areas in your region which protect native species.

Recommended Resources:

A Practical Guide to Edible and Useful Plants, D. Tull, Texas Monthly Press

A Field Guide to Texas Trees, B. Simpson, Gulf Publishing Company

Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region, S. Wasowski and A. Wasowski, Texas Monthly Press

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southwest, R. Vines, University of Texas Press

The Boy Scout Handbook and Fieldbook, Boy Scouts of America

Booklist for the Study of Texas Native Plants is a comprehensive listing of published resources on native plants and is available from your local NPSOT contact, or by writing to:

Native Plant Society of Texas

P.O. Box 3017

Fredericksburg, Texas 78624

830/997-9272

 

 

The Scoutmaster secures a packet from the local council service center containing the following items:

* Requirements for earning the NPSOT award

* List of NPSOT chapter contacts

* Application for the NPSOT award

After Scout(s) have reviewed the materials with Scoutmaster, the Scoutmaster contacts a Native Plant Society of Texas Chapter for assistance. The Chapter Liaison will serve as an advisor and resource, much as a merit badge counselor does. The Liaison may conduct workshops or field trips, but is not required to do so.

At the conclusion of the project the Liaison person will approve the NPSOT award application indicating that the Scout has completed the requirements.

The Scoutmaster signs the application and sends it, along with $1.45/hat pin, to the councils service center for the Scout executive’s approval and forwarding to the Southern Region.

Upon receiving the application, the Southern Region will send the award to the Scoutmaster for presentation.

Click Here to Access the Award Form