Letters to the Editor
The One Thing
In a July 17 interview with WKSU radio, Judge Timothy Grendell made this statement: “Our parks don’t address kids under 30 very well.”
Grendell and his board have for several years now been telling us that the parks are not attracting young people, families and outdoor enthusiasts. They have not provided any data to support these assertions, nor apparently, do they take into account the demographic makeup of the county population — we’re a pretty old crowd and getting older as time goes on, see U.S. Census data.
And, in fact, the Geauga Park District has for decades provided educational programs and recreational opportunities specifically directed toward primary and secondary school students. Large and small groups of students attend parks programs independently and through their schools on a continuing and regular basis.
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H clubs and others use the parks as a resource for many of their projects and activities.
A brief look through the newsletter, “Voices of Nature,” published by the park district, would make this obvious to anyone who cares to read it.
In the past month, the park district demonstrated, in dramatic fashion, the kind of programs that genuinely interest large segments of the public. On Aug. 19, the park district held an open house at Observatory Park to introduce the newly re-opened Nassau Astronomical Station. Several thousand people of all ages showed up to tour the new observatory and view the refurbished 36-inch telescope.
Then, on Aug. 21, thousands more people were back at Observatory Park to view the solar eclipse. Anyone could have watched the eclipse from their own back yard, but Observatory Park was the place to be!
At both events, the naturalists and staff of the Geauga Park District provided several educational and entertaining programs to provide visitors with a scientific background on the celestial events.
So, it seems that SCIENCE is the one thing that brings the most people into the parks. Who knew?
It’s clear that, while there may be a few people who only see our parks as “unused land,” most of us see them as a tremendously important public resource that protects our water, preserves valuable plant and animal species and provides opportunities for education and “connection” to the planet on which we depend for our continued survival.
Frank Gwirtz
Parkman Township
Misleading Statement
The submitted article, “Girl Scout Earns Gold Award,” in the Aug. 31 issue contains a very misleading comment about the Boy Scout Eagle Award.
First off, congratulations to Jordan on achieving such an accomplishment. This is especially true in this day and age with all of the distractions, both good and bad.
I was disappointed, however, that you stated in your article, “The Eagle Award requires no work from the Scout,” and thus implied that the Gold Award for Girl Scouts is superior to the Eagle Award for Boy Scouts.
I feel compelled to present a more balanced summary.
While the Gold Award, introduced in 1980, is often compared to the Eagle Award, the Eagle Award, introduced in 1912, is never compared to the Gold Award.
With that being said, any young adult reaching either respective goal needs to be heartily congratulated and praised for such an accomplishment.
When I was a Girl Scout, the Gold Award had not yet been developed. On the other hand, the Eagle Award was available and earned by my husband and both of my sons. I know the amount of work, dedication and commitment that is required to earn this Award.
Before a young man can even begin to work on the Eagle rank, he must first accomplish the following:
- Achieve the 6 ranks Scout through Life;
- Must spend a mandatory minimum amount of time in each rank;
- Complete approximately 117 requirements;
- Participate in 6 Scoutmaster conferences;
- Participate in and pass 5 Boards of Review;
- Earn 11 merit badges (7 required, 4 elective);
- Perform a minimum 17 hours of community service;
- Function in 4 positions of leadership within the Troop.
Only after the above has been accomplished, the now Life Scout can begin working towards the rank of Eagle.
While there are an additional 10 merit badges to be earned (6 required, 4 elected), and spend a mandatory amount of time as a Life Scout, the major emphasis to the Life Scout is to plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a community service project.
Once approved by adult Troop leadership and the beneficiary, the proposal becomes an official Project. The Eagle candidate is expected to manage the entire project including fundraising, acquisition of materials, recruiting labor to assist and recordkeeping/documentation.
Upon completion of the Project, the Eagle candidate participates in his final Board of Review.
It’s been my experience that these projects take between 50 and 100 Scout hours to accomplish.
Hopefully, all of this can be accomplished before a young man reaches the age of 18. Official records indicate that there are a significant number of Life Scouts out there who never made the final push to earn their Eagle Award.
As it is clear to see, your statement “The Eagle Award requires no work from the Scout” is misleading.
Joyce Nestor
Middlefield Township
