The US Forest Service has chosen Wrangell’s Boy Scout Troop 40 to receive the 2013 Wilderness Partner Award for their efforts in identifying and accomplishing stewardship activities on the Wrangell Ranger District.
Regional Forester Beth Pendleton made the announcement last week in a press release, stating, “Their invasive weed eradication efforts within the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness were a crucial partnership in keeping wilderness wild for everyone, especially our youth.”
The troop has adopted the Twin Lakes area and plan to return every year to the wilderness to maintain the work they began. Assistant Scoutmaster Kim Powell said the young men involved learned about the outdoors and mitigation efforts while up the river.
“Our partnership with the Forest Service has opened opportunities for the Boy Scouts to get outside, go camping and learn about the environment and the devastating impact invasive weeds can have on the wilderness,” she said. “The boys learned that they can make a difference in preserving our wilderness for the subsistence activities such as hunting and fishing that are important to them and their families, one weed at a time.”
The troop also made national news when they were included in the January edition of Boy’s Life, the official monthly journal of the Boy Scouts of America. They were singled out for recognition after their trip up the Stikine River where they completed five days of non-native plant species removal.
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