NPS Participates in World Scout Jamboree

Richmond National Battlefield Park Education Coordinator Stephanie Pooler with scouts at the Jamboree.

NPS Photo

Rangers from eight parks around the country traveled to New River Gorge National River to work alongside New River Gorge NR staff at the 24th World Scout Jamboree, July 22 – August 2, 2019, at the Summit Bechtel Reserve (SBR) in West Virginia, a site which borders the park. Approximately 45,000 Scouts from 157 different countries attended the event that was jointly hosted by the three North American Scout Associations: Scouts Canada, Asociación de Scouts de México, and the Boy Scouts of America. An additional 20,000 leaders and volunteers also attended the event.

The World Scout Jamboree is the largest outdoor educational event organized by the Scout Movement. This was only the second time the event has been held in the United States, with the last time being in 1967 in Idaho. The theme for this year’s event was “Unlock a New World.

Rangers from Andrew Johnson NHS, Grand Teton NP, Hot Springs NP, Indiana Dunes NP, Richmond NBP, Steamtown NHS, Mojave NP, and Presidents Park (White House), along with New River Gorge NR, spent 11 intense days staffing the NPS exhibits and hands-on activities specifically designed for the Jamboree and Scouts aged 14-17 years.

Joining the NPS at the event were four other Department of the Interior agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. As part of an overarching exhibit called "The North American Dream," all five agencies established their exhibits under one large tent, which was also shared with the USDA’s United States Forest Service, in an area called The Legacy Village. An estimated 20,000 Scouts and visitors stopped by the tent and talked with agency personal with almost half of them completing all the required activities to earn the new DOI patch created specifically for the Jamboree.

Additionally, NPS staff roved throughout the Jamboree, interacting with thousands of Scouts as they engaged in activities including rock climbing, zip lining, mountain biking and a variety of other adventure sports and educational activities within the 14,000-acre SBR. NPS staff partnered with Scouts Canada on a variety of programs, and an estimated 16,000 Scouts also visited New River Gorge NR for a half-day rafting trip in the park over the two week period.

Acting NPS Director Daniel P. Smith, also an Eagle Scout, attended the event, meeting with NPS staff and touring the SBR with New River Gorge Superintendent Lizzie Watts and SBR Director Todd McGregor.

Grand Teton NP Visual Information Specialist John Tobiason, himself an Eagle Scout, said the event combined his two passions—being a park ranger and a scout. “It was fantastic to meet scouts from all over the world. The World Scout Jamboree gives me hope for the next generation of rangers and conservationists all over the world.”