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Cub Scout Conservation Good Turn Award

This Award is meant for Cub Scouts.

Conservation has always been an integral part of the program of Scouting America. Scouts have rendered distinguished public service by helping to conserve wildlife, energy, forests, soil, and water. Past generations of Scouts have been widely recognized for undertaking conservation Good Turn action projects in their local communities.

The Conservation Good Turn is an opportunity for Cub Scout packs to join with conservation or environmental organizations (federal, state, local, or private) to carry out a conservation Good Turn in their home communities. Working together in the local community, the unit and the agency plan the details and establish the date, time and location for carrying out the project.

Conservation projects should involve the entire Cub Scout pack - scouts, leaders, and family members. Hands-on projects help Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts realize that everyone can do things to care for the environment. Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts participating in the Conservation Good Turn can also meet some advancement requirements.

Agencies to contact for project ideas:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
Bureau of Land Management
National Park Service
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
local City Works department
Audobon Society
Trout Unlimited

Some suggested projects could be:

Plant grasses, trees, shrubs, and ground cover to stop soil erosion.
As a den or pack, adopt a park and keep it clean.
Organize or participate in a recycling program.
Participate in a beach or waterfront cleanup. Record the items collected and determine the possible harmful effects to wildlife.
Establish a nature trail, plant vegetation, or carry out other needed projects as requested by the camp ranger at a local BSA camp property.

The patch can be worn as a temporary insignia or on the scout's patch vest.

Pick up an application form from your local council office or
use this Application Form

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Comments:

Feb 28, 2013 - Ashley Wilcock

How many hours has to be worked in order for the boys to receive the award?

Feb 28, 2013 - Scouter Paul

Ashley - There is no requirement for a certain number of hours.

Feb 28, 2013 - Yukon Jack

My cub scout pack uses this unit award as sort of a "mini-Hornaday" for projects that are only one day. Examples include a 6-hour project clearing and restoring park trails after a snow/ice storm and 5-hours planting trees in the state capitol's parkland. It gives the unit an award recognition certificate and the boys a temporary insignia award patch without having to send Hornaday nominations past council to national. When we do multi-day/detailed planning projects, then we use the Hornaday Unit Certificate.

Mar 13, 2013 - Ashley

Thank you!!!

Oct 05, 2013 - DL Mike

My pack is planning on completing a Conservation project, some of the leadership want to apply this project towards the Conservation Good Turn Award, however I want to leverage for my den to earn the World Conservation Award. I like the world over the good turn because it requires not only the single project but also completion of several wolf electives and think that it helps improve attendence and involvement in our den activities. So I am interested in thoughts about this, can a pack service a single project and have it applied to seperate awards at the den level?

Oct 05, 2013 - Scouter Paul

@Mike - If the project meets the requirements, I see no reason why scouts in your den couldn't use it differently. I would not be comfortable counting the single project towards multiple awards, if it were me.

Oct 06, 2013 - Matt

@ DL Mike - My thoughts would be if the pack is all in it together the CGT award would be a good fit. Since the World Conservation award is geared different at each rank. Plus you can easily fit an outdoor belt loop in with the WC award at the same time.

Nov 13, 2013 - Jeff

I have permission from our neighborhoods Facility and Grounds Manager, to include the Proprietary, for my Den to clean the pond, woods, and open field in our neighborhood that is designated a wildlife area. An eagles nest was built and placed there this summer for an eagle project with the local Troop. Can we use this as our Conservation Good Turn event for the award since it has approval from the local Facility and Grounds Manager? Thanks

Jan 14, 2014 - Jeff

Do the adult leaders who lead their Cubs in this award qualify for it too? Like the Leave No Trace? I need to know to buy the appropriate amount of patches, and can't find this anywhere. Thanks for your help.

Jan 14, 2014 - Scouter Paul

@Jeff - Yes, adults that participate in the good turn can receive a patch, too.

May 13, 2014 - Dustin

The award says 'should' involve the entire pack. Can an individual scout conduct a project and earn this award as an indiviual?

May 13, 2014 - Scouter Paul

@Dustin - There are no set requirements for the number of people that need to be involved. The application form does require the Pack's information, including the unit leader, so the Pack needs to be aware of the project. If a scout and his parent plant a bush and then tell the Cubmaster they want a patch, I don't think that really supports the focus of this award. But, if a Pack project is set up and only 1 or 2 scouts wind up participating, then that does.

Jun 03, 2014 - DL Wayne

Does an agency have to be involved? We built wood duck houses, following a Ducks Unlimited brochure, and got permission from the local park manager to install them on state land. We did all the planning and execution, the the park manager nay asked for all the details and locations to be provided once we were done. Would this qualify for CGT?

Jun 04, 2014 - Scouter Paul

@Wayne - Yes, the certificate application asks for the participating agency/organization. It's up to your council to decide if a project would qualify or not, so you need to ask someone there. It's better to decide what award, recognition, or requirement is being addressed by an activity BEFORE doing the activity and make sure it will qualify.

Oct 05, 2015 - Trisha Morgan

Is this patch for the good turn worn on the uniform? I can't seem to locate where it should be placed?

Oct 05, 2015 - Scouter Paul

@Trisha - Just as all 'temporary insignia', it can be displayed centered on the right pocket. One temporary insignia at a time can be displayed in that position.

Oct 07, 2015 - Jennifer

Would a project on our school grounds fulfill the requirement?

Jul 05, 2016 - Jessica

Can this award only be awarded once for a child?

Jul 06, 2016 - Scouter Paul

@Jessica - The patch could be presented as many times as it is earned. I doubt most scouts would want a stack of the same patch, and it would be an expense. But, that doesn't mean a scout shouldn't participate in additional conservation work just because he already has a patch.

Jun 27, 2017 - Deana

I guess I'm confused. The application says to turn into your local council. Then has a Certificate Prepared date. I have searched high and low and cannot find a certificate for the Conservation Good Turn. Is it the application itself?

Jun 27, 2017 - Yukon Jack

@ Deana. There is a Conservation Good Turn certificate for the unit, not each scout/scouter involved. I too cannot find the stock # on ScoutStuff, but to save $$, my council scanned in the certificate (though you have to keep it up to date, facsimile signatures of National people are on it) on an HD scanner and print on cardstock. But it is out there. Also, doing it this way allows you to give a copy of the certificate to each scout/scouter who participated as documentation of the award, which would not otherwise exist. Good luck, it's a great award. The pack I was in for 4 in 3 years once, kids loved it.

Oct 11, 2021 - Kim

I want to initiate and carry through recycling with our pack at campouts and big events. I would like just my den to be in charge of bringing a recycling receptacle and disposing of it properly at the end of each event. Right now we use many recyclable items and don't recycle anything which is why I want to take it on as a project. Would this count for this award? I would still have to contact an agency to get approval? I already own the large recycling bins.

Oct 12, 2021 - Scouter Paul

@Kim - Disposing of our waste properly doesn't seem like a conservation project to me; it's just what Scouts should be doing regularly. This award requires your Pack join with a conservation or environmental organization to plan and carry out a project of the organization's choosing.

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