6 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 45, No. 4 From the Publications Committee Tim Kent, PLS FIELDNOTES FROM THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE As we struggle to find avenues to recruit the younger generation into the profession of surveying, we are on the edge of losing another long-term program. The surveying merit badge is in the bottom 10 of merit badges earned according to the 2020 report by the blog of Scouting Magazine (blog.scoutingmagazine.org). This report has a plethora of data about all of the merit badges, from the good to not so good, in accordance to popularity and other data points. The surveying merit badge is one of the 57 original programs that began in 1910. There are now 137 badges available and in 2020 there were 603 surveying merit badges earned. This ranked the surveying merit badge at number 136, just one place above the least-earned bugling merit badge. The drafting merit badge doesn’t fare much better. It is ranked at number 134 with 1,026 badges earned. The surveying merit badge has shown a steady decline in the past five years, from 1,028 in 2016 to 603 in 2020. The drafting merit badge has remained steady at about 1,000 badges earned in each of those years. Over the lifetime of offering the surveying merit badge, it is ranked at number 102 with just over 157,000 badges earned. The drafting merit badge is ranked at number 86 with almost 232,000 badges earned. This merit badge decline mimics the overall health of recruiting and employment for the surveying profession. From scouting to TrigStar to TwiST to career days and to any other effort we participate in, each opportunity of recruitment counts, no matter how many are contacted or where the information was obtained. There is no one silver avenue that will magically save the surveying profession. Each of us is responsible to ensure that we leave a legacy to our profession. You are encouraged to do something that will fill the void of new recruits into the surveying profession. The programs are in place, and assistance is available if needed. Set aside some time and make a plan to be involved in recruiting. We will become stronger and more visible if each of us participates. Paraphrasing the famous quote by Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon and an eagle scout, “Take one small step for recruitment, one giant leap for surveying.” The organization’s older youth program, Boy Scouts, is now called “Scouts BSA” and includes both boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 17. The program for younger kids, Cub Scouts, has welcomed girls since 2018. If you’d like to become a merit badge counselor for local Scouts, please contact info@cpcbsa.org. Set aside some time and make a plan to be involved in recruiting. We will become stronger and more visible if each of us participates.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzc3ODM=