Pack 79 Cub Scouts Help Patrol Crozet Trails

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Webelos and their families finished their first trail patrol. From left to right: Emmeline Connaroe, Rich Connaroe (back), Tyson Connaroe (front), Lucas Connaroe, Nolan Liang, Hudson Stearns, Daniel Yoensky, Emma Yoensky, Binyong Liang. Jenny Stearns and Mike Yoensky were not pictured, but were there for the patrol. Photo: Terri Miyamoto.

By Terri Miyamoto, President, Crozet Trails Crew

Cub Scout Pack 79 of Crozet has begun a year-long service project to help maintain the Crozet Connector Trail, the heart of the Crozet Greenway trail system. The trail has been divided into half-kilometer sections, and each section assigned to a scout pack. Once a month, the pack patrols their assigned section, picking up litter, clearing away debris, and pruning back small vines and twigs that encroach on the trail. They then report the results of their patrol to the Crozet Trails Crew via a web site. In this way, they can alert the CTC to any larger maintenance required and to other issues that they find on the trail.

The project began when Kyle Enfield, the Cub Scout leader, approached the Crozet Trails Crew about community service. With approximately 60 boys, plus parents, it is a large group to try to incorporate into regular scheduled trail work days. But the Trails Crew recognized the unique opportunity to introduce local trails to Crozet families, and, of course, is always looking for help.  After some discussion, the idea of Trail Patrols was embraced by both the Trails Crew and the Cub Scouts.

Members of the Trails Crew met with Cub Scout packs and their leaders to introduce them to the trails. The boys chose which section they wanted to patrol, and learned where the nearest trail access is and what to look for on the trail. They were taught to be aware of poison ivy and ticks. When a patrol is finished, the amount of time and number of Cub Scouts involved is recorded, so it can be reported to Albemarle County Parks and Recreation as volunteer hours.

Cub Scouts is a program designed for boys from Kindergarten (Lions) through 5th grade (Webelos Arrow of Light). A key component of the program is to teach scouts to “do their best,” the Cub Scout motto, and to “do a good turn daily.” For more information about Cub Scouts, contact Kyle Enfield at [email protected]. To learn more about trails in Crozet, or to get involved with the Crozet Trails Crew, visit their website at CrozetTrailsCrew.org.

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