- Roving Outdoor Conservation School
The Roving Outdoor Conservation School is a twenty-one day special trek program at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. The program is open to participants who are between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one. R.O.C.S. is an educational backpacking experience rooted in conservation and environmental science education.
Throughout the trek participants have both structured and spontaneous lessons rooted in environmental science, visits from guest speakers, and the opportunity to work on various conservation projects with the Philmont Conservation Department and the U.S. Forest Service in the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest. While on the trail participants learn about ecology, botany, dendrology, geology, soils, hydrology, forestry, fire ecology, wildlife management, range management, environmental policy, Leave No Trace principles, and environmental ethics. Participants tackle diverse conservation projects ranging from trailbuilding to meadow encroachment to timber stand improvement to erosion control to streambed restoration.
The Roving Outdoor Conservation School exposes participants to the land management challenges facing the West, as well as the rest of America. The program emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and focuses on empowering participants so that they may transfer what they learn on the trail to their lives back home.
ee also
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Cimarron, New Mexico
*Order of the Arrow Trail Crew
*Outdoor education
*Philbreak
*Ranch Hands
*Rayado Program
*"The Gospel of the Red Man" (1936 & 1958)
*William T. Hornaday AwardsExternal links
* [http://lib1.store.vip.sc5.yahoo.com/lib/psashop/2006ROCSApp.pdf#search='Roving%20Outdoor%20Conservation%20School' 2006 R.O.C.S. Application]
* [http://www.scouting.org/Awards/HornadayAwards/awards.aspx About Scouting:] William T. Hornaday Awards
* [http://GeoScouting.futurethought.org GeoScouting] "High-Touch with High-Tech" land navigation patrol leadership skills
*Virtual tourism bioneer s: St. Louis Council BSA [http://homepage.mac.com/burkhartmnus/VIEW/SHOW/SHOW.HTM Philmont Expedition 817-F]
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