Hedge Apples and Boy Scouts

I dropped out of Scouts because most of the boys in my troupe were more interested in having hedge apple wars (throwing the fruit of Osage Orange Trees) than exploring the world of nature. Our campouts were pretty wild and not always eco-friendly. I tried to prevent some of the boys from killing a harmless snake, but they wouldn't listen to me. I enjoyed the Scout books, especially survival information. Through Boys Life, the scouting magazine, I learned to make pink lemonade from Staghorn Sumac fruit. This is NOT poison sumac, which grows in some parts of the U.S. but not Kansas. I also tried eating the roots of cattails, but never cared for them. The best thing about Scouts was the emphasis on being outdoors and learning to live with other creatures. In my community the Scout program is failing. I get a sense that it is failing elswhere also. I wonder what, if anything, will take its place in introducing children and youth to the natural world.