The 14th Annual Chattanooga State Stem Merit Badge College will be held on Saturday. Opening ceremonies will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the gymnasium.
There will be 160 boy scouts coming to work on merit badges such as Nuclear Science, Welding, Robotics and more. There will be twenty merit badges offered, taught by Chattanooga State faculty members who will involve scouts in "informative and challenging sessions" and introduce them to a
college environment as well as a possible career and higher education opportunities.
At the opening ceremonies, Jared Taylor will be honored for earning the William T. Horonaday Award. This award has only be given to around 1,100 scouts in the United States. The award is known as the “Olympic Medal Bestowed by the Earth” and the awards program was created to recognize those that have made significant contributions to conservation. It was begun in 1914 by Dr. William T. Hornaday, director of the New York Zoological Park and founder of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
The fundamental purpose of the Hornaday Awards program is to encourage learning by the participants and to increase public awareness about natural resource conservation. Understanding and practicing sound stewardship of natural resources and environmental protection strengthens scouting's emphasis on respecting the outdoors, said officials. The goal of this awards program is to encourage and recognize outstanding efforts undertaken by scouting units, scouts and venturers, adult scouters, and other individuals, corporations, and institutions that have contributed significantly to natural resource conservation and environmental protection.
Jared’s conservation project was done on Roaring Creek. He setup protection barriers to the river to stop vehicle traffic and erosion, help clear trails, moved boulders, constructed an information kiosk, removed trash and prepared the parking area for gravel. This project saved a family recreational area in the community from complete destruction.