By MATT STUCHLIK

Special to The Hays Daily News

Boy Scouts from northwest Kansas came together for one common purpose of learning about and then practicing conservation.

In times of an energy and environmental crisis, the Boy Scouts of America are committed to continuing their tradition of stewardship to the environment. Recently, scouts had their annual Fall Camporee at Webster State Park just 8 miles west of Stockton.

Partnering with Michael Zajic of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the scouts were given a presentation on conservation of wildlife and wilderness areas. After the presentation, the scouts cut down cedar trees invading on the grasslands and hung soap from small trees to keep the deer from rubbing their antlers on the trunks.

By helping in the conservation project, the scouts had the opportunity to earn the William T. Hornaday Award for their units. This is a national conservation award given to scout units that participate in projects protecting the environment. Hornaday was a conservationist that has been credited with saving the American Bison from extinction. The Boy Scouts of America were stewards of the environment long before being "green" became trendy.

In the afternoon, scouts had the opportunity to participate in the Worldwide "Jamboree on the Air." Scouts from throughout the world gathered around shortwave radios and talked to one another during the weekend. Scouts at the Fall Camporee reached as far as North Carolina and even the South American country of Chile.

That evening, the scouts gathered for a campfire filled with American Indian ceremony and skits. Afterward, the scouts played capture the flag into the night.

With picture perfect fall weather, all scouts involved had a good time and already are looking forward to the Winter campout "Klondike" where they participate in Mountain Men activities. That event is set tentatively for Jan. 9 to 11.