CINCINNATI, OH – On Saturday, November 9, over 350 Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, leaders, parents, siblings, college students and environmental groups will come together to plant native trees and shrubs at Camp Friedlander in Clermont County. Camp Friedlander is celebrating 100 years of serving Scouts in the region, but like most natural areas in the Cincinnati region, it has been devastated by the Emerald Ash Borer. The Dan Beard Council, which represents this 9-county region of southeast Ohio and northern Kentucky, has been conducting Camp Conservation Day for 15 years. Participation in this event grows each year, which benefits the 500-acre property. The goal for the camp is to provide a quality outdoor experience for the youth of Greater Cincinnati, just minutes from downtown.

At Camp Conservation Day, Scouts as young as 6 years of age are taught how to plant trees, identify honeysuckle and learn the fundamentals of ecology and forest management. The Scouts also take their newly learned skills home where they perform these same activities in the yards, schools, churches and neighborhoods in their community. Camp Conservation Day is often the Scouts first hands-on introduction to biology. During the event, there are demonstrations and mentoring by trained biologists, many of them Scout leaders who also started their introduction to biology in Scouting.

The Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America is happy to welcome the Duke Energy Foundation as a Camp Conservation Day sponsor. The Duke Energy Foundation has been supporting this event for the past two years because it combines the reforesting of the region with youth education and public outreach. Duke Energy employees volunteer with the planting. Additionally, private donors and the Silver Beaver Alumni Association, a group of recognized Scout leaders, contribute to match the Duke Energy Foundation’s grant.

Everyone in the community is invited to participate in Camp Conservation Day upon registration.