On this idea – I bought one of these antique repro maps for my house and had it framed. It is really beautiful. I purchased it from Zazzle.com (off ebay), but it is sourced from the LOC. Probably lots of other distributors (type in your home town on ebay and see what comes up – hopkinton, ma has a bunch of them now).  The LOC has maps from all over the country.  You pay say $10 for the map, get a framing deal for say, $30 each (it has to be framed nicely), then sell for $125 around Christmas time. Good luck.

This is a pretty useful document to help conduct boards of review. If anyone can find a better one, send across.

borguide.pdf

A good resource for free topo (topographic) maps. Sometimes you have to piece sections together in powerpoint but it works.

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=19&n=4892560&e=287082&s=100&layer=DRG25&size=l&u=0

June08 update: I had to use topozone for something and I see they’ve sold out to trails.com. It is no longer free. I don’t see the point of trails.com and paying for trip ideas and info. There is so much free information available, who would pay for this service? Besides, it’s bad karma. The outdoor creed is about living free. Paying to be free? Is just does not connect for me.

I’ll see if another site is out there for free maps.

If you go over the the US government USGS site, http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Other_Resources/rdb_topo.html don’t expect much. I remain deeply dissappointed that with all the tax dollars spent and manhours consumed, YOU STILL CAN’T GET A DECENT MAP from them. Their website also contains too much distracting, bothersome content.

New; here’s a hard to find link to a place on the USGS site for pdf versions of topo maps:

http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/usgs/maplocator/(layout=6_1_61_48&uiarea=2&ctype=itemList&carea=0000000009)/.do

Here’s another one:

The easiest way is to download a free app for Google Earth, called the Topographical Overlay, that will add a KMZ “layer” of official US topo maps on Google Earth. Once installed you can toggle it on or off. When on, the Topo Overlay displays the standard 7.5 minute topos as one seamless map of the country. See this link for more:  http://www.gearthblog.com/kmfiles/topomaps.kmz

t-minus-275-days.ppt

This one focuses on initial information to relay:

philmont-parents-night.ppt

Here is a very comprehensive set of Word docs covering all aspects of Philmont. This comes from a friend who has done it all.  Philmont Prep Complete Doc Set Download

brochure1.ppt

These guys also put together a decent brochure if you are looking for ideas:

t97brochure.pdf

See attached, used during a kickoff meeting for a local crew. Maybe you can find your own use for something like this. Venture crews are kid run, but they need help realizing all there is to do out there.

The third doc is not my work, but I found useful. The question always comes up - what is the difference between a venture patrol and venture crew? Well briefly, a venture patrol is a way to single out ‘better’ scouts and make an elitist organization within your troop (not recommended; I don’t know any scoutmaster who does not try to balance the troop). Venture Crew is the organization that is for kids over 14, separate from the troop, no uniforms (but the green shirt is optional), less big production car-camping, you CAN earn your eagle award as a member of a crew, and it is co-ed and predominantly kid run.

crew-ideas.ppt

troop-ideas.ppt

venture-patrol-v-venture-crew.pdf

Trip leaders take this necessary step far too casually.

I’m somewhat scared to death that when I, as a volunteer doing something nice for other people, put myself, home and assets in jeopardy every time some kid jumps in my car for a ride. I am not an attorney so I don’t know if this doc can hold up in court, but I believe it does offer some degree of protection. I reproduced this from the Backpacking MB book. I’ve never seen any trip leader use something as detailed as this, but they absolutely should. Feedback on this one most appreciated. The original actually went so far as indemnifying BSA and council, but I’m not their agent. Parents can go after them all they want.

permission-slip.doc

BSA supposedly offers $2m of insurance, but it is my understanding this is per event (so $2m/# injured parties) and paid after all other insurance pays. Council has never been able to fully explain this to me.