Boy Scouts of America

Quick Concept for Leave What You Find

Grabbing Your Group’s Attention (15 minutes)

Ask participants how scientists know what dinosaurs looked like. (They find fossils and reconstruct the skeletons.) It is important for scientists to find the pieces in their original positions (relative to one another) so that they can see how the pieces fit together. The same is true for cultural—human-made—artifacts.

The Activity

Use three simple picture puzzles. Break the puzzles apart. In a yard, sandlot, or playground, scatter all the pieces of one puzzle in a small area. In another location scatter just two or three pieces, and in another location leave just one piece. Split the group into three teams and have one group at each location recover the pieces. Ask the groups to try reconstructing their puzzle or describe the picture based on the pieces they have found.

The Discussion

Ask each group how easy it was to reconstruct the puzzle. Discuss the following:

  • The importance to scientists of finding fossils or artifacts where they were originally deposited
  • The effects of intentional vandalism or theft of fossils or artifacts
  • The effects of unintentional impacts (driving off-road, hobby collecting, campsite construction). Ask participants if they can think of other ways fossils and artifacts can be lost or damaged. Discuss how these resources can be viewed and enjoyed onsite without damage. Remind the group that on public lands it is against the law to remove or destroy these resources. Refer to the Background on the Principles of Leave No Trace for more details to help stimulate this discussion.

Although this Quick Concept deals with fossils and artifacts, the principle leave what you find applies to all things that should remain undisturbed in the backcountry. Wildflowers, petrified rock, and nests are examples of other discoveries to leave for others to enjoy.

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.