Utah Scout program alive, well

The Boys Scouts of America had some bad news in 2005. There were reports about the organization for boys that focused on deaths in the Uinta Mountains and at the National Jamboree.

And when Bountiful Scout Brennan Hawkins was lost for four days in the mountains, some people wondered if there was a breakdown in how Scouting took care of its boys.

But a report handed to Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. on Scouting's 96th birthday Wednesday night seems to indicate Scouting in Utah is alive and well.

Scouting's various organizations have 187,696 youth members in Utah. Add to that 80,642 volunteer leaders, and it means more than 10 percent of the state's population is involved in Scouting.

And all three of Utah's Boy Scout councils are in the top five largest in the nation.

The Great Salt Lake Council, comprising Salt Lake County and parts of Davis, Summit and Tooele counties, is first; the Utah National Parks Council, comprising the rest of the state south of Salt Lake County, is third; and the Trapper Trails Council, comprising Davis County and north, is fifth.

All three councils achieved National Quality Council status, which puts them among the best 10 percent of councils in the United States.

Boy Scouts in Utah earned 196,372 merit badges in 2005, as well as 6,657 Eagle Scout awards.

Huntsman, who is an Eagle Scout, said he sends a congratulatory letter each time a Scout earns his Eagle.

"I insist on signing each one of them personally," he said. "I'm amazed at how many of them we have in the state."

There's almost always a stack of letters to be signed, but Huntsman said he never grows weary of signing them.

And Utah does well in producing Eagle Scouts. The state accounts for 13 percent of Eagle Scouts in the United States, though it only accounts for 4 percent of Scouts.

The five boys who addressed the governor during a 30-minute presentation spoke to how Scouting has helped them.

Matt Padley, who belongs to the 40-Scout special needs Troop 162, said his was the only special needs troop to attend the National Jamboree in 2005.

"Scouting has been quite a good thing for my community, my family and friends," he said.

Josh Harris said Scouting is how he learned to be prepared.

"It's done a lot in my life. It's how I met my friends," Harris said.

Glen Thurston, bedecked in a sash full of merit badges, said he has learned leadership skills.

Leadership skills are put to use during a number of service projects. Scouts donated 793,390 hours of service and collected about 1.8 million pounds of food in Utah during 2005.

"Thank you for doing what you do," Huntsman said.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com