Simsbury Troop 175

How to sharpen a knife

Simsbury Troop 175 At Summer Camp 2010

Poisonous Plants

Poisonous plants have always been part of daily life. In the nineteenth century, poisonings due to plants reached near-epidemic levels as people often foraged for sources of food from natural plantings. Today, potentially dangerous plants can still be found all around us. Poisonous plants are frequently part of interiorscapes in homes as well as in landscape plantings outdoors. This fact sheet discusses why plants are poisonous, the importance of plant identification in cases of plant poisoning, and provides suggestions for prevention of plant poisonings.

All types of native and introduced plants can be poisonous including ferns, herbaceous plants, woody shrubs, and trees. Identifying plants that are poisonous is difficult since poisonous plants do not appear distinctly different from their nontoxic relatives or counterparts. Many poisonous plants have such unpleasant tastes that most adults don’t chew them for very long before spitting them out. However, some poisonous plants are not distasteful and can even be sweet and, if eaten in large quantity, can cause serious problems.

The most important thing: DO NOT PANIC, just act quickly.

• Remove any plant parts from the person’s mouth.

• Give the person a small amount of water to drink.

• Immediately CALL CONNECTICUT POISON CONTROL CENTER (1-800-222-1222), your local hospital, or your local police department (911).

• Try to IDENTIFY the plant that was eaten.

• OBTAIN A SAMPLE of the plant; this should be as complete a sample as possible. This includes all of the parts of the plant that are available at the time: flowers, fruits or berries, leaves, and twigs.

• FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS FROM POISON CONTROL.

• BRING THE PLANT SAMPLE with you when taking the victim for medical treatment.

Source: Poisonous Plants, By Dr. Sharon M. Douglas, Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

The Principles of "Leave No Trace"

"Leave No Trace" is a nationally recognized outdoor skills and ethics education program. The Boy Scouts of Troop 175 are committed to this program. The principles of Leave No Trace are not rules; they are guidelines to follow at all times.

The Leave No Trace principles might not seem important at first glance, but their value is apparent when considering the combined effects of millions of outdoor visitors. One poorly located campsite or campfire is of little significance, but thousands of such instances seriously degrade the outdoor experience for all. Leaving no trace is everyone's responsibility.

Here are the Leave No Trace Guidelines.

Reposted from September, 2008

History of The Boy Scouts of America on YouTube

Here is an excellent video history of the Boy Scouts in America that has been broken down into four parts on YouTube.This would be very helpful for those scouts interested in earning the new Scouting Heritage merit badge.

Originally posted to troop website 12/11/2009.

Merit Badge Presentations

Charlie Siegal recently earned his carpentry merit badge and his photography merit badge. Here are two presentations that you might enjoy from those badges.

Download Carpentry from the Past

Download Canoeing and Camping on the Waters of Maine