Hey, Gearheads, it's Jeff with Gear Report. Here at Filmont Scout Ranch, it's the summer of 2021, and we have tracked down Robert, who's going to talk to us about the conservation individual programs. Here at Filmont, what can you tell us? So there are a number of opportunities here at Filmont, where an individual young person can get out to the ranch for less than a regular track, and with a less of a weight list situation. The conservation department runs four of these in particular. We do the Order of the Arrow Trail Crew, a regular trail crew track, the Roving Outdoor Conservation School, and the Stim Track. And all of them allow an individual young person, in the case of most of them, between 16 but not yet 21. Sort of a backstage pass to come out and do and see things at the ranch that a regular track doesn't quite get to do. Nice. Thank you, guys. These tools, I suspect. Quite a bit. The conservation individual programs focus on finding ways to give back to the land out here, to support Filmont's conservation program, and really to help protect and conserve Filmont for future generations of campers. So both of our trail crew programs are out kind of in the deep south in the area around Mount Phillips and Cedopique, where they're building trails that will open up parts of the backcountry that you currently can't really quite get to. Trail Crew Trek is building the first trail up Cedopique, finding, creating a new route between Somil and Simran Ceto. The OA Trail Crew is building a new trail up Mount Phillips through an area that hikers would normally not see, including the Ringcon Riyado, a stream up there that you normally wouldn't have been able to access for water, but taking us toward the summit of Mount Phillips. Programs like the Roving Outdoor Conservation School, or we call it rocks, they engage in all those other types of conservation work. They're helping with our Forest Fuels Reduction Program, our forestry work, to make our forest more sustainable and more resilient to fire. They are helping with stream restoration projects, invasive species projects, and a lot of things that help kind of enhance and protect the habitat out there and keep Filmont wild. Rocks also allows them to meet up with the natural resource professionals who work with the ranch, also with Carson National Forest. So it's a great way if somebody's generally interested in the out of doors, and they're interested maybe in future summer employment outdoors, that kind of thing. These are the closest thing that we really have to like a CIT, like a counselor in training program. It's a great way to kind of make the leap from a regular camper into a staff position. You think of a teenager coming out and doing that, sort of helps build their Filmont resume. It introduces them to staff who could give them a letter of recommendation in the future. And because they're providing all that service to Filmont, those tracks are offered at a pretty deep discount. The trail crew programs are about $400. The Rocks program is 21 days, is about $600. And both those 14 day and the 21 day program, they have scholarships through our Filmont Staff Association. So we've got alumni who've helped us create funds so that hopefully that the application fee for those programs isn't a barrier to anybody getting out here who'd love to work at Filmont with us. Nice. Sounds exciting. I remember last summer was out here, we saw a crew going through, was it toothache springs? I think putting in sumps. Right? 2017, mid July, that would have been part of this program? That's our staff work crews. Kind of those strike teams where you send five folks out to go fix something at a remote campsite, like toothache springs. Yeah, they're getting paid to spend the whole summer hiking around in that. And so then we saw trail crews then coming through Hidden Valley, I guess, without a been part of this program. Well, in fact, you'd probably see some groups moving around out there for like OA Trail Crew or for Trail Crew Trek. There's been in a lot of time on one particular project where we're building something new. And so they'll be able to look on a Filmont map in the future. They'll be able to find that dotted line going over Cedopheak and say, we put that there. That's our contribution. Dude, that made the hair of my arms stand up. Thinking about having that kind of connection. I love this place. I keep coming back to have that kind of connection and to get it to discount. It is. It's a surprise you're not swamped and have a huge weighting with. I think they're one of Filmont's best kept secrets. It's tricky. The idea when you're a high school senior or a college freshman to travel out here, so to speak alone, to sign up for a program. But it's also the great opportunity. Because you don't have to wait until your unit or your council contingent is going. But of course, you can sign up with friends. We always see young folks making a road trip out of it and coming out with a small group of folks from their council or their college roommates or something, coming out to do one of these together. But it's an interesting way to interact with the camp. If you think about Filmont, depending on how you want to count, has nearly 360 miles of trail out there, something like that. And the overwhelming majority of it, especially the miles that we would truly think of as hiking trails, that was built by scouts, forescouts by hand. And whether it's building some of those trails or whether it's working with rocks and doing some of the forest fuels then kind of work, all of that work helps preserve and protect the wilderness experience out here. So hey, if you're watching this and it interests you, if you're a parent or a friend of someone who might be interested, share the information with them. But wait, where do they get the information? So it's on the Filmont website. We describe these as individual opportunities because you don't, you know, no crew, no problem. You don't need your unit coming out here in order to do them. So Filmontscoutwrench.org slash individual. You'll see a number of them on there and the scholarship information. That's fantastic. One, of course, you know, our longest individual program that can sign up for conservation staff. And for those who are over 21 or who are more on the advisor side of things, we actually do a volunteer vacation in the off season, usually in the autumn that is also on our website. It's usually a partnership with our staff association. So you're saying there may be something for someone who's older than not yet 21? In fall, we usually build trail with volunteer vacation. And in the spring, we do some of this forestry work with our FilBrake program and the alternative spring break service program. So we're always trying to find new ways to get people out here and help folks see and experience the work that's going on out here. Not just young people like not as young as they used to be. Kind of people can still come out. If people are interested in doing work, like I said, those off season programs allow us to open it up to a really wide range. Whereas in the summer, we kind of focus on folks who might be interested in becoming future staff. Fantastic. All right, hey, I appreciate all the information. I keep eyeing that. I don't know what it is, but that acts as calling to me. I'm going to play with that. You don't need to watch that. So we're going to cut your loose. Until next time, we'll see you on the trail. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments. A big thanks to our patrons for helping us bring you more unbiased hands-on reviews.