The National Outdoor Badge for Conservation recognizes Scouts and Venturers who give back to the outdoors. You'll learn conservation skills, earn related badges, and put in real work protecting nature.
Why it's worth it
Twenty-five hours of conservation work leaves marks you can see: a trail that no longer washes out, a stream bank held in place by new plants, a meadow cleared of invasive weeds. This badge is for Scouts and Venturers who want to take care of the outdoors, not just visit it. You'll learn to use conservation tools safely, earn badges in soil, water, and wildlife, and get to know the people who manage public lands.
Start this week
- Check that you've finished requirement 1: First Class, Sea Scout Apprentice, or Ranger requirements 1-6.
- Start a conservation log: date, project, hours, and who supervised.
- Ask your Scoutmaster or Advisor about upcoming service projects with a park, forest, or conservation district.
- Pick your next merit badge for requirement 3 and message a counselor, with a parent copied.
Plan ahead: Requirement 4 asks for 25 logged hours of Scouting conservation work. Start logging at your next project, and ask your leader whether past hours count.
Stay safe
- Use conservation tools only with adult supervision, gloves, sturdy boots, and eye protection.
- Learn to spot poison ivy and check for ticks after work days in brush or tall grass.
Requirements · 4
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Earn First Class rank or Sea Scout Apprentice rank, or finish Venturing Ranger Award requirements 1–6
Tip: Make sure you've finished First Class, Sea Scout Apprentice, or the listed Ranger requirements first.
- Requirement 2
Show you can safely use five of these tools, and talk about using each one ethically: shovel or spade, pick or pickax, bow saw, cross-cut saw, ax, sledge hammer, prybar, loppers or shears, Pulaski, fire rake or McLeod
Tip: Learn safe use of tools like shovels, rakes, and loppers. Talk about using them in ways that help rather than harm nature.
For example: Five tools you might learn: a shovel, a McLeod, a Pulaski, loppers, and a bow saw. Show a safe stance and how to carry each, and discuss ethical use, like cutting only what the land manager has marked.
- Requirement 3
Conservation merit badges
- Requirement 3a
Earn the Environmental Science or Sustainability merit badge, or finish both the Venturing Ranger Conservation core and Ecology elective
Tip: Choose Environmental Science or Sustainability, or the Ranger option. Start with the one you enjoy most.
For example: Environmental Science leans toward ecosystems and experiments; Sustainability looks at water, food, energy, and waste in daily life. Venturers can use the Ranger Conservation core plus the Ecology elective.
- Requirement 3b
Earn the Soil and Water Conservation merit badge
Tip: Soil and Water Conservation teaches how land and water work together. Look for hands-on projects nearby.
- Requirement 3c
Earn the Forestry, Mammals, or Fish and Wildlife Management merit badge
Tip: Choose Fish and Wildlife Management, Forestry, or Mammals based on your interests.
For example: Pick by interest: Fish and Wildlife Management if you like habitat projects, Forestry if you want to learn trees and forest health, or Mammals if you like tracking and studying animals.
- Requirement 4
Do 25 hours of conservation work in Scouting America activities and to its standards; hours from requirements 1–3 count
Tip: Log your conservation hours toward the 25 you need, and what you did. Trail work, planting, and cleanups all count if they're part of Scouting.
For example: Hours might come from a park's invasive plant pull, a tree planting, building drainage on an eroding trail, or restoring a streambank. Note the date, project, hours, and who supervised each time.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A county conservation district or extension office
Staff know local erosion, water, and habitat problems and often run volunteer projects.
How: Have an adult call and ask for the education or outreach coordinator, and ask whether a Scout group could help with an upcoming project.
Where it can lead
- Soil conservationistHelps farmers and landowners protect soil and water.
- Forestry technicianMeasures trees, maintains trails, and works on forest health projects; often a two-year degree or seasonal start.
- Wildlife biologistStudies animals and plans habitat projects for state and federal agencies.
Ask yourself
- Which project made the biggest visible difference, and how could you tell?
- What did a land manager teach you that changed how you see a park or forest?
- Which conservation problem near you do you most want to help solve?
- How could you get younger Scouts excited about conservation work?
Good questions to ask a land manager or conservation district staff member
- What's the biggest threat to this land right now?
- Which volunteer projects make the most lasting difference here?
- How do you decide which areas to restore first?
- How did you get into conservation work?
Helpful reads
- Venturing: plan your own adventures, How a Venturing crew works, the four ranks from Venturing to Summit, what officers do, how to plan an adventure, and the national high-adventure bases., Youth · Leaders · 5 min read
- Finding service that matters, Service hours count toward your rank, but the best ones are the ones you'd want to do anyway. Here's how to find them, arrange them, and get the most out of them., Youth · Families · 5 min read
For leaders & parents
- Partner with local parks or conservation groups for regular service days.
- Help Scouts track hours and celebrate milestones.
People & places that can help
- Local park or conservation district — Projects and expert guidance.
- USDA Forest Service (opens in a new tab) — Conservation projects and resources.
- Merit badge counselors — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- National Outdoor Awards (opens in a new tab) — Scouting America's official rules for the National Outdoor Badges and Medal.
- National Association of Conservation Districts (opens in a new tab) — Learn what conservation districts do and find yours.
- Volunteer.gov (opens in a new tab) — Find conservation volunteer projects on public lands.
- Arbor Day Foundation (opens in a new tab) — Tree planting and care information from a long-running tree nonprofit.
Pairs well with
- Soil and Water Conservation, Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Nature · 7 requirements
- Environmental Science, Eagle-required, Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Nature · 11 requirements
- Fish and Wildlife Management, Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Nature · 8 requirements
- Forestry, Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Nature · 8 requirements
Named in these requirements
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.