Ask us anything! We answer some of your most frequently asked questions

When? Where? What? Who? How? Why? Ask Us Anything!
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Have questions about the BSA? We’ve got answers.

And if we don’t have the answers, we’ll find someone who does.

Below are a handful of questions we’ve recently gotten from readers (some of them, multiple times), along with the best answers we can provide.

Leave your question in the comments below, or send us an email, and we’ll answer in a future post.

Q: Can a committee member from one troop sign off on an Eagle Scout project and a Scoutmaster from another troop sign off on the same application?

A: Technically, yes. This would be appropriate in a situation in which the Scout was a member of one unit when the project was approved and/or completed, then transferred to a second unit prior to submitting an Eagle Scout application.

Q: Could you please provide an update on whether virtual camping nights during the pandemic can be counted towards the Camping merit badge?

A: Virtual camping nights were allowed to count toward rank requirements and the Camping merit badge if they occurred during the pandemic and before March 1, 2022.

Q: I see that the BSA website says Lions are not eligible to earn the National Summertime Pack Award pin. If we have a kid who joined in June and participates in events all three months leading up to his/her kindergarten year, why can we not recognize him/her like we do the other Scouts?

A: While Tigers, Wolves, Bears, Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts are allowed to join a Cub Scout pack in the summer as soon as they complete their previous grade (i.e. Tigers can join as soon as they finish kindergarten; Wolves can join as soon as they finish first grade, etc.), Lions cannot become an official member of a Cub Scout pack until they have started kindergarten, which for almost everyone is going to be in the fall, hence making them ineligible for the Summertime Pack Award (until they become Tigers the next summer!).

Q: I have been looking forward to helping my daughter earn a conservation-related award for some time. Which award should we work on?

A: The BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award Program is the award program you’re looking for. It is for Scouts, Sea Scouts and Venturers who design, lead and carry out conservation projects that are based on sound scientific principles and practices. Good luck!

Q: Is there a site we can go to that has a listing of previously asked / answered questions?

A: Yes! Click here to see them all!


About Aaron Derr 492 Articles
Aaron Derr is the senior editor of Scout Life and Scouting magazines, and also a former Cubmaster and Scouts BSA volunteer.