Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. Photo by Don Paulson.
Did you see the news coverage this week of the “Boy Scout Leaders” that destroyed a rock formation in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park?
The images were disgusting. The idea was disgusting. My quibble, here, is the headline of “Boy Scout Leaders” getting the blame for destroying a rock formation in a state park.
Two guys, named Dave Hall and Glenn Taylor, were indeed part of a Varsity Scout outing into the Goblin Valley State Park in Utah this past weekend. There were 2 other adults on the outing (I don’t know which were Boy Scout leaders, and which were just adults on the outing) and the Team of 8 Scouts, ages 14 and 15. The Scouts were “playing” among the hoodoos in this park, which are typified by the picture, right. Varsity Scouting is a program of the Boy Scouts of America, intended for older boys.
The “leaders” noticed that one hoodoo was barely balanced, and about to break apart. They saw this as a safety issue, and decided to unbalance the hoodoo to end the hazard. They didn’t consult any park rangers, geologists, or any other responsible adult. Unfortunately.
Their gleeful video went viral, showing them destroying this rock formation that was originally formed millions of years ago.
Today, Mr. Hall and Mr. Taylor are receiving death threats because they destroyed this rock formation.
Their behavior, obviously, is reprehensible. My point is that in NO WAY do they represent the Boys Scouts of America. Here’s what I see:
- Adults not in uniform, which indicates they are not following Scouting principles.
- Adults not following required Boy Scout training to “leave no trace” in the wild.
- Boys not present at all.
- A video posting that was originally intended to aggrandize the adults … which were not supervising their boys when they made the video.
At this point, I don’t know if these 2 adults had followed any rules of the Boy Scouts of America on this outing. They may have been registered, trained leaders … or not. The evidence I do have says they were not following training that is required for registered leaders of every outing sanctioned by the BSA.
Were they really “leaders” or were they just adults tagging along on the outing? I don’t know. But I do regret their actions, and regret that their actions have reflected badly on the Boy Scouts of America that they truly do not represent.
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4:14pm PDT, 10/21/13
UPDATE: BSA ejected both adults from membership in the organization. Apparently, one of the men was a unit leader and the other was simply a registered adult. From NPR.com: Boy Scouts Eject Leaders Who Toppled Ancient Rock
More
Huffington Post: Boy Scout Leaders Topple Ancient Rock Formation In Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park
Salt Lake Tribune: ‘Goblin’ topplers say they are receiving death threats
BoingBoing.net: Boy Scout Leaders Destroy Ancient Formation In Utah’s Goblin Valley
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