Ernest Thompson Seton Scout Naturalist Program
Seton Scout Naturalist Staff and Graduates
Director: Marty Brazeau: a retired school librarian, is an Academic Advisor at the Community College of Baltimore County. He has worked at nature centers and summer camps as an environmental educator. As a Boy Scout leader, he has served as a Broad Creek Ecology Conservation Director (1976-77) canoe guide at Maine National High Adventure Area (1979) and at Massawepie Scout Camp in the Adirondacks (1999-2002). He has also trained BSA Ecology Conservation Directors at the Northeast Region National Camps School. Marty completed a masters degree in Outdoor Teacher Education. He has visited Costa Rica and China to film birds. He has told folk and ghost stories professionally. He is a 2015 graduate of the Maryland Young Audiences Teaching Artist Institute. Contact him at scoutnaturalist@gmail.com
Allison Drieling: Allison is looking forward to contributing her enthusiasm and innovation to the Scout Naturalist Program with her environmental education and leadership skills. She has a masters degree from the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. She has worked as a naturalist at nature centers and has also taught horsemanship at summer camps. She has Project Wild, Wet, Aquatics, and Learning Tree certifications. This summer, she is being trained in Nature-Based Teacher Certification with the Eastern Association of Forest and Nature School. She is an outdoor education leader, serving as a second grade teacher, at an elementary school in Richmond Virginia. She will bring her ukulele to camp to harmonize with us.
Dr. Julie Seton: Julie Seton, is excited about launching the program. She will travel from New Mexico to visit us Sunday evening to highlight how her grandfather Ernest Thompson Seton was a naturalist and Native American oriented founder and leader of Scouting's early years. She is leading a Seton Family Legacy Initiative to reintroduce the Setons’ work to new generations through lectures and books. Ernest Thompson Seton co-founded the Boy Scouts of America and the Camp Fire Girls and was well-known as an educator. The Setons traveled internationally teaching the Woodcraft Program, which advocates for appreciation and preservation of wilderness and wild animals, and encourages physical, mental, and spiritual improvement. Additionally, the Initiative is connecting with organizations interested in ETS Woodcraft philosophy around the globe.
In 2015, Dr. Seton republished TRAIL OF AN ARTIST-NATURALIST, her grandfather’s autobiography. You will be able to purchase a copy.
Rob Bitting: Rob is an Eagle Scout and a retired Mechanical Engineer with over 40 years of Scouting experience. He holds a Masters of Materials Science and Engineering degree from the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering. He is Wood Badge trained, Eagles Nest trained, and the founder of Venturing crew 828 in Timonium, Maryland, as well as Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 828. He has led trips to Philmont Scout Ranch and participated in trips to Sea Base in Florida and Haliburton Scout Reserve in Ontario, Canada.
Matthew
Rohan
Matthew and Rohan are a Scout Naturalist team who have lead their Troop on a night hike at Camp Cone where they discussed rods vs cones in night vision, bats, and called for owls.
They guided Webelos from (now our first year scouts in their troop) to Hemlock Gorge to complete a stream study. They broke into groups to used seine net and dip nets to collect macro-vertebrates. They found monster crayfish and mayfly larvae The boys loved this trip!
The also led nature hike with webelos at Marshy Point Nature Center and discussed different types of habitats and different levels of a forest, played habitat relay game to test what they had learned. Memorable moment was when Matt and Rohan lead the boys through the mud and knee deep waters of the vernal ponds as the parents went the long way around.
Again with Webelos Matthew and Rohan held a nature hike at Cromwell Valley Park to identify trees, look for signs of wildlife, and guided Cubs in playing playing Disc Golf.
Rohan shown here with Scouts during a stream study.
Mitchell
Chris