Merit Badge Programs

Scouts have been earning kayaking and whitewater badges with Swiftwater Adventures for over a decade now. Swiftwater also offers outdoor and natural science education programs.

Swiftwater CEO Cliff Langley writes and implements the programming based on his 25 years as a guide and naturalists and educational background with a Masters of Education in Environmental and Natural Science. Fantastic facilitators like Swiftwater COO Brian, veteran raft guide and adventure camp facilitator Meleah, trip leader and kayak instructor Hannah, and more run these programs with an emphasis on creating a fun and safe learning environment that is immersive and challenging. 

Click on the link below to learn more about our immersive natural science based adventures for well over a decade now for schools and youth groups, more detailed info here: https://www.swiftwatermned.com/our-programs/

For Scout Merit badges and most educational programming, we pair adventure education with science education. A full day of programming to earn two merit badges might be a combo of Whitewater and Environmental Science, Kayaking and Whitewater, Climbing and Geology or Whitewater and Geology, Whitewater and Wilderness Survival. Below is a brief breakdown of the programs. Our programs can easily match up with any previous work scouts have done towards their merit badge to satisfy requirements.

Climbing

Participants will learn about necessary equipment and techniques for climbing, how to be on belay and how to belay, how to tie a figure eight, how to set up a top rope climb, work with climbing facilitators to go over safety inspection of climbing equipment (rope, anchor lines, carabiners, helmets, harnesses etc), discuss climbing route ratings, and of course climb some routes! 

Whitewater

Whitewater: Pre-trip and during the trip we discuss rating of rapids, river hazards, and river signals, and go over paddling technique and commands. During the trip as we paddle and explore we learn and discuss rapids and ratings, river hazards, and technique in real time. In addition, during the trip we used place based learning for environmental science, ecology, geology, and wilderness survival programs. 

Ratings of rapids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz9zyyqVCnY

Ecology/Nature

Participants will learn and discuss what ecology is, what ecosystems are and types of, and energy flow in an ecosystem. 

During the trip, this pairs excellently with a whitewater rafting trip on the St. Louis River, we will make a few stops to discuss the mixed conifer-hardwood ecosystem, riparian zones, wetlands, fauna and flora in these ecosystems (species, populations, communities and interactions), and energy flow (food web, food chain, trophic levels, photosynthesis, producers, consumers, apex predators, etc).

We will also visit a stand of old growth pines and discuss fire ecology of the region and how boreal forests adapt to wildfires, and briefly about forest succession.

Environmental Science

Participants will discuss and define environmental science, create a basic watershed model to help understand basic watershed dynamics and its relation to the water cycle, discuss water and air pollution. Discuss and define ecology, stream ecology (specifics of water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels), learn what macroinvertebrates (i.e. mayflies, dragon flies, etc) are and how they can be bio-indicators. 

In the field we will perform an environmental science experiment similar to what a stream ecologist or biologist would conduct. The group will collect macroinvertebrates from a local stream and sort and identify. Through collecting macroinvertebrates from the stream bed the diversity and number of species creates a biotic index that we can then use to help calculate the health of the stream.

Water Cycle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al-do-HGuIk

Geology

 Almost all of this program is conducted on and along the river and in Jay Cooke St. Park. Discuss and define what geology is, why it is important to learn about the past and why it is relevant to today, discuss rock cycle and three main types or rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) and learn to identify, discuss and understand plate tectonics, learn about the mid continental rift and the formation of Lake Superior, and about formation of agates. 

Participants will view and discuss a geologic map of the Lake Superior basin and of Jay Cooke St. Park/St. Louis River area, discuss formations on the St. Louis River from bedrock type to formations such as kettles and glacial erratics, to stream formations such as cut banks, fill banks, and deltas like the largest freshwater spit in the world, Park Point, where the St. Louis River meets Lake Superior.

Kayaking

Learn the basic stokes and concepts to become a proficient kayaker. Participants will learn about and how to inspect the necessary equipment for kayaking (pfds, spray skirts, paddles, kayaks and whitewater kayak gear also such as helmet and other ww specific gear). Participants will learn the differences between whitewater, sea and recreational kayaks and name parts of.

Participants will learn forward stroke, high and low brace, forward and reverse sweep, wet exit, and about center of buoyancy. We take a challenge by choice philosophy and paddlers can choose to paddle a couple of class II pool drop rapids with kayak instructors 

Wilderness Survival

This program takes place in a wilderness setting either in an old growth forest or on an island and is a great pair with rafting. We run a scenario where participants are almost in a Land of the Lost situation for you 80s kids scout masters: A raft trip gone wrong and participants are ship wrecked on an island. Participants must race against the clock to prepare a shelter, administer first aid to wounded (obviously fake injuries), treat water, construct rescue signals to be seen by air and land, and procure a fire. 

Depending on numbers, a facilitator or two is on site as a guide but it is up to the participants to work together and accomplish the survival goals. Participants will be given certain items to help such as a wilderness first aid book, a wilderness survival guide book (featuring varieties of wilderness shelters), magnesium fire rod, etc. Participants are split into groups to accomplish the goals and the scenario is run 2 or 3 times so everyone has a chance to work on the initiatives.