Req 7e — Find and Fix Local Problems
7e.
Make a list of places in your neighborhood, camps, school ground, or park that have erosion, sedimentation, or pollution problems. Describe how these could be corrected through individual or group action.
This option is one of the most useful in the whole badge because it trains you to see problems that other people walk past every day.
Look for places where soil is moving, sediment is collecting, or pollutants are likely entering runoff. Good examples might include:
- a trail shortcut cutting into a slope
- bare ground near a parking lot or playground
- muddy water entering a storm drain
- litter collecting in a drainage ditch
- an eroding streambank at camp or in a park
- sediment washing from a construction site
Make your list stronger
For each location, write four things:
- the place
- the problem you observed
- the likely cause
- one realistic correction through individual or group action
Think in Practical Fixes
Your solutions should match the scale of the problem
- Bare soil → mulch, reseeding, planting, or redirecting foot traffic
- Concentrated runoff → water bars, drainage fixes, or slowing flow with vegetation
- Sediment entering water → buffers, cover, silt barriers, or stabilization
- Litter or pollution → cleanup, containers, education, and preventing runoff pathways
The final option gives you room to design another approved project if your best conservation idea does not fit the earlier choices exactly.