Celebrating John Muir Day

How can we ensure young people care about the world around them and understand the aspects of the climate emergency if they are not connected to the environment around them?

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” John Muir

Who was John Muir?

John Muir was a Scottish born naturalist who understood the sheer beauty of the world around us and the importance of preserving nature. It’s thanks to him that we have National Parks to protect our natural heritage.

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” John Muir

What is the John Muir award?

The John Muir discovery Award is a certificate course which encourages participants to discover, explore, conserve and share the world around them. The award allows participants to shape the content around their environments and can be done in Scotland’s National Parks as much as it can be completed in the green spaces around your local schools or Scout hall. The award has a progressive aspect and once the John Muir Discovery Award has been completed, there are options to progress onto the Explorer and Conserver Awards.

Where can I take part in the John Muir Award?

Sitting within one of Scotland’s National Parks with access to some of Scotland’s most stunning landscapes, there's no better place to complete your John Muir Award than Scout Adventures Lochgoilhead. As part of your stay, you're able to complete the John Muir discovery Award as part of programmes of 5 days or more. We'll add a conservation project into your programme which can be anything from removing invasive species, a beach clean or completing citizen science projects such as lichen studies or worm surveys. We also include an evening where your group can prepare how they plan to share their discoveries on the Award once back at school or Scouts. It's a great way to ensure you get a little more from your stay and works well leading into a larger community impact project.

“Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.” John Muir.

If you're interested and want to find out more, contact our Scout Adventures Lochgoilhead centre.