Roving Outdoor Conservation School

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The Roving Outdoor Conservation School (R.O.C.S.) is Philmont Scout Ranch program for youth leaders having an interest in conservation and natural resource management. R.O.C.S. activities revolve around a 21 day trek throughout Philmont’s 137,493 acres (556.41 km²) of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains of northeastern New Mexico.

This program offers each participant in-depth experiences in conservation, environmental science and sustainability.

[edit] Program

As R.O.C.S. crews hike in the Philmont backcountry, they camp in different forest types and participate in activities in the areas of forestry, insects, fire ecology, fisheries management, geology, wildlife management, plant identification and dendrology, and watershed and range management. Additionally, the trek involves practicing Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly techniques.

During the R.O.C.S. trek each crew spends several days building new trails and rebuilding some of the existing trails that are either damaged or in need of repair.

R.O.C.S. participants work and hike in crews under the leadership of trained instructors. Crews are composed of young men or young women (not coed) from all over the United States.

The R.O.C.S. program is not meant to simply involve working on various conservation projects and hiking. It is meant to be a journey that challenges Scouts and Venturers in education, in service, and in adventure.