Scouts may earn service hours by working as a Troop, Patrol, or an individual Scout.  Service hours can be almost any service provided to the community as long as it complies with the following rules:

• Service should not usually be for a commercial (for profit) enterprise.
• Service project cannot directly benefit the BSA.
• The scout should not be getting anything from it. Examples of service that is not acceptable for Scout Service hours includes:
  • Service for the family’s country club or neighborhood pool association because that’s really benefitting yourself and your social circle.
  • Service completed to earn service hours for some other group (religious ed, school, NHS, etc.) because it is “double counting” for the Scout.
  • Using service hours for both rank requirements and merit badge requirements.
• Service hours must be approved in advance by the Scoutmaster (for rank advancement requirements) or Counselor (for Merit Badge requirements).

Troop Organized Service Projects

In most cases, Scouts can complete their non-Eagle Scout service hour rank requirements by participating in Troop-planned Service projects. The Troop typically organizes a few service hour opportunities every year and may include:

• Cleaning the grounds at English Lutheran Church or the Zelienople Historical Society,
• Participating in a food drive,
• Setting up Santa’s House in Four Corners Park,
• Cleaning a trail in Zelienople Community Park, or
• Placing flags on veterans’ graves for Memorial Day

Conservation Service Projects

Most service hour requirements are open-ended and allow the Scout to find their own ways to give back to the community.  However, Scouts working toward their Life Rank are required to complete six hours of service, three of which must be conservation-related.  Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of conservation-related service projects:

• Trail building or repair to stop soil erosion.
• Planting large amounts of trees and shrubs for wildlife habitat.
• Rip rapping a stream edge with stones to stop soil erosion and improve water quality.
• Creating brush piles for wildlife habitat.
• Constructing bird boxes for nesting sites.
• Construct squirrel boxes for nesting habitat.
• Place fencing around critical wildlife habitat.
• Removing ladder fuels on trees to prevent ground fires from climbing trees.
• Removing invasive plants from stream fields and streams beds.
• Marking all the drainage holes in your town to prevent hazardous material dumping.
• Remove stream debris to enhance a natural waterway.
• Plant open space in native grasses and flowers to reduce invasive plant encroachment.
• Construct an interpretive kiosk explaining the importance of habitat enhancement.
• Construct vehicle barriers to keep vehicles off of trails, grasslands, and sensitive areas.
• Construct a xeriscape demonstration garden.
• Mark all dead trees with “wildlife tree” markers.
• Place wind-break and snow fence plantings along roadsides for wildlife habitat.
• Use netting, straw, and appropriate seed to restore an eroded soil bank.
• Thin a forest or woods area to enhance tree growth.
• Place water bars or “waddles” on hillsides to prevent erosion and slow water flow.
• Construct a wetland by controlling water flow and planting water plants.
• Construct and place water tank “ramps” to prevent bird drowning.
  Restock fish in a stream or lake.
• Collect Christmas trees and place on lakes and ponds so they sink to form fish habitat.
• Construct a hard surface walkway or path to reduce dust air pollution and control run-off.
• Establish a spring fed watering site for wildlife.
• Remove cattails encroaching on a pond or waterway.
• Place fencing around trees and bushes to prevent beaver and deer damage.
• Remove Tamarisk from waterways.
• Create a large wildflower planted garden for butterflies.
• Construct and install bird feeders at senior citizens homes.
• Plant trees and shrubs to make a visual and noise barrier between a road and a park.
• Construct and place bat boxes to increase number of bats to eat more mosquitoes.
• USFS Adopt-A-Trail Program