Let me introduce you to Shaun B. Bawden the new District Director of the Eagle Rock District. Shaun was born in 1974. He began his scouting when he was seven years old when he joined Pack 198 in the Utah National Parks Council. He was able to advance rapidly in the Cub Scouting program due to the help of very supportive parents and leaders. He earned his youth religious award and the Arrow of Light award before entering Blazers in 1985. His Blazer leader and later her husband, the Scoutmaster, were good examples to Shaun and he draws on his experiences in those early years a lot. In Troop 198 Shaun served as a Librarian, Assistant Patrol Leader, and Patrol Leader of the Beaver Patrol, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and finally Senior Patrol Leader. Every year Shaun’s troop had leadership/planning retreats where the youth leaders where trained and then they planned out the year. These trips were usually associated with fun outdoor activities such as skeet shooting or hiking. The leaders of Shaun’s troop were good examples to him. They expected the Scouts to wear their uniforms and they did so as well. They were trained and most of them had attended Wood Badge training. Shaun attended Thunder Ridge Scout Camp (were he got stitches), Maple Dell Scout Camp and Schofield Aquatics Base. It is funny that our new Scout Executive, Clarke Farrer, was the camp director at Thunder Ridge the year Shaun attended and Clarke believes he is the one that actually drove Shaun to town to get sutures in his cut finger. He loved his scouting trips and even decided to take part in a multiday backpacking trip in Southern Utah while his family went to Disneyland. When Shaun turned 14 he was at Schofield Aquatics Base and applied to be on staff the remainder of the summer. He worked in the Nature area which was great for him since he has a great love for the natural world. He earned his Eagle Scout Award on July 17, 1988 and received it in August, the day after his mother got her Wood Badge beads. A couple of days later his family moved from a small town to Houston, TX. He quickly joined a troop there and continued to advance and participate in Scouting. He went on to earn his Varsity Letter and bronze, gold and silver Eagle Palms in the Sam Houston Area Council. He has good memories of attending camporees at Camp Strake in the Houston area. Scouting in a new part of the country and climate was an adventure for him. That summer he traveled back to Schofield Aquatics Base to work another year at camp. Schofield was a lot of fun since he was able to take advantage of the aquatics facilities and have experiences he had never had before. Three days after returning home to Texas, his family moved to Las Vegas, NV. He quickly continued the Scouting adventures in the Boulder Dam Area Council with many High Adventures. His leader was a member of the local Search and Rescue unit. He got to do a lot of bouldering, climbing and rappelling in the Red Rocks canyon area west of the city. His unit even earned money and all got certified as open water SCUBA divers in a frigid Lake Mead in January. About a year after moving to Las Vegas his family again moved to the Salt Lake City area. On a camping trip just after Christmas in Arches National Park he learned about an opportunity to go and live in Hawaii. So only after living in Utah for five months he left and went to Maui to work on a pineapple plantation. While there he body surfed, snorkeled, rappelled, jumped off waterfalls, went deep sea fishing, scuba diving, and so much more. It was hard work, but the experiences will be a strength for him the rest of his life. When he came home his family had moved to Sandy, Utah were he graduated from High School and did a lot of skiing. His Explorer Post did a lot of career development and visited numerous businesses, factories and other locations as well as some fun High Adventure trips. He started college and then went on a church mission to Spain for two years. When he came back he continued college in Pocatello, and graduated from ISU. He met and married Felicia Blad and now has been married for more than 10 years. Before joining the Scouting profession he worked as a mortgage broker in Pocatello. He has been with the council for over five years having served in the Targhee, Fort Henry, Lost River, South Fork, and Centennial districts. He is a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow. He has been an Assistant Camp Director at Treasure Mountain, the Director for Krupp Scout Hollow for three years and is currently the Camp Director at Camp Little Lemhi. Because of his love of High Adventure he has a special fondness for the Venturing Program and is the council’s adviser to the Council Venturing Committee. He attended Wood Badge in 2002 and is in the Buffalo patrol. He has had the chance to serve on staff for a Wood Badge course. He has also attended Powder Horn and served on staff for the course. He loves the Scouting Movement and firmly believes in the values of the Oath and Law. He knows that there are many challenges that face the youth of today and is committed to helping them become better prepared for the future by providing a quality scouting program within the Eagle Rock District.