UT Golf Club teams with scouts for Jackalope Egg Hunt in the Balcones

As the sun rose early on March 8, Scouts from across the area gathered in Steiner Ranch for a friendly competition at the University of Texas Golf Club. The second annual “Jackalope Egg Hunt” is a race to see which team of Scouts can collect the most Jackalope eggs, or golf balls, that have rolled their way onto neighboring preserve land.

Their eyes scanned the forest floor, looking for one of the many white, dimpled spheres scattered on the hillside. “I found one!” a young Scout cries out to her grandmother. That’s one more towards her local Pack 201 taking home a prize for their hard work.

This is the second year the North Shore District of the Capitol Area Council, Scouting America, and the UT Golf Club have joined forces with Travis County’s Balcones Canyonlands Preserve for the event. It’s a fun way to collect thousands of golf balls and other litter that have worked their way onto lands set aside for conservation and endangered wildlife habitat management.

Travis County Natural Resources’ Biologist Becky Woodward gave a short presentation about the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve and also went over contest rules and safety guidelines. Scouts of all ages competed to see which unit could collect the most pounds of golf balls per person, the most golf balls overall, and display the best outdoor spirit, all while performing important conservation work to remove microplastics from critical habitat. Travis County staff stood by at weigh stations for scouts to bring in their haul.

This year scouts excelled at the task, collecting over 1,057lbs of golf balls, with the top unit from Leander collecting over 319lbs. On average, each scout managed to remove 23.5 pounds of golf balls from the preserve.

Scouting America teaches values to kids with fun activities such as the Jackalope Egg Hunt. 

Since 1954 the Outdoor Code of Scouting America states:

As an American, I will do my best to –

Be clean in my outdoor manners.Be careful with fire.

Be considerate in the outdoors.

Be conservation minded.

For more information about K-5th Pack 201 and 6th – 12th Troop 201, which meet at St. Luke’s on the Lake Episcopal Church in Four Points, or about starting a Scout Pack at a church, school, or organization, contact justin.brundin@scouting.org.