Camp Spotted Wood Positions Villa Escudero as a Living Laboratory for Conservation, Heritage, and Youth Leadership

TIAONG, QUEZON — Villa Escudero has launched Camp Spotted Wood Conservation Camp as a flagship conservation initiative that brings together environmental education, Barako 77 heritage, youth leadership, and community partnerships in one immersive outdoor experience.

More than a weekend camp, Camp Spotted Wood represents a long-term vision: to transform Villa Escudero into a living laboratory where nature, history, and Scout skills inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

Nestled within one of CALABARZON’s most distinctive heritage landscapes, Camp Spotted Wood invites people to experience conservation as a way of life. Built upon Barako Values, the Scout Oath and Law, the Leave No Trace Principles, the Outdoor Code, and Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, the program encourages participants to develop practical outdoor skills while cultivating a lifelong ethic of environmental responsibility.

“Conservation succeeds when people support effective environmental education programs and develop a personal relationship with the places they seek to protect,” organizers said. “Camp Spotted Wood is designed to create that connection by immersing people in a landscape where nature, heritage, and community have coexisted for generations.”

The initiative reflects a growing recognition that the world’s environmental challenges cannot be solved by any one sector alone. Camp Spotted Wood was conceived as a collaborative platform where educational institutions, scout councils, museums, organizations, businesses, researchers, artists, and local communities can work together to create meaningful conservation experiences.

Future collaborations envisioned through the initiative include biodiversity and citizen science programs, heritage interpretation, environmental storytelling, exhibitions, research partnerships, educational modules, specialized eco-cultural tours, youth leadership academies, sustainable gastronomy, artist residencies, volunteer conservation projects, and public engagement campaigns.

Villa Escudero’s unique convergence of forests, rivers, agriculture, wildlife, heritage architecture, living traditions, and family history provides an extraordinary setting for these interdisciplinary collaborations. Camp Spotted Wood demonstrates that protecting biodiversity also means preserving stories, traditions, landscapes, and communities.

The initiative also reinforces the important role that tourism can play in conservation. By creating experiences rooted in education, stewardship, and cultural appreciation, Camp Spotted Wood seeks to inspire visitors not only to enjoy nature, but to become advocates for its protection.

Organizers describe the camp as Nature’s Grand Cathedral, a place where towering trees serve as pillars, birdsong forms the choir, and campers are stewards of a shared home.

Camp Spotted Wood builds upon Villa Escudero’s long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship while opening new opportunities for strategic partnerships across the heritage, education, tourism, and sustainability sectors.

“As we face the environmental challenges of the twenty-first century, conservation must become more collaborative, more creative, and more deeply rooted in community,” organizers said. “We invite institutions and individuals who share this vision to help design Camp Spotted Wood as a model for conservation education in the Philippines.”

Camp Spotted Wood is envisioned as an evolving platform where partnerships become programs, programs become movements, and the youth become lifelong guardians of our common home.

Scouts Discover Nature’s Grand Cathedral at the Camp Spotted Wood Conservation Camp

The Camp Spotted Wood Conservation Camp transformed Villa Escudero into a living classroom where Scouting, biodiversity, Filipino heritage, and environmental stewardship came together in a weekend of stewardship and adventure. The success of the pioneer event held last August 1-2, 2026 was made possible by the collective efforts of Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort, Camp Spotted Wood, Barako Publishing, the APPA Menagerie, Rover Circle XXIII - Musketeers, and Task Force Magtatanim of San Juan, Batangas.

Organized through the shared vision of conservation advocates and Scouting partners, the camp invited participants to deepen their appreciation for the natural world while embracing the Scout Oath and Law as a way of caring for our common home.

The two-day program began with the arrival of participants at Villa Escudero, followed by an opening ceremony featuring a Scout as Steward Prayer, the singing of the Philippine National Anthem, the Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat, and a Rededication to the Scout Oath and Law. Participants were officially welcomed by Barako Publishing Publisher and Scouting America Scouter Ciara M. Serumgard.

Campers then received their orientation from Camp Spotted Wood Camp Director Carmela Balcazar, prepared their campsites, and embarked on an unforgettable hike to the iconic Labasin Waterfalls, where they shared lunch surrounded by the beauty of the forest before trekking back to Camp Spotted Wood.

The afternoon featured a series of engaging learning sessions that connected outdoor adventure with environmental education. Barako Publishing Executive Director Farrah Rodriguez shared The Barako Journey, highlighting how ordinary citizens can create extraordinary change through community-led environmental action. APPA Menagerie Founder AP Escudero Limpot introduced participants to Biodiversity Tracking at Villa Escudero, encouraging Scouts to become citizen scientists by observing and documenting wildlife. Scouts and community partners also learned pioneering skills through a Camp Gadgets workshop led by Rover Circle XXIII Institution Head Vincent Fabella. As a gift to Camp Spotted Wood, participants built and left drying racks and a table for future campers to use, ensuring that their spirit of cheerful service would continue long after the camp had ended.

As evening fell, campers built their respective campfires and grilled liempo, chicken inasal, pampano, and vegetable skewers before gathering for a memorable Dinner Under the Stars, followed by a Testimonial Scout Campfire and S’mores, where fellowship celebrated the enduring spirit of Scouting. August 1 was especially meaningful as it marks the anniversary of the first Scout Camp held at Brownsea Island in 1907, where Lord Robert Baden-Powell launched the Scouting Movement that would inspire millions of young people around the world.

The second day opened with morning exercises and a trail hike. Over a hearty breakfast of Arroz Caldo con Pollo, Camp Director Carmela Balcazar facilitated the Camp & Hike with Your Dog Session, sharing best practices for responsible outdoor adventures with canine companions and promoting safe, respectful recreation in nature. The Rover Scouts had the honor of leading the Flag Ceremony. Campers dismantled their campsites during Breakcamp, leaving the grounds in keeping with the principles of Leave No Trace. The Conservation Camp concluded with a closing program and a fellowship lunch at the Home of Lola Itas Escudero Serumgard, bringing participants together one final time before returning home.

The Camp Spotted Wood Conservation Camp also forms part of the growing Barako Trio Legacy: preserving history through Barako 77: The Story of Environmental Activism in San Juan, Batangas; institutionalizing environmental stewardship through the annual Araw ng Pagkakaisa para sa Kalikasan Municipal Ordinance; and inspiring collective action through the expanding #BarakoAlliance. Together, these initiatives demonstrate that lasting conservation and environmental stewardship flourish when communities, institutions, and the youth work hand in hand.

About Camp Spotted Wood

Camp Spotted Wood is Villa Escudero’s flagship conservation platform dedicated to advancing environmental stewardship through youth leadership, heritage interpretation, outdoor education, and cross-sector partnerships. By bringing together the Scouting Movement, educators, scientists, cultural practitioners, environmental organizations, and local communities, the initiative seeks to cultivate a new generation of Filipinos committed to protecting the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

This History Month, Scouter Manuel “Saloy” Sanchez Salumbides turned 93!

The #BarakoAlliance celebrates our Barako Scouter, Saloy Salumbides, whose extraordinary life has been intertwined with Scout service and adventure for more than seven decades. He also carries a proud connection to Batangas through his maternal grandfather.

Born on August 20, 1933, Saloy belongs to a generation whose Scouting foundation was impacted by the historic ties between Philippine Scouting and the Boy Scouts of America, now Scouting America.

In 1951, he earned the Eagle Scout rank, as well as the Ave Maria Cross Award, then the highest recognition for a Catholic Scout. On September 12, 1964, he married a Wood Badger Emilie Santos Angeles.

He served as Field Scout Executive of the Rizal Council; Scoutmaster and physical education teacher at Xavier School; Field Scout Executive of the Metro Manila North Council; and Council Scout Executive of the Quezon City Council. He retired in 2005 at the age of 72.

He participated in the 10th World Scout Jamboree at Mount Makiling in 1959 and the 13th World Scout Jamboree at the foot of Mount Fuji, Japan, in 1971. In 2003, he led the Quezon City Council delegation to the 20th World Scout Jamboree in Thailand. His extensive preparation included multiple Wood Badge courses and training under John Thurman of Gilwell Park, London.

In recognition of his lifetime of service, Scouter Salumbides received the BSP Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 and was bestowed the Tanglaw ng Kabataan, the highest distinction of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

He and Emilie raised six children—Jose Marcelino, Mary Ann, Manuel Jr., Nonato Christopher, Wendell Paul, and Stephanie. All of them became Scouts.

Scouter Saloy Salumbides’ life shows us how Barako Values are forged over a lifetime. His Pagiging Mausisa / Curiosity and love of learning continued long after he became an Eagle Scout, as he pursued further training and grew alongside the evolving Scout program. His Masusing Pagsusuri / Critical Thinking was exercised through decades of assessing situations, solving problems, preparing for uncertainty, and making sound decisions as a Scoutmaster, educator, Field Scout Executive, and Council Scout Executive. Even his experience of having to evacuate his delegation during a World Scout Jamboree in Japan demonstrates the importance of preparedness and good judgment when circumstances suddenly change. His Malasakit sa Kapwa / Care for Others is reflected in a lifetime devoted to the character and skills development of young people. His Lakas ng Loob / Courage is seen in his willingness to accept responsibility, lead others, remain faithful to his principles, and demonstrate constancy in service. He lived through the Japanese occupation and the upheaval of World War II, became an Eagle Scout, and devoted much of his adult life to cheerful Scout service, education, and faith. Among the Scouts he mentored at Xavier School was Barako 77 contributing author Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan.

Today, he is regarded as the Grand Old Man of Philippine Scouting.

Barako Publishing honors the important role of the Scouting Movement in the #BarakoAlliance. Through the Scout Method, values are transformed into action! The lessons of San Juan, Batangas must be lived, and passed from one generation to the next.