Meet the award-winning local Scout who earned every possible merit badge

Magnus Olson likes to fish, but he doesn’t have a fishing license.

That will change soon. He has been 18 years old for only a few days, and he didn’t need one before then.

When he obtains his license, though, and he does go fishing, no matter what lake he chooses, Olson will know that his actions will impact South Dakota’s waters for decades to come.

Olson is only the second Scout from Sioux Council, Scouting America to earn the Distinguished Conservation Service Award from the Scouting America National Office, which officials describe as one of the organization’s highest and most demanding honors.

Working with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, Olson designed and completed two conservation projects, one focusing on invasive species control, the other on fish and wildlife management.

In addition, Olson was honored Sunday for achieving another rare distinction: He earned every merit badge possible. That’s 142 badges.

Actually, he will end up with 143 badges. He took part in a test lab for a new badge in wildlands fire management and will receive it retroactively.

“My favorite merit badge probably was backpacking,” Olson said. “The most difficult was bugling. I’m a trombone player, and hitting high notes on a bugle is entirely different from the trombone.”

Two of the badges that he earned have been revised and will never be awarded again. The merit badge in medicine now honors medical professionals. Citizenship in Society also has been revised.

His older brother, Howard Olson, indirectly inspired him to pursue every badge. The Olson brothers are both Eagle Scouts.

“We became Scouts at the same time, right after we moved to South Dakota,” Olson said. “He originally was a little bit more active, and part of the reason I decided to get 100 was so I could surpass him. Then I thought I was so close that I might as well finish.”

Byron and Jennifer Olson and their sons moved to Sioux Falls from a brief stay in Austin, Texas, when Olson was about 12 years old. The Olsons, who had lived in the Boone, Iowa, area before the move to Texas, urged the boys to find an activity they would enjoy. Olson already had been in 4-H, so he decided to try scouting.

Olson and his brother attended what the family dubbed the Olson Academy. Olson’s home schooling will end Wednesday when he officially graduates. This summer, he will serve as an assistant scout master for his troop. He is deciding between two colleges, South Dakota Mines, where Howard is enrolled, and North Dakota State University. He plans to pursue electrical engineering with a minor in environmental science.

The only other Sioux Council Scout to earn the DCSA is Clark Lorcher, currently a junior at a private university in North Dakota. Lorcher also worked with the state GFP, and his survey revealed that the lone star tick had crossed into South Dakota, said Michelle Bierstedt, who works with local Scouts who want to earn the DCSA and holds a national committee position with Scouting America.

“These are dramatic conservation projects we’re seeing our Scouts do,” she said.

Nationally, only 10 to 15 Scouts a year complete the DCSA requirements, Bierstedt said. It takes two to three years to complete, and Scouts must finish it by their 18th birthday.

Olson also recently learned that he was named the Stockholm Junior Water Award winner for the state of South Dakota. That means his project will receive international recognition, Bierstedt said.

“His techniques to monitor and detect zebra mussels in waterways will go across the nation,” she said. “As long as zebra mussels continue to move, his work will be important.”

Zebra mussels are a freshwater mollusk that originated in southwestern Russia and southeastern Europe. Since its accidental introduction into this country, it has displaced native species in lakes and damaged ecosystems. Since 2018, zebra mussels have infested more than 50 lakes, sloughs and rivers in South Dakota. That includes the Missouri River, Big Sioux River and Pactola Reservoir.

“Whether you’re a boater, a fisherman, a jet-skier, a water-skier — you’re impacted by the number of zebra mussels and their movement,” Bierstedt said. “With any luck, water managers will be able to keep them out of the waterways.”

Olson’s second project was spurred by trips to places like Florida where natives are dealing with invasive fish problems. He originally considered a program to train people dealing with invasive carp in South Dakota lakes. After consulting with GFP personnel, Olson revised it to set up an educational and action-driven website to serve as a resource and encourage participation in conversation efforts to protect native ecosystems.

“While I was working on the projects, I didn’t realize how big they were, but when I was putting together the workbooks, I felt proud of what I had done to think I would make a change,” Olson said.

The website, SpearCarp.com, offers information on spearfishing. It’s a sport that Olson, who also enjoys scuba diving, participates in himself, and he also offers a defense of the lowly carp.

“I hope people will fish for them, clean them and eat them themselves,” he said. “I’ve had carp; it’s a really nice white fish.”

Olson’s research into managing and harvesting carp in a productive way will help with species control, Bierstedt said. That project will have more of a public impact as compared with the scientific impact of the zebra mussel project.

Bierstedt describes Olson as “what you would consider your Super Scout. He believes in the scouting movement, the law and oath. He loves to protect the things he loves.”

Soon after they first met, Bierstedt realized that Olson had a passion for outdoor ethics and conservation. The badges he earned in those areas strengthened his knowledge, she said.

Almost every merit badge can lead to a different hobby, Olson said. Working on dozens of badges also taught him leadership, learning how to work with others — and the importance of clear and careful documentation.

“All of my projects from conservation and Eagle Scout had a lot of paperwork to fill out,” he said.