IN OCTOBER of 1959, I was a Boy Scout eagerly anticipating my first camping trip. There was one problem. My eighth-grade football team had a game that same weekend.

A friend and I asked the coach if it would be OK for us to skip the game and go camping with our troop. He replied, "If you two are not here for the game Saturday, I expect you to turn your uniforms in on Monday. It's your decision. Choose football or camping."

Our jerseys, pants, pads, helmet and shoes were bagged up and handed to him first thing Monday morning.

Life was fairly simple back then: Adults set the rules. Kids did not debate, let alone argue. There was no appeals process, there were no second chances, and whining was out of the question.

My friend--Chuck Hinkle--and I were not upset on that Monday morning, however, because the camping trip was worth the personal price we paid.

We had spent two days and two nights in a glorious place. Our tents were pitched beneath tall trees deep in the woods of Stafford County. Steep ravines carried small streams down to the wide, blue waters of Accokeek and Potomac creeks and the Potomac River.

The place was called Crow's Nest.

Amazingly, the 7,400-acre Crow's Nest peninsula still exists. It is, in fact, even wilder than it was in 1959 because the forest has another half-century of growth.

Various development companies have eyed that beautiful piece of geography. Some even got as far as drawing up plans. Fortunately, the cost of subduing the rough terrain has--so far--thwarted developers' dreams.

Crow's Nest can still be saved.

Rep. Jo Ann Davis, a 1st District Republican, has for months voiced support for the idea of making Crow's Nest part of the federal wildlife refuge system. A first-term congresswoman does not carry much clout, however. She needs help.