Discovering Merit Badges

I spoke yesterday with a recent Eagle who was working with my son and one other scout on the Veterinary Medicine merit badge.  "I didn't know there was a Veterinary Medicine merit badge," he said.  I had heard the same type of statement from a dozen scouts across the last few years.  Despite my efforts, these scouts don't really know about the breadth of opportunities available to them.
At this moment there are 128 merit badges available.  Two of these badges, Inventing and Scouting Heritage, are new this year.  One of the badges, Bugling, will be retired at the end of 2010 and the requirements rolled in with the Music merit badge.  Four of the badges are available only during 2010.  They are reissues of previously retired merit badges and are Carpentry, Pathfinding, Tracking, and Signaling.
In addition to this list there are two more merit badges announced for this year.  These are Geocaching and Robotics.
Each scout should take the time to review the possible merit badges to find what they might be interested in.  The BSA Introduction to Merit Badges page is the best place to start.  Scroll down for a list of badges and pictures of the available badges (Bugling isn't pictured but is still available for a few more months).