The Order of the Silver Marmot is an honor society within the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), but membership to it is only granted within the Chief Seattle Council. Many of its members are or were Camp Parsons staff members at one point in time, but membership is also granted to individuals who have staffed at other Chief Seattle Council camps and to Scouts who successfully complete the High Adventure program at Camp Parsons (i.e. a week-long hike in the Olympic Mountains and demonstrable knowledge of the local flora and fauna). The upper three ranks of the order are more restricted to individuals with Camp Parsons staff experience. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is an organization for boys between the ages of 7 and 18, and for both young men and women between the ages of 14 and 21, based in the United States of America, with some presence in other countries. ... Originally called Seattle Area Council, Chief Seattle Council is the organization governing the scouting activities of the Boy Scouts of America in a large part of the Puget Sound and Seattle, USA area, including almost all of the Olympic Peninsula. ... Founded in 1919, Camp Parsons is the oldest Boy Scout camp west of the Mississippi River and the third oldest continually running Boy Scout camp in the United States on its original location. ... The Olympic Mountains The Olympic Mountains are a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. ... In Botany a Flora (or Floræ) is a collective term for plant life and can also refer to a descriptive catalogue of the plants of any geographical area, geological period, etc. ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life. ...

The Order is named after the Silver Marmot, or Olympic Marmot, an rodent found only on the Olympic Peninsula. There are seven ranks in the Order of the Silver Marmot, and admission to them is governed by the bylaws of the order and by the Council of the Order of the Silver Marmot, consisting of the Sentinals, Defenders, Marmots, and the Silver Marmot. The species marmota olympus is a member of the genus marmota, in the rodent family Sciuridae (squirrels). ... The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. ...

The ranks of the Order of the Silver Marmot are as follows:

• Timberline
• Skyline
• Guide
• Sentinel
• Defender
• Marmot
• Silver Marmot

The position of Silver Marmot is reserved for the current Camp Director. Every other position requires one more year on camp staff than the previous rank, except the first two ranks, which are also awarded to Scouts in the High Adventure program.