Submitted by: Nuruddin A., Eagle Scout
Bee Crossing is an Eagle Scout project with a focus on sustainability— to live beyond the present day. It was always planned with the future in mind. That’s why this project’s three goals were about safety, education, and community.
The physical part of this project was planned to foster the future as well. It’s 16 wooden posts, 10 with Solar LEDs and all with plaques. They’re planted in a marshy grove between an Elementary School, and two neighborhoods. The plaques describe the diverse representation of wildlife. From the native to the invasive, to the birds in the trees to the skunk cabbages rooting in the hummus, the beauty in the diversity are the main highlights.
A website was made since 16 plaques could not cover every single species in Bee Crossing. This website, beecrossing.org, was made to correct and expand on the information covered by the plaques. These plaques were also made with the Elementary School in mind. We have been working with the school to make Bee Crossing a part of the local curriculum. In fact, each plaque has a unique QR code that leads back to the website. This way, if visitors wish to do their own research, they can scan the QR code and learn more through the sources we provided or the additional information we offer.
The suggestion to light up the path was actually pitched by the community itself. The path at night is awfully dark, but many people still use it. The 10 Solar LEDs were placed on the post as a way to have renewably powered lights to keep the community safe at night. These LEDs are dim enough to avoid blinding, but bright enough to make the path visible. This way, everyone can enjoy the path both in the day, and safely at night.
Sustainability and the future goes hand in hand. Scouting teaches us to be prepared for life, and bringing a community together with this project does exactly that. Bee Crossing was made to be a rally point for everyone to gather around. The name itself was suggested and voted on by the community. We have a volunteer group called Friends of Bee Crossing to maintain the path. The vision is for this project to become bigger than itself. For this project to instill a sense of identity and action. To one day return home and see many projects and works done for the benefit of all of us, would be a dream come true.
Bee Crossing is an Eagle Scout project built now for the future with 16 posts embedded along the trails with Solar LEDS and plaques about the wildlife.
