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Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Eagle of the Week

NCAC Eagle Scout Walter Rouse is in the NFL

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Did you know that we have an Eagle Scout who plays in the NFL? Walter Rouse from Silver Spring, MD, is a rookie offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings and earned his Eagle Scout rank in our National Capital Area Council. He was Troop 1444’s 120th Eagle Scout in 2017. Walter was the sixth-round draft pick for the Minnesota Vikings.

We see each day that Scouting helps prepare our young people for life’s challenges with tremendous resilience – even all the way to the NFL! We look forward to seeing him play as an offensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Season!

 

Learn more about all the Eagle Scouts who play professional football at Here are the Eagle Scouts in the NFL in 2024

Learn more about Walter and his impressive accomplishments by visiting the Minnesota Vikings website:

5 Things to Know About Vikings 6th-Round Draft Pick Walter Rouse

 

Eagle Scout Project for Sterling Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squads

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For his Eagle Scout project, Eric A. and his fellow Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 572 worked to revitalize the outdoor patio/firepit area behind the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, Station 618 in Sterling, VA.

Under Eric’s leadership, the Scouts first cleared the area of debris and overgrown vegetation. They then dug up the area to place down the new underlayment, installed edging and spread the gravel. New benches and Adirondack chairs were built, stained, and weatherproofed for seating. Solar accent lighting was also added for evening use.

The Sterling Volunteer Fire Company and Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad were very appreciative of the support and hard work of Eric and his dedicated team of Scouts. The newly restored area will provide a space for the volunteers to congregate, rest, and recharge for years to come.

DCSA Forest Restoration for Tomorrow – Zane J

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My name is Zane J, and I am an Eagle Scout from Troop 345 in the Wolf Trap District. I started the Distinguished Conservation Service Award (DCSA) to help the environment and the community. 

I led a forestation and range management project in Glyndon Park in Vienna, VA. I noticed that as the park was developed over time, many trees and plant life were removed as a consequence. I also noticed the park has a significant number of older trees nearing their life span, and there were not many younger trees. Over time, the loss of trees harms the plants, animals, and overall ecosystem, and the park could benefit from having the next generation of plants installed. The first step I took was to plant native 136 native plants in Glyndon Park to bring younger native plants to the park. Planting new native species is crucial as they are better adapted to local conditions and can create a more diverse and resilient ecosystem. By increasing native plants in the area, I hope to bring more native birds, bees, butterflies, and overall more wildlife, which in turn will have a major benefit to the park’s health. 

However, planting native species was only the first step in park restoration, and the second part involved removing invasive species.  It is a necessary part of this project to help the native plants thrive. Invasive species are known to outcompete native plants for resources, which can disrupt the balance of ecosystems and pose a serious threat to all wildlife within them. Removing invasive species at Glyndon Park will help ensure the park’s newly planted native species thrive in the future. Some of the invasive species removed that threatened native wildlife included English ivy, periwinkle, leatherleaf mahonia, wineberry, creeping euonymus, autumn olive, Japanese holly, Japanese honeysuckle,  and barberry. I partnered with the local community, including schools, Scouts BSA, Girl Scouts, Nature Specialist Club, and the Town of Vienna. I worked with over 50 volunteers and this project had over 200 volunteer hours. Additionally, I educated over 140 people on the importance of forestation and range management.  

The Scouting America’s DCSA program honors Scouts who carry out significant conservation projects with more rigorous requirements than a Scout BSA Eagle Scout project.  To earn the award, Scouts must complete two supersize Scout environmentally-related projects.  It requires the Scout to conduct in-depth research of a conservation issue; determine a solution; write a report; plan, execute, and lead a project; educate the community outreach; write final project reports; present their projects and findings before a conservation committee, and finally, earn seven conservation type merit badges.

My first conservation project focused on recycling tennis balls, and it was a success. Over 10,000 tennis balls were recycled, and the program I set up at Fairfax Racket Club continues to this day. I hope to inspire others to make a difference in their communities and positively impact the world.

Distinguished Conservation Service Award Projects – Jason W.

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My name is Jason W, and I am an Eagle Scout in Troop 1094 in Darnestown, Maryland. I really enjoy being outside and I really enjoy watching and learning about wildlife. I look forward to becoming a wildlife biologist one day. Back in 2022, I learned about the BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award (DCSA). The DCSA award is the former Hornaday Award and it encourages Scouts to design, lead, and carry out a conservation project. The project must be designed to address a conservation issue or need in the local area, and it must benefit the environment and the creatures that live there. There are nine conservation project categories to choose from, and you must complete two projects in two different categories. One project may count as your Eagle project. I decided I wanted to earn this award, and my first project, which was also my Eagle project, would be in the category of pollinator habitat conservation. I created a ½ acre pollinator habitat in Poolesville, Maryland, and wrote an article about it last April. After I wrote that article, I was honored to earn the Daughters of the American Revolution National Conservation Service Award and the 2023 Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award for the National Capital Area Council. If you are interested in seeing photos, here is my video link.

For my 2nd Distinguished Conservation Service Award Project, I began a three-stage project to improve the fish and wildlife in my hometown of Poolesville, Maryland. The first stage was to hopefully attract a new breed of ducks to Poolesville. More specifically, wood ducks. I installed four nesting boxes at a quiet pond in Poolesville last fall. While I haven’t seen any wood ducks yet, this spring, I was able to witness hooded mergansers (cavity nesters) at this pond and watch tree swallows build nests in the boxes.

My second stage was to build 10 monofilament fishing line recycle bins. I built these bins with three members of my Troop back in December 2023. My purpose was to place nine of them around the ponds of Poolesville. The last one we built was for me to share with the Poolesville Sustainability Committee so they could have one on display at community festivals to promote the recycling of fishing lines. Fishing line takes 600 years to decompose and it is very dangerous to wildlife who get caught up in the discarded fishing line in the water. Just last year, we had a Canadian goose have a bunch of fishing lines tied around its foot that required four people to help him get loose. This fishing line will be collected and sent to a recycling facility in Iowa. Then, it will be melted down into little pellets, which will, in turn, be made into fishing tackle boxes. In February, I installed the nine recycle bins. I waited until May to go around and collect the fishing line. I am happy to report that eight recycling bins were filled with fishing lines. It was a huge collection that is currently on its way to Iowa to be recycled.

My third stage of the project was a lot of fun. I asked my community to promise to let me collect their Christmas trees after the holiday season. A fellow troop Scout and I drove around town and picked up 30 Christmas trees in January. We learned as we drove around that local farmers also collect Christmas trees to feed their goats. After we collected the trees, I recruited three of my ice hockey teammates to help me wire cinderblocks to these trees. We had to drill holes through the trees, insert the wire through the tree, and then to the cinderblock. Otherwise, the tree will float and not sink. At the end of January, a few scouts, along with my distinguished service conservation advisor, Ms. Sara Holtz, my project conservation advisor, Mr. King, and a few members of his work crew, helped me drop 30 Christmas trees into the deepest pond in Poolesville (Here is my video link of that day if you are interested). This pond is mainly silt at the bottom and lacks a structure for the fish to hide in after spawning. The trees will give cover to the small fish and help them grow larger and survive, hence improving the ecosystem. It has been a lot of fun observing the wildlife at this pond. One day, while holding catch-and-release fishing day with my Troop at the pond, we observed a female bufflehead swimming up and down the line where I dropped the Christmas trees in the water. She was diving under and would then pop up several yards later. This type of duck likes to feed on small minnows. She was finding those minnows in the trees. On another day, I saw this beautiful blue heron that had just caught a small minnow in its beak.

I can proudly say that I’ve fully completed the DCSA! Working on it has been a very hard but very rewarding process. It takes a lot of time and a lot of volunteers to help you succeed. My first project took me about 187 hours to complete, with 69 volunteers for a total of 349 project hours. My second project has taken me about 188 hours to complete with 22 volunteers for a total of 341 project hours. Combined that is a total of 690 volunteer hours of making my local ecosystem a better place for everyone to enjoy. I’m very proud of what my volunteers and I have accomplished. I’m only 16 years old and finishing up my sophomore year of high school. What I have learned the most so far in Scouting is how incredible it is to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

 

 

Olympic Dream Comes True for NCAC Eagle Scout

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UPDATE: On August 3, 2024, NCAC Eagle Scout Christian Tabash and the U.S. Men’s Eight Rowing took the Bronze medal at the Paris Olympics!

We are excited to cheer on Christian Tabash in Men’s Eight Rowing, who earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the National Capital Area Council! Christian was a member of Troop 976 in Alexandria, Virginia. He is one of 13 Eagle Scouts competing on Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Daniel Glass, one of his Scoutmasters on his journey to Eagle, tells us, “Christian was a highly disciplined athlete all through high school at Gonzaga and showed everyone that you CAN balance sports and scouting.  He also rowed for Harvard.”

Aaron on Scouting reports, “He continued to develop his skills in college. At Harvard, he showed remarkable improvement each year, with the only hiccup being a season that was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a graduate student at the University of California, he developed his skills even further, eventually qualifying for his first Olympic Games.”

On Monday, July 29, Team USA earn 1st in Heat 1, so Tune in on Saturday, August 3, to watch Christian and his team compete in the Mens Eight Rowing Finals!

Learn more from the article on Aaron on Scouting.

Check out his segment on Scouting Magazine’s YouTube video about the 13 Eagles.

 

2024 Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award goes to Jason!

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The Glen and Melinda Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year award is presented to recognize valuable service of an exceptional nature by a Scout to a religious institution, a school, a community, or another entity while doing their Eagle Scout service project.

Congratulations to Jason W. on earning this year’s Glen A. and Melinda W. Adams Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award at the 2024 NCAC Court of Honor!

Jason is a 16-year-old Eagle Scout with Troop 1094 in Darnestown, Maryland. He and his family travel around the United States. Their goal is to see all 50 states by the time he graduates high school. He plans to attend college to become a wildlife biologist.

Jason’s Eagle project was to build a ½ acre pollinator habitat in Poolesville. “When it came time to plan my Eagle project, I knew it was important to me to make an environmental impact.” The day of Jason’s project it poured buckets of rain, but 60 people arrived and planted 300 plants. His next goal is to earn the BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award. Scan the QR Code to watch a video explanation!