Eagle Project

For my Eagle project, I built a work table and three planting beds for a local nursery called Earth Sangha. The Wild Plant Nursery is a resource for ecological restoration in the greater Washington, DC area. I chose this project because taking care of the environment is important to me. I had volunteered here before and wanted to help them out.

For the first part of my project, I built a work table. I got help from Michael’s Woodshop and Mr. Dave Schneeman to finalize blueprints. Scouts from Troops 1533G & 1533B came out to Camp Snyder and Michael’s Woodshop to help build it. The Wood Shop has a lot of tools, and Mr. Schneeman’s guidance was very helpful. The building because we had plenty of volunteers (18) and my blueprints worked great.

On our second weekend, we went to Earth Sangha. First, we cleared out the old work table and installed the new one. We removed the old planting beds and installed new ones. There were many volunteers (29), so our seven-hour workday became a five hour day, and we were able to install an extra planting bed.

My project taught me a lot about leadership. I used some of the skills I learned as my troop’s instructor and Troop Guide. I also had to learn how to recruit people and how to keep everyone busy. Now that my project is done, I am glad it went so well… it was also a lot of fun.

 

Robert C. of Troop 1916 in McLean, VA, has always enjoyed his time at Potomac Outlook Park. As a kid, he visited the park frequently with his family and as a Scout, he completed many service projects there with his Troop, so the park holds a lot of meaning for him. When Robert heard that the park was looking to replace a decaying old bridge, Robert knew what he had to do. For his Eagle Scout Project, he decided that he would replace the bridge.

First, he met with the park staff to figure out what they needed and execute the plan. The bridge was on one of the park’s more popular hiking trails and was decaying to the point it was too narrow to walk on. Robert found that most of his project revolved around planning the project, creating a timeline, and a brand new design. But once Robert finalized his plans, he and his volunteers got to work on replacing the old bridge with a new one.

By the end of this project, Robert was glad to have seen the bridge completed and to have seen his volunteers so eager to work on it. He felt that he even grew a lot as a leader. Robert said, “Personally, I strengthened my leadership skills by guiding my Troop. I also learned the positive impact that my Troop and I can have on our community. But most of all, I saw first-hand that if you put in a lot of serious work in the planning stages, making sure to think of every possible hurdle and how to fix anything that could come up, then the execution stage will work much better.”

For Jack R. of Troop 1094, Darnestown Elementary school brings up many fond memories for him as he attended it from kindergarten to fifth grade. Now being a bit older, Jack wanted to help out his former elementary school. He decided for his Eagle Scout Project that he could provide the school with a more beautiful front.

Unfortunately, after getting his project approved, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Yet being a good Scout, Jack adjusted his plans to fit safety guidelines, and he began his work in July. Jack and his volunteers started by getting rid of any stumps, weeds, and dead plants near the mulch beds in front of the school. He then trimmed the bushes and trees before planting some more bushes and grass. Jack then created a “DES” sign (Darnestown Elementary school), which was then placed at the front.

After completing this project, Jack felt satisfied with the results. He was also incredibly proud of how hard the work he and the volunteers put into helping Darnestown Elementary School.

By: Troop Instructor Ian P. of Troop 997 and Senior Patrol Leader Cas K. of Troop 998G

Scouts from Ashburn’s Boy Troop 997 and Leesburg’s Girl Troop 998 joined together on a conservation mission for screech owls, organized by a Troop 997 Life Scout. The Scouts have spent the last week honing their woodworking skills building screech owl nesting boxes. The Eastern screech owl is not an endangered species, but its habitat is in decline, particularly in Virginia and the Northeast. Screech owls often resort to nesting in old woodpecker holes, but nesting boxes placed high in woodland trees keep the owls and owlets safe from predators like snakes, racoons and larger owls and other raptors.

Troop 997 has a tradition of addressing wildlife conservation issues, with several of its recent Eagle projects centering on building duck nesting tubes, bat boxes, duck feeders and bluebird boxes. Ian P. decided to focus on owls by building screech owl nesting boxes. He teamed up with Camp Highroad in Middleburg, a stellar United Methodist Church camp that has campsites frequently used by area Troops and Packs, as well as for leader training. Ian recruited Scouts from Troops 997 and 998G to build the nesting boxes, identified locations with the Highroads team, and will soon lead a team to mount them in likely nesting areas around the Camp. He built an extra nesting box and created a screech owl guide for the Camp’s nature education program. The guide includes information about the owls, the project, the installation locations around camp and instructions on annual maintenance.

Ian invited his sister Riley, a Star Scout and one of the founding members of Leesburg’s Scouts BSA Girl Troop 998, and her fellow Scouts to participate as well. They learned about the wildlife conservation and educational mission of the project, then received hands-on training with woodworking tools and methods. With over 80% of the Troop participating, the girls have taken what they’ve learned and accomplished, and completed the application material for the prestigious Hornaday Unit Award.