July 2007 - Volume 68, Issue 7
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NextGEN Departments
Boy Scouts of America continued...
Many young men working toward becoming Eagle Scouts choose conservation projects. One Eagle Scout candidate recently completed a wood sample display that identifies various tree species. His project is used as a teaching aid to show people the differences in color, grain and bark in various wood samples.
Another Scout’s project involved the construction of display boards showing various fishing lures and baits and fishing knots. The displays are used by Conservation Department staff and volunteers when they provide fishing presentations to the public.
Other Eagle Scout candidates have built and placed mourning dove nesting structures on several Northwest Missouri conservation areas. After Eagle Scout Casey Johnson of Troop 60 in Savannah completed his mourning dove nesting project, he said he was happy he had chosen to work on behalf of conservation.
“To a young man in the state of Missouri nothing can be better than the Boy Scouts of America and Missouri Department of Conservation,” Johnson said. “BSA gives the young man a chance to learn about life and leadership, and MDC supplies a nice clean setting for these activities.”
We can also thank Eagle Scout candidates for fish habitat structures in several Northwest Missouri conservation area lakes, aesthetically pleasing wooden slab benches at the entrance of the Conservation Department’s Northwest Regional Office, and for the shade structures at the Kid’s Fishing Pond at Lost Valley Fish Hatchery near Warsaw.
Wildlife Management Biologist Sean Cleary testifies to the value of the partnership of the Conservation Department and the Boy Scouts of America.
“Local Boy Scout troops have been a good source of volunteer help on state conservation lands,” Cleary said. “From trail enhancement projects to creating wildlife habitat, their work benefits the Conservation Department and Missouri citizens.”
Other winners in the partnership are the individual Scouts. They get fully involved in their projects and coordinate their work with Conservation Department experts. As they complete their projects, they learn how conservation works on the ground, and they gain a sense of ownership of our natural resources.
About This Article
Author
HAROLD KERNS is an Eagle Scout (1971) and a
fisheries regional supervisor in Northwest Missouri.
He has worked for the Department for
more than 25 years. He is an assistant Scoutmaster
with troop 60 in Savannah, where he
resides with his wife, Laura, and two sons,
Zach and Austin. Zach earned the eagle Scout
rank in 2006, and Austin is nearing completion.
