Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

I am an outdoor enthusiast, aspiring conservationist, and environmental science major at Messiah University, with a double minor in environmental engineering and pre-law. From a young age, I have loved to engage in outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, skiing, and nature-watching. I not only appreciated the beauty of nature but also enjoyed learning about and seeking to understand ecology and the natural world. I was a member of the FFA and a high school agricultural science program, where I learned about natural resources and conservation. I grew up in boy scouts and wanted to become an Eagle Scout, and knew that I wanted to incorporate my passion for conservation into my Eagle Scout project. After meeting with a town parks manager for suggestions, I decided that I wanted to build wood duck boxes at the town parks for my Eagle Scout service project out of my love for nature.
I built a total of nine boxes at two town park locations with lakes or wetlands. The first site, Crescent Lake park, is my favorite town park with a total of 56-acres including a fishing lake, bike trails, and hiking trails. Crescent Lake is regularly used by the public from Southington and surrounding towns for fishing, biking, and hunting. I put up five boxes on trees along the water edge with sheet metal predator guard cones around the tree trunks. The trees were selectively chosen along the backside of the lake where there is less public activity to avoid disturbing nesting birds. The second park was Panthorn Pond park, which includes a wooded wetland that flows into a small pond. I mounted two boxes on trees with predator guards about a half mile up the trail going through the wetland. The second two boxes were installed on metal poles in the pond and driven into the bottom.
My project was a challenging but rewarding learning opportunity which was a true community effort. I started planning my project in 2017, built my boxes in the fall of 2017, and installed my last box in the spring of 2018. First, I needed to fundraise and secure supplies. I held a bake sale fundraiser at a local little league park, as well as asked for donations from local residents. Then, I sought to secure additional supplies through local supply donations. I was able to get enough cedar lumber, an expensive, high-quality lumber at a discounted price from a local lumber yard, Lyon and Billard. I got hardware donated for mounting the boxes from the town Home Depot. The sheet metal for predator guards was donated from a metal manufacturer, Yarde Metals. In addition, my uncle and agricultural science program helped me by providing specialty wood cutting tools, sheet metal cutters, and riveters. The whole time my boy scout troop helped by providing volunteers and assisting me in planning as the leader of the project.
Although maintaining your project is not required for an Eagle Scout service project, I wanted to continue monitoring my project because I was passionate about achieving a successful outcome. I would stop at my boxes to check them when I would hike or fish at the parks, and all my boxes are standing strong after 5 years. Most recently in 2022, I opened my boxes this winter to clean them out and check them, and I was very happy to see evidence of nesting. This included at least three boxes with bird down, eggshells, and bird droppings showing that in at least one year there was likely nesting success by wood ducks. Two boxes had eggs appearing leathery in texture, which my environmental science professor thinks may be black rat snake eggs. This could indicate predation, but egg identification was difficult and the other positive evidence indicates the likelihood of some success. Two of my boxes showed squirrel nesting, which is not preferred but still providing shelter habitat for native wildlife. I am continuing to monitor my boxes and replace nesting material to keep my boxes in good condition.
Improving my local parks is crucial to maintaining the beauty and natural integrity of local environments because wetlands and woodlands are already declining in the region. My town is a relatively heavily developed suburb of the capitol Hartford, with limited nature preserves and parks on the outskirts of town. Wetlands and lakes are also threatened habitats in the state and need the protection of a park from development. This project was necessary for the beautification of my town's parks and conservation of native waterfowl. Wood ducks were nearly hunted to extinction in the early 1900s, and providing nesting habitat for them is critical for their population stability especially with growing habitat loss. Not to mention several other bird species depend on nest boxes including screech owls, mergansers, and some songbirds. Installing my boxes help improve native bird beauty and generate local interest in conservation. My project involved several different organizations and families in town and generated significant interest. I remember one adult leader youtubing videos of wood duck nesting and saying how surprised he was that they could fit in such a small hole!
My conservation project taught me the importance of community engagement and leadership in environmental stewardship. I have had interest in an environmental career since high school, but reflecting on and continuing my duck box project has motivated me to the find purpose in leading conservation instead of just completing it as a career. I am planning to become either an environmental consultant or an environmental lawyer in the future, where I will have previously developed skills in leadership to accomplish conservation goals. I learned that I cannot solve the great environmental issues on my own, but by engaging the work of others and the community I can make a significant impact.