Nicodemus Wilderness Project
Nicodemus Wilderness Project
About Us Projects Education Links Volunteers Membership  
Nicodemus Wilderness Project

 
 

NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Penbryn Lake, Winslow, New Jersey, USA

« ++ ·
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/4743474347434743474347434743474347434743Plantingtrees.jpg
<<
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/2456245624562456245624562456245624562456DSC02263.JPG
<
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/4736473647364736473647364736473647364736IMG_5121.JPG
·
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/4631463146314631463146314631463146314631forever_pictures_232.jpg
>
http://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist/data/500/thumbs/4673467346734673467346734673467346734673P4220279.JPG
>>
· ++ »

Penbryn Lake, Winslow, New Jersey, USA
(Click on photo to view larger image)

Patrick731



Registered: December 2008
City/Town/Province: Mount Laurel
Posts: 1
View this Member's Photo Gallery
Project Name: Artificial Fish Habitats at Penbryn Lake
Location: The project took place at Penbryn Lake, a 35-acre burrow lake in Winslow Township, New Jersey. This lake was excavated by U.S. Silica during the 1960s for sand. Submerged vegetation is sparse due to the lakes steep sides and depth. The lake bottom is composed primarily of sand and gravel and void of any bottom structure in the way of stumps or small shrubs for cover.


Game species Involved: There are many species of freshwater fish that inhabit Penbryn Lake. Included in these are largemouth bass, black crappie, chain pickerel and sunfish. They will all benefit from the project in some way. The structures give the smaller fish shelter and a place to hide. It also provides a great location for the larger fish to feed on the smaller fish.


Approx. start and completion dates: The date that my Eagle Scout project was started was December 1, 2006. The completion date was April 12, 2007.


Brief description of the project: My Eagle Scout project consisted of Four Phases. The first phase was the Approval phase. I delivered a PowerPoint presentation to the members of my troop’s parent committee explaining the details and logistics of my project. This took place on December 1, 2006. The next two phases of my project were the collection phases. The materials that were used to construct the habitats were recycled Christmas trees, cinder blocks, and nylon rope.
Phase 2 involved Christmas tree collection. The Christmas trees were collected through the help of the Home Depot in Mount Laurel, as well as the members of the Pennsauken Surf Fishing Club. The trees were all collected on or about January 10, 2007. Through our combined efforts, we managed to collect approximately 190 Christmas trees. They were transported to the lake by members of the Pennsauken Surf Fishing Club, and adult members of my troop.

The third phase of my project consisted of the collection and transportation of the cinder blocks. The cinder blocks were donated for my project by Lippincott Block Company in Mount Holly, NJ. They donated 190 cinder blocks which weighed a total of approximately 7600 pounds. The blocks were transported to Penbryn Lake through the help of the adult members of my troop, and members of the Pennsauken Surf Fishing Club. I used nylon rope to secure the cinder blocks to the trees. In total, approximately 850 yards of rope were used in the project.


The fourth and final phase of my Eagle Scout Project was the construction and deployment of the habitats at Penbryn Lake. This phase was supervised by Mr. Chris Smith, Head Fisheries Biologist of Southern New Jersey. Mr. Smith used a GPS as well as a depth-finder to map out the most advantageous and beneficial places to deploy the habitats. The members of my Troop assisted with the construction of the habitats. Mr. Chris Smith along with his colleague deployed the habitats in the water on a special boat owned by the state. I was able to ride out with them on one of the trips and help deploy a few of the habitats. There are small buoys floating in the lake that demarcate where the habitats have been placed. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife will produce a map of the lake to aid recreational anglers. This map will illustrate where the habitats have been placed, giving the anglers the locations of prime fishing areas in the lake.

This project benefits the aquatic life in the lake, as well as other animals that eat the fish and other organisms that inhabit the lake. It also benefits the environment, in that the habitats are ecologically sound and the Christmas trees become recycled. The trees will remain in tact on the bottom of the lake for approximately 5-7 years and possibly longer. The cinder blocks will remain there indefinitely and add to the structure of the lake, even after the trees are gone. This project will benefit the recreational angler in a positive way. They will have the opportunity to catch greater numbers and species of freshwater fish.


My project taught me many things. I learned that many people are willing to help with Eagle Scout projects. I also learned that being flexible with time tables is very important to any project. With my project, the late spring caused the lake to be frozen longer than had been expected. Therefore, I had to move the date of construction and deployment back almost 1 month. I also learned many people had interest in my project as witnessed by the many people who stopped and asked questions during the deployment of the habitats. Finally, I was able to enjoy the feeling of achievement when the project was completed. Thank you for considering my submission for the Apprentice Ecologist Scholarship.
· Date: December 31, 2008 · Views: 10467 · File size: 22.9kb, 268.3kb · : 1500 x 1125 ·
Hours Volunteered: 255
Volunteers: 21
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 12 to 62
Area Restored for Native Wildlife (hectares): 14
Print View
Show EXIF Info