The Trailblazer

On Sunday March 6, Ethan D. completed his Eagle Scout project at the Upper Tampa Bay Trail Con servation Park with the guidance of Ranger Kevin Anderson. The project went smoothly, and five bat houses were installed successfully. A partnership between the Conservation & Environmental Lands Management (CELM) and Boy Scouts of America (BSA) local troops was established to help build skills and encourage leadership in the youth of our community in effort to beautify and improve conservation parks and preserves. CELM staff determine needs that can be accomplished as Eagle Scout projects. A list is distributed to scouts who complete a volunteer application. Once it is determined which site and project will best fit the scout, then the scout is paired with a site coordinator. This pairing allows the boy scout to learn how to collaborate to achieve a goal. Each scout is responsible for the planning of the project. Once the project is approved, the scout must gather the materials, then...

Conservation & Environmental Lands Management (CELM) partners with Boy Scouts of America (BSA) local troops in effort to beautify and improve conservation parks and preserves. This partnership allows the boy scouts to complete their final projects with mentoring from CELM staff and earn the highest advancement ranking in scouting, Eagle Scout. The partnership is beneficial to CELM because it saves staff the time and resources that are provided by the scout. All resources for the project must be obtained by the scout. Staff from conservation parks and nature preserves provide a list of potential projects based on the needs of the site. Boy Scouts submit a volunteer application online to determine where they would like to volunteer and are provided the list of needs and locations. The scout then selects the site and is connected with site staff for scheduling. Once the project is approved by both CELM staff and BSA leadership the project is in motion. In January and February, multip...