Join Us in Congratulating These Recent Bay-Lakes Council Eagle Scouts!

Blake Hagen, a member of Troop 121 Pickford MI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on March 31, 2022. He lead a team of volunteers to restore the “Welcome to Pickford” sign for the citizens of Pickford. This Eagle Scout Project will give visitors and residents a better appearance of Pickford when they travel through the area. His unit leaders are Eric Gallentine (Scoutmaster) and Larry Hagen (Assistant Scoutmaster). Blake’s Eagle Court of Honor is expected to be in June 2022.

 Andrew Kurten, a member of Troop 830 and Venturing Crew 9830 of Cedarburg, WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on March 31, 2022. His Eagle Project involved the building and installation of four boot brush stations at the Hawthorne Hills County Park in Saukville, WI. The boot brush stations were installed at several points along the hiking trails of the park and are designed to significantly help slowdown or eliminate the arrival and spread of invasive species at the park. Each boot brush station has a brush designed to remove seeds and other parts of invasive plant species from hikers’ footwear both before and after they enjoy the extensive hiking trails at the park and thereby prevent the arrival and spread of invasive plant species, such as garlic mustard, honeysuckle, dame’s rocket, and buckthorn. The stations also include information about the danger that invasive species pose to native ecosystems and one station also includes a park map. Andrew led a team of more than 17 fellow scouts who performed more than 100 hours of service in building and installing the stations. Andrew’s Scoutmaster is Andrew Risch and his Advisor is Ben Kurten. Andrew’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for June 12, 2022, (the same day as his fifteenth birthday) at the Cedarburg Scout House.

Renee Ruman, a member of Troop 6641 of Oshkosh WI, completed her Eagle Board of Review on January 27, 2022. Her Eagle project, in her own words: “My eagle project consisted of 10 nesting boxes for bluebirds and swallows as well as 15 interpretive signs. These were placed in a recently opened conservation park in Oshkosh. One of the unique parts of my eagle project were the signs. I spent a lot of time in the park identifying and tracking the wildlife in order to choose the right plants and animals for the signs. This would make it more enjoyable for the public to read a sign about the wildlife and actually see it. I also had all custom artwork made for all of the signs by a professional artist to make them visually appealing. For the information on the signs I reached out to scouts all across the country to write it for me! It was really cool to add more infrastructure to the park. For the nesting boxes I collaborated with the Winnebago Audubon Society who gave me advice on the placement and design of each of the boxes. Instead of placing a plaque on the boxes, I had all of the information wood burned on each of the boxes so when they decompose, they can do so fully without the excess plastic.”  Renee’s Scoutmaster is Ted Striley. An Eagle Court of Honor is planned for May 21, 2022.

Preston Vaughan, a member of Troop 615, Oshkosh WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on February 24, 2022. His Eagle project in his own words, “My project was to benefit the Oshkosh Area Humane Society (OAHS). We made cat towers complete with scratching posts and bed platforms. We also made what the OAHS calls hidey boxes for the cats to lay and sleep in. The OAHS already had these structures that they had been using for years. They were visibly worn and falling apart. I was able to  provide them with replacements that they will be able to use for years to come.” Preston’s Scoutmaster is Steve Gohde. An Eagle Court of Honor is not yet scheduled.

We feature those Eagles who submit their Eagle Board of Honor news.

Please send an email to Warren Kraft or use our Submit A Story Link and help us continue to tell the great stories of Scouting.