A huge shout out to the awesome Eagle Scout partners Raritan Headwaters worked with in 2024. We had the supreme pleasure of working alongside five aspiring Eagle Scouts this year, helping them reach the end of their scout journey with the completion of their Eagle Scout Service Projects. We thank Gavin Beyers, Stanley Bielen, Ben Connell, Alec Hoskins, and Robert Todd for all their hard work and accomplishments. Each of these scouts demonstrated excellent communication skills, project planning, personnel coordination, financial planning and fundraising, as well as physical skills needed to implement and complete their conservation service project. We are grateful to these young men for not only contributing to the improvement of RHA preserves but enhancing the natural environment and providing a service to our broader community.

Stanley Bielen and Ben Connell installed nest boxes for the threatened American Kestrel on partner properties in the Oldwick area. They worked on separate projects to earn their Eagle Rank, but together they helped grow the Raritan Kestrel Partnership by installing a total of 10 new boxes in prime nesting habitat. RHA partners with local landowners and the NJDEP to monitor the success of these and many other boxes within the watershed region with a goal to bring the population of American Kestrels up from steadily declining numbers in recent years.

Robert Todd and Alec Hoskins built and installed Bog Bridges on RHA’s Fairview Farm property. These bog bridges allow visitors to comfortably walk the wetter trails of Fairview Farm. Keeping visitors mud-free isn’t the only reason for these bridges. By elevating the path, water is allowed to flow and disperse naturally rather than pooling. The bridges also define the path and limit the number of hikers wandering off the beaten path, or in this case, the wooden designated paths. These Scouts have provided improvements to the preserve by installing Bog Bridges in our low areas.

Gavin Beyers constructed an impressive information kiosk that was placed along the parking lot near the Brick Cottage on Fairview Farm to provide visitors with a trail map and information about current and future RHA events. More than an information hub, it is also used as a meeting location for event and program participants. In addition to the kiosk, Gavin also installed wooden trail markers through the preserve’s grasslands.

Gavin, Ben, Alec and Robert were all scouts in Troop 150 Bernardsville, with over 10 eagle projects completed on behalf of RHA in the past 9 years.  Scoutmaster Ron Bubnowski and Troop 150 was awarded the 2024 Stewardship Excellence Award in recognition of the many hours of labor, material, and funds donated to RHA through their scout projects over the years.

We are grateful to our Eagle Scout partners for their contributions to our conservation mission and thank their families and friends for supporting them along the way.

If you know a scout looking for a partner in completing their 2025 service project, please have them reach out to Raritan Headwaters’ Volunteer Coordinator, Debbie Newcomb at dnewcomb@raritanheadwaters.org for more details!