Sean Lacalle, Eagle Scout
Total Volunteer Hours Worked: 170
The project is aimed at erosion mitigation and environmental conservation along a hiking trail in Riverbend Park in Great Falls, Virginia. To accomplish this goal, 8 tree saplings were planted, 3 check dams were installed, 30 feet of temporary fencing was put up, and 55 feet of split rail fencing was installed. The plants serve two purposes, the first is to indicate to people that where the plants are, that is off trail. The other purpose of the plants is to slow down erosion. The check dams were installed to divert water from flowing directly in the path, thus eroding the path, and instead flow toward and along the adjacent stream. The split rail fencing and the temporary fencing were installed to direct people where the correct trail is. The overall goal of the project is to make people walk on the trail and to mitigate the damage of erosion.
Observations and Challenges
The transportation of the materials was an efficient process. Although I thought the quarter mile distance and the terrain would prove difficult, I was thoroughly impressed by the efficiency with the volunteers. With the help of the benefactor, we were able to physically transport the supplies. Also, the installation of the check dams and planting of the saplings were put on auto pilot once people were instructed as to what to do. During the course of the project, the volunteers encountered a sunken bench and old steps. These were removed completely without the help of adults. Finally, the beneficiary representative was very open to the changes that were made on the fly that improved the project.
There were several challenges encountered during this process. The main logistics challenge related to the materials.Initially, the store that delivered the materials did not know that the destination was a public park so that delayed the delivery. An adult volunteer was able to resolve this issue. Carrying all of the materials was extremely laborious and many scouts struggled to carry some items from the staging site to the project site. While a bit time consuming on the first day, this was completed with guidance from the benefactor and volunteers. Installing the split rail fencing proved challenging. Initially, I directed all the rails to be laid out with around half of foot of intersection between the panels on either end, however this was way too much, and was not recognized until after all the holes for the posts were dug. Out of the 6 holes that were needed for the posts, around 12-15 holes total were dug for the posts. In addition, a youth volunteer hurt his finger early on the first day and I realized I had not brought the first aid kit on site. Another adult volunteer had one in their vehicle and was able to apply first aid.
Changes (from original proposal)
There were two types of changes made to the project. The first of which are changes made during the project plan and the other category being changes made during project execution. The primary change made before the project was that all materials for the plants and check dams were to be transported on Saturday as well as planted or installed on the same day. This process was to be repeated for the split rails. Another last minute change was to secure all posts with concrete as opposed to two particular posts that were previously agreed upon. Now, there are the changes made during project execution. Come project execution, all materials were transported on the first day (including the split rail fencing), additionally, 5 plants and 1 check dam was installed on that day. On the second and final day, everything else was completed. The other significant change on the first day was the drop-off location for the materials. The original plan was to drop off all supplies at the top of a hill and be hiked down. Instead, due to the limitations of the truck, all supplies were to be hiked around an additional hill as the truck was not able of going off road and onto the path. This increased the hand carrying of the items.
Leadership
Leadership was demonstrated in two different forms, first was leadership prior to the project, the other form was leadership shown during the project. Leadership I showed prior to the project was sending out emails to the attendees as well as holding a project briefing. Communication is key for leadership and I certainly made an effort to demonstrate thoughtful, efficient, and persistent communication with all attendees. Furthermore, I demonstrated leadership through the project execution. This occurred by guiding everyone through the trail and providing demonstrations for the task of planting the saplings. The time consuming part of leadership for this project was the entire proposal and planning process that I went through to accomplish this project. Finally, the most important part of leadership I demonstrated was listening to others and their ideas to improve the project, and demonstrating the adaptability to adopt those changes. This was demonstrated most clearly in adding an additional check dam, implementing a way to mix concrete, and fixing the issues with the split rail fences during the project.
By far the most difficult, and certainly the most stress inducing part of being the leader, were the changes that had to be made in the moment. For example, when the split rail fencing proved to be measured improperly, I froze, and the solution I came up with was no where near the most efficient solution. The on the spot change, especially with the split rail fencing, although it worked out in the end, was certainly stress inducing and difficult for me to adapt to in the heat of the moment.
The most rewarding part was knowing that this project will actually prove useful and effective. Towards the end of the project being completed, many people walked by on the proper part of the trail that was newly indicated by project. Adults, children, dogs, and two horses successfully traversed the new path on the day of completion. Additionally, the beneficiary representative seemed secure in the hope that the project will accomplish the goal of having people walk on the trail in that particular area. Another part I enjoyed was being able to delegate some of the harder tasks to the senior scouts and have them model for the younger scouts how to complete a task.
With this project, I can certainly say I developed my adaptability as a leader. Although the project was very organized and planned, it had major changes and major difficulties of which I have not encountered on that level in the past. My adaptability as a leader was certainly tested and developed through the project. Also, the value of designating assignments to people based on people’s strengths was learned. I personally have a history of trying to do everything myself. Specifically, with the check dams, I made sure the crew was almost entirely executed by the adult volunteers as most young volunteers seemingly were incapable of completing the work required to install the check dams.
