Inspired by the work of other Eagle Scouts in his community during the years he was growing up in Scouting, Eagle candidate Diego C. wanted his own project to complement their efforts and focus on trail work.

The Redlands Daily Facts shares the story of how this Scout had seen others complete projects in connection with the Redlands Conservancy, which helps maintain the 26 miles of natural surface trails in the city. These trails require upkeep, and volunteers in the community spend several hours each year completing trail work.

To complete the trail work, many of those volunteers are forced to bring their own tools. Diego knew that, because the people in the community care about the trails, many of them would do trail work if they had easy access to tools onsite. So, for his Eagle project, he worked with the Conservancy to construct a tool shed on the property.

The shed was filled with a variety of spare tools that have been made available so that anyone visiting the trails can check out tools and easily conduct trail work as they hike the trails.

“That way, people can use a tool whenever they want and return it to the shed for another person to use,” said Sherli Leonard, Redlands Conservancy executive director. “It’s another way to give trail users a way to help.”

“I learned how to lead people when doing a big project like this, and how important time management time is,” Diego said.

His project builds on the work done by other Scouts in the community, including a recent project where another Scout built an amphitheater in the same nature sanctuary where the trails are located.

By combining the benefits of multiple complementary projects located in the same community, Eagle Scouts can leave a lasting legacy for their communities.

To read more about Diego’s project, see the full story in the Redlands Daily Facts.

To learn more about the benefits Eagle Scouts can have in their communities and beyond, see the Baylor University Study, “Eagle Scouts: Merit Beyond the Badge.”