Mike's Eagle Project

Mike's Eagle Project

Mike D. completed his Eagle Project on August 12, 2000. He and his helpers built rustic hardwood seating for thirty students in an outdoor classroom for the science teachers at Hunter's Woods Elementary School. The teachers are excited about holding class in a wildlife habitat located only 25 yards from the school. The State of Virginia also has an Environmental Education initiative. Mike planned and carried out a project in several stages to get hardwood logs, and then to assemble and install the benches. Click on image to make it larger.

This is a "before" picture of the site. It is 25 yards from the corner of the school building. The area itself is about 33 feet deep and 28 feet wide. This is the "after" picture of the site. It took weeks of planning and over 100 hours of volunteer help, and donations of hardwood, Rebars, wood cutting equipment, and knowledgeable labor.

One source of wood was to clear this trail located nearby Mike's house. The wood shown provided two seven-foot hardwood logs. A scouter sawed it and scouts later carried the wood to Mike's house. Most of the wood came from this oak tree. The owners wanted to thin this stand of hardwood. The tree shown provided five logs, each seven feet in length.

The fallen tree also provided brush and small pieces for later use. Scouts helped to clear the brush from the tree. The heaviest log was moved by scouts out of the way for conversion to a bench later in the week. Max S. is carrying the cross pieces to the pickup truck. The pieces will first be fitted together and drilled before being transported to the school for final assembly.

The heaviest log will soon be in the driveway for final treatment and transport to the school. The photographer put down his camera to give the scouts a hand. Per Mike's direction the adult scouters are using an auger drill through the log and cross-piece. The log bench will be fastened to the ground by a Rebar two feet long.

The last two nearly completed benches are on the truck and ready to be carried to the school. The cross pieces have been fastened with the rebars. Here are scouts at the school unloading an assembled bench from the truck. They will carry it to the site, place it, and then fasten the assembly to the ground.

The final step was to unload the benches from the truck and put them into place in the wildlife habitat area. The Rebars were driven through the pilot holes in the logs and cross pieces into the ground. The outdoor classroom is complete. Mike D. and others look over the rustic seating they just created. Scouts also spent time moving and spreading mulch to further improve the site.

This page created on a Macintosh using PhotoPage by John A. Vink.

Mike and his volunteer help spent more than 100 hours carrying out his project to build rustic seating for an outdoor classroom. After many phone calls and a lot of help from scouts and scouters Mike not only learned about leadership but he provided his former school with an outdoor classroom they will enjoy this coming school year.


This is a "before" picture of the site. It is 25 yards from the corner of the school building. The area itself is about 33 feet deep and 28 feet wide.	This is the "after" picture of the site. It took weeks of planning and over 100 hours of volunteer help, and donations of hardwood, Rebars, wood cutting equipment, and knowledgeable labor.

One source of wood was to clear this trail located nearby Mike's house. The wood shown provided two seven-foot hardwood logs. A scouter sawed it and scouts later carried the wood to Mike's house.	Most of the wood came from this oak tree. The owners wanted to thin this stand of hardwood. The tree shown provided five logs, each seven feet in length.

The fallen tree also provided brush and small pieces for later use. Scouts helped to clear the brush from the tree. The heaviest log was moved by scouts out of the way for conversion to a bench later in the week.	Max S. is carrying the cross pieces to the pickup truck. The pieces will first be fitted together and drilled before being transported to the school for final assembly.

The heaviest log will soon be in the driveway for final treatment and transport to the school. The photographer put down his camera to give the scouts a hand.	Per Mike's direction the adult scouters are using an auger drill through the log and cross-piece. The log bench will be fastened to the ground by a Rebar two feet long.

The last two nearly completed benches are on the truck and ready to be carried to the school. The cross pieces have been fastened with the rebars.	Here are scouts at the school unloading an assembled bench from the truck. They will carry it to the site, place it, and then fasten the assembly to the ground.

The final step was to unload the benches from the truck and put them into place in the wildlife habitat area. The Rebars were driven through the pilot holes in the logs and cross pieces into the ground.	The outdoor classroom is complete. Mike D. and others look over the rustic seating they just created. Scouts also spent time moving and spreading mulch to further improve the site.