Soaring Eagle Tanner C.
Eagle Scout Tanner C. from Troop 763 in Glen Allen worked with Powhatan State Park to extract trash from an area that was intended to create hiking trails. The amount of trash that had accumulated and become semi-buried in the area (about half a football field in size) was a safety concern and prevented trail building. Tanner realized the need in this park while he volunteered on fellow Eagle Scout Parker O.’s project in the Summer of 2016. “I wanted to continue a previous Eagle Scout’s Project. I helped on that and really enjoyed it. While we were cleaning up, we went exploring and saw other places that might need trash extraction,” Tanner recalled.
To prepare, Tanner contacted the local Park Ranger and he expressed that he knew of a large area that needed clearing. He learned from his past volunteering experience that this project might be better suited for the winter months as the past project ran into some issues with snakes, poison ivy and an influx of patrons. He took about 6 days to Scout the area, then, he recruited the other Scouts and friends. Between two days, Tanner and 27 other volunteers cleared around 5 and 6 tons of trash and debris found in the park, dedicating over 200 hours total.
While scavenging for trash, Tanner and his group found some pretty peculiar items. Amongst other things, they found 25 galvanized garbage bags (still with trash in them), building materials, an industrial cylinder weighing about 400 pounds and 3 junked cars.
When asked about what he learned from the project, Tanner says “I learned how to delegate tasks. This project helped me with my communication. I’m more of a listen and do person, but this project helped me develop my directing skills.”
Awesome job, Tanner!
Eagles Nest