An Eagle Scout Service Project Benefits the Bat Population of Morris Plains

The Eagle Scout Service Project is the opportunity for a Scout to demonstrate leadership while performing a project for the benefit of a religious institution, a school, or his community.

With those criteria in mind, Michael Swanson, an Eagle Scout candidate from Boy Scout Troop 39 of Morris Plains, recently completed the requirements for his Eagle Scout service project by designing and leading the construction and installation of five bat houses throughout three of the local Morris Plains Borough parks.

In the words of Michael, the bat houses were designed to “help increase the population of bats in our area and help to reduce nesting in homes. This project not only encourages species growth, but is also greatly beneficial in the field of insect control.”

The rectangular boxes resembling mailboxes are constructed of wood and painted black. They’re mounted on top of 16-foot wooden posts that are secured in the ground with cement. Providing safe cover for the natural insect predators, each one of the houses has the capacity to hold up to eighty bats at a time.

Michael planned and led the implementation of this project by developing and submitting a detailed proposal and directing a team of Scouts and volunteers in the execution. A total of 279 service hours were dedicated to the completion of this auspicious community service project.

Curious to view these bat houses? Two of the houses are located in Watnong Park and two in Community Park, while the other one can be found n the Morris Plains Community Garden.

Troop 39 meets every Monday at 7:15 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church in Morris Plains. For more information, visit the troop’s website at: http://troop39bsa.org.