Eagle Scout OWL PROJECT I
by Caylie Howard | photos courtesy of Ginger and Andy Eads
t is a prestigious honor to hold the title of Eagle Scout. Only 4% of Boy Scouts achieve this impressive rank, and Flower Mound local Addison Eads is among that select group of young men.
“In order to become an Eagle Scout, you
Addison quickly began to do research
Scouts are the highest rank.” Addison says.
our local community. He quickly realized
have to go through several ranks. Eagle
In order to become an Eagle Scout, you
have to choose and earn 21 badges out of a selection of 135 badges.
One of the steps of earning this title is
completing each individual’s Eagle Scout Project. Each project has to provide a
beneficial, long-term improvement for the
Troop’s community and must be completed
by the Scout’s 18th birthday. Once the Scout has selected their project, they must first
present it and have it approved by the Troop and the Eagle Board of Review Committee. Addison’s mom, Ginger, saw a friend’s
post on Facebook about an owl house
she had received as a Christmas gift. She
on owl houses to see if they belong in
the amazing benefits of these majestic
animals. “Owls provide countless amounts of positive things for the environment,” Addison says. “They provide a natural form of pest control as opposed to
poison, and these houses help grow their population by replacing the loss of habitat.”
After completing his research, Addison developed a report and presented his
idea to his fellow Scouts in Troop 709, the reviewer of Eagle Scouts projects, Mark
Gmitro, and the Town Manager of Flower Mound. All of them were excited about this environmental, sustainable project.
showed Addison the picture because she
The Troop began building the owl houses
Addison saw the photograph, the idea for
February 8, 2020. “We installed them
presented the idea of building owl houses
Addison says.
thought it was a thoughtful gift idea. Once
on January 26, 2020 and installed them on
his Eagle Scout project came to life. Addison
in over 10 Flower Mound parks,”
around the community to his parents. His
There were 15 owl houses in total, and to
dad, Andy, suggested the idea of installing them in parks around the Town of Flower Mound.
While installing the houses, the Troop tagged every owl house with a number so that the Town of Flower Mound and local bird enthusiasts could trace them. On the day that the houses were installed, they filmed a video of each house to let the sponsor know of the location so that they could check on them. “One sponsor, Jeri Harwell, bought an owl house in honor of her late husband, Wess Harwell, and was excited to see where it was installed,” Addison says. So far, there have been two owl sightings in the houses since they have been installed. One of the sightings happened to be in Addison’s grandparent’s backyard. “My grandpa texted me that morning that they had been eating breakfast in their backyard. He thought he saw something weird, so he took his camera and zoomed in with his lens. That’s when he saw that it was an owl in the house, and he took a picture.” Addison recalls. The benefits of these houses for the community are abundant. Not only can these houses be a year-round habitat for the owls to get out of the weather, but they can also be used as a nesting box. While these houses have provided great benefits for the birds, they have also brought a great sense of community and excitement to the Town of Flower Mound. It’s truly safe to say that Addison Eads’ Eagle Scout project will benefit our local community for many generations of owls in the years to come.
raise money for the supplies, Addison had the idea of having people sponsor an owl
house. For $40, a person could buy an owl
house or even sponsor a house in the honor or memory of someone else. Each house
would have a plaque attached, displayed
with the sponsor’s name. Addison made a
video to post on Facebook with an example of these owl houses, asking for sponsors. “They were sold out in minutes,” Addison says. 10 | FLOWER MOUND TOWN LIFE | MARCH 2021
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