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William Martinez built an interactive educational kiosk as part of his Eagle project and the Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve in Poinciana. PHOTO/BELLA MIRANDA
An Eagle Scout project, by definition, is to demonstrate the ability to “plan, develop and provide leadership on a project for the benefit of the community.”
The idea is to show a teenager the challenges and pitfalls of leadership and coordination of such a project.
William Martinez of Troop 800, sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Kissimmee, got a double-down dose of that while planning and completing his project at the Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve in Poinciana earlier this year.
The plan was hatched last year: build wooden walkways over Preserve trails that would flood, wash out or get muddy during rainy season. The walkways would ensure visitors stay on the designated trails to avoid widening the existing paths and damaging plant life.
The plans were put in motion in March 2020 – right when COVID-19 hit and the Preserve closed its doors for 11 months.
“I learned that you really can’t predict what will happen on a project, and in life,” said Martinez, 17,who passed his Eagle Scout Board of Review last week.
During the closure, the price of materials like lumber doubled in price, so a job priced out at $2,020 in early 2020 became $4,400 to complete in 2021. The NeoCity Academy junior doubled-down on his fundraising efforts, which were non-traditional thanks to the pandemic, and got creative.
“I approached Lowes to see what they could donate, and that’s when I found out things had doubled in price,” he said. “I taught merit badge classes for donations, opened a GoFundMe, and had to resort to asking family and friends for donations. It was shared on our community NextDoor page. That help from the community was key.”
When the park reopened, materials were in place and walkways designed with the help of an Assistant Scoutmaster who is a contractor, Preserve COVID-19 protocols dictated only 10 volunteers could work at a time.
“I had people work in shifts,” Martinez said. “It took four full days of eight hours a day, but the weather wasn’t too bad and we got it done.”
With some extra materials left over, Martinez created an informational board and interactive educational kiosk to teach the visitors about some of the wildlife they might see in the Preserve.
“This project taught me how to adapt to challenges. “When the park closed and the price doubled on supplies, I got shocked and lost a little bit of hope. “
