Everywhere you look at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area these days there are signs of eagles - pavilions with picnic tables, neatly groomed trails with erosion bars and new gravel, bridges, information signs, amphitheatres, paddock fences and even a computer network at Fair Hill Nature Center. What sort of eagle leaves those signs, you ask? Not Bald Eagles - Eagle Scouts! The Eagle Scout rank is the highest achievement a boy can attain in his scouting career with fewer than 4% of scouts earning this rank. Boy Scout Troop 443, chartered to the Elkton United Methodist Church, recently held a court of honor for three Eagle scouts who had completed projects at Fair Hill.
The three honored Eagle Scouts, Michael Auger, Douglas Fallon, and Philip Harjung had all participated in scouts for many years and held leadership positions including Senior Patrol Leader, the scout leader of the troop. They had earned at least 21 merit badges, demonstrating their skills in camping, orienteering, lifesaving, wilderness survival, communication, environmental science, citizenship, personal management, and many others. As part of his Eagle requirement, each scout led the troop in performing a service project which benefited his community – in this case Fair Hill Nature Center or the Management Area. Department of Natural Resources Ranger Jerry Henshaw, the Eagle Project Coordinator for the Natural Resources Management area, suggests that scouts try to earn their Eagle before they are distracted by fumes. “Gas fumes and perfumes!,” he explains with a laugh. “There is so much for older scouts to do with sports, dating, jobs, and cars, that its hard to finish up your Eagle after you start driving.”
Eagle Scout Michael Auger agreed with Henshaw as he directed the Troop last March in chipping away ice and snow in order to rebuild teaching trails for the Fair Hill Nature Center. With his 18th birthday (the deadline for Eagle applications to be filed) only days away he couldn’t afford to wait for last winter’s unusual snow pack to melt. Auger directed the troop in installing erosion bars, backfilling with gravel and rebuilding steps so the grade school children who attend class at Fair Hill Nature Center would have an easier time on the trail. A 2003 graduate of Elkton High School, Auger lettered in wrestling, track and field, and tennis and was also active in the ecology club, chess club, and debate club. He is currently attending classes at Cecil Community College and hopes to continue his education at the University of Maryland at College Park. He plans to major in Computer Science and then on to a career in the production of interactive entertainment
Eagle Scout Doug Fallon is a senior at St. Marks High School in Newark, Delaware. He is captain of the swim team and a past Delaware State swimming champion. He is being recruited by swimming coaches from James Madison University, Towson University and the University of Delaware. He plans to major in environmental science or engineering in college and pursue a career in environmental cleanup or pollution prevention. For his Eagle project Fallon built a paddock at the Fair Hill racecourse. He raised $1300 and directed the troop in over 300 man-hours of labor in completing the paddock. He states that the new paddock will help Union Hospital’s major benefit, the Memorial Day races, held each year at the Fair Hill racetrack. “One of the hardest parts of the project for Doug,” notes his mother, Janet Fallon, “was calling businesses and individuals to ask for donations. Many of them say “no” or give you the run-around, but he was amazed at the many small businessmen who donated their time, equipment or materials.” Cabinetmaker Mike Troiani dropped his son Jordan off to work on the project, took one look at the constructive mayhem, and stayed to supervise gate building. “The whole Troop gets real satisfaction from building a structure like this;” he commented, “they will point to it with pride for years to come.”
Not as visible but no less a source of pride to the Troop, Eagle Scout Philip Harjung's project involved soliciting over $3500 of equipment, including computers, a digital camera, photo printer, and projector, and wiring the Fair Hill Nature Center for a computer network to allow the various computers to work together. The youngest members of the Troop braved the muddy crawl space in the basement to run cables for the network. “They were a real mess, but proud to do something the older, bigger scouts couldn’t”, declared Scoutmaster Tim Fisher. Fair Hill Nature Center Education Director, Holly Hannum, added, “The hardest part of this project was teaching the staff the necessary computer skills. Philip did an admirable job with a minimum of sighing and eye-rolling.” Harjung is a senior at Rising Sun High School where he has been a strong force on defense for the soccer team. He is a member the Boy Scout camping honorary society, Order of the Arrow, and attended the National Boy Scout Jamboree in 2001 as a patrol leader. A talented writer, he plans to major in English and creative writing in college in preparation for a career in journalism.
Held at the Tea Barn at Fair Hill on November 8, the court of honor was attended by over 100 friends and relatives, scouts from Pack and Troop 443 and such dignitaries as County Commissioners Nelson Bolender and Mark Guns. This event was not only a celebration of the three new Eagle Scouts but of the old fashioned values that make up scouting. With the help of Troop 443 scouts, Committee Chairman Brian Carr reminded the new Eagle Scouts of the trail they had taken to reach this rank, their effort to build themselves physically, mentally, and morally, and to fulfill their duty to God and Country. He reminded them of the scout motto, “Be Prepared,” and slogan, “Do a good turn daily.” He urged them to continue to enjoy and respect the great outdoors and to use their leadership skills wisely. Fallon’s older brother, Eagle Scout Daniel Fallon, led all the eagle scouts present in a charge to their new comrades to live with honor, loyalty, and courage and to lead a life of service. In closing, Assistant Scoutmaster Joe Carrere pointed to the young cub scouts present in reminding Auger, Fallon, and Harjung what a powerful opportunity and responsibility the rank of Eagle Scout gives them as they lead by example.