When Paul Doty completed his Eagle Scout project, he and his fellow volunteers had removed 3,000 invasive species plants from along Peck’s Road in Black Rock Forest. He was one of four to be recognized during a Court of Honor ceremony in June.

“It feels pretty good,” Doty said of finally earning his Eagle after starting the journey at the very beginning as a Tiger Cub. “It was very hard, but very rewarding.”

Doty has benefitted from all the forest has to offer for as long as he can remember, and it just so happened the project presented itself at the right time. He met with forest manager Matt Brady in February or March of last year and after working out the details, presented the project to the Eagle Board that April. With the end of the school year fast approaching, one of the challenges he faced was trying to find a time when his 15 volunteers would be available to work. He was able to schedule three work sessions beginning in May and ending in June.

During the first work session, Doty organized the volunteers into groups and then had to instruct them on how to identify the Burning Bush plants and effectively remove them to ensure the roots don’t remain in the ground.

Doty explained the plants are easily identifiable by the unique texture of the stem and the shape of the leaves. In terms of removal, some were easier than others. He said the larger plants were definitely more difficult, despite a special tool Brady provided to aid in their removal. Some easily took two or three scouts to remove while the smaller plants only required one scout.

Once the Burning Bush was removed from the area, 18 native plants and shrubs were put in their place. Fences were built around them to prevent them from being eaten by deer and other animals.

Taking on a leadership role to complete the project wasn’t difficult. Doty has known his volunteers for years and everyone gets along with each other. He’s had leadership experience within the troop and the task wasn’t impossible or difficult to complete.

Doty hopes to continue helping the troop as an adult leader.