Eagle Scout Project Protects Historic Trees

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Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis sees a lot of activity from people looking to enjoy its beaches and picnic areas. But all of the foot traffic is difficult on the park’s trees, some of which were planted when the park was opened in 1952.

But now, thanks to a local Boy Scout who was honored at a ceremony on April 29, two of those trees are surrounded by fences that protect their roots.

Logan Smith, a junior at Northeast High School, has always been interested in nature. His favorite activities are hiking and camping.

But Logan’s Eagle Scout project wasn’t focused on preserving nature at first. He originally wanted to create a playground for Community United Methodist Church. But that task was ultimately too difficult to achieve.

“It needed lots of permits, money and a playground that had to be built by professionals,” said Logan’s mother, Amanda Smith.

Amanda helped find a new project for her son. She contacted people at one of her Four Rivers Boy Scouts of America district advancement committee meetings to see whether they needed any work done, especially conservation projects. They told her to contact Eric Waciega, who was the head ranger for Sandy Point State Park at the time.

Waciega met with Logan in October 2016 and told him that they needed people to fence off 15 trees that had been planted when the park was established.

Although Waciega told Logan which materials he wanted for the fences, Logan had to provide them. He contacted 84 Lumber in Curtis Bay, which agreed to donate materials for two fences.

Creating the fences wasn’t the only thing that Logan did for the park. He also reached out to Himmel's Farm & Garden for a donation of native flowers to plant inside the fences.

“The flowers that I planted are helping to bring back the bees and the butterflies within Sandy Point,” Logan said.

Logan didn’t do the project alone. Amanda, along with Logan’s father, Scott Smith, helped him plan the project. About 10 adults came to the park to help him install the fences and plant flowers. Seven scouts from Troop 870 also helped out with the project, along with six scouts from Venture Crew 346, of which he is also a member.

Other scouts also put up fences on their own. By the time Logan was finished with his fences, six other scouts had finished fences. The project was completed in May 2017.

Logan’s experiences as a scout have helped shape his academic interests. He credits his time as a scout for his interest in environmental resource management. Along with the classes he takes at Northeast High School, he is taking classes in environmental science at the Center for Applied Technology (CAT) North in Severn.

After high school, Logan wants to continue to work with nature. “Ultimately, I want to become an environmental engineer specializing in hydroponics,” Logan said.

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