Local Eagle Scout Installs Bat Houses At Downs Park

Chesapeake High School senior Kevin Hebda recently earned the prestigious Eagle Scout Award with a project he coordinated with Ranger Ockeem Ellis at Downs Park. The 18-year-old installed three bat houses in different places at the park. “There are a lot of bugs in the area,” Hebda explained. “The bats eat the bugs.”

Bat houses encourage bats to nest, and their diet of mosquitoes and other pesky insects helps control bug populations in an organic way.

Hebda’s Boy Scout journey began in Stuttgart, Germany, where he lived with his dad for six years. “My dad was a Scout, and he wanted me to be a Scout,” Hebda said of the decision to join an American Cub Scout Den as a “Tiger” around age 7. Hebda also attended an American school. He enjoyed his time in Germany.

“Those were some of my best years,” he said. “We traveled, went to Berlin and saw the [Berlin] Wall.”

When he was 11, Hebda’s family moved back to the United States and settled in Pasadena. He continued with scouts, joining Troop 414 at Saint Jane Frances de Chantal in 2009. He has worked hard since then, earning merit badges, enjoying outdoor activities and learning skills through Boy Scouts, proving his knowledge as he advanced through the scouting ranks. “I like the outdoor activities we do, like rock climbing and camping,” he said.

The bat house project took about a year from the proposal stage to completion. The Boy Scout Area Council had to approve Hebda’s Eagle Scout project idea and review a report and paperwork once he had finished. Scouts from Troop 414 helped with construction and installation.

The houses are made of cedar plywood, and they were treated with a dark red paint to preserve the wood. “Each house is 24 by 13 inches,” Hebda explained. “They are about 15 feet up.” To attract bats, the houses had to be at least that high off the ground.

The structures have been successful. “We’ve been told they’ve seen some bats,” Hebda noted, adding that he and his dad visited the park in follow-up to the project and saw bats themselves.

This spring, Hebda received his Eagle Award at a special ceremony. “It’s probably one of my best accomplishments in life,” he said of the honor. He plans to continue with scouts and will attend summer camp and go on a Boy Scout trek before school starts. In the fall, he will begin his senior year at Chesapeake High School, where he runs cross-country and participates in varsity wrestling.

After high school, Hebda expects to attend Anne Arundel Community College to earn credits before pursuing a bachelor’s degree at four-year college for art. In his spare time, Hebda enjoys working on graphic art and particularly motion design – graphic art that moves on a screen. He hopes to study the industry in college and looks forward to a career in graphic design.