When 17-year-old Harry Bullock of North Attleboro, Mass., was nearing the pinnacle of his Boy Scouting career, he had to decide on an Eagle Scout project.
“I’ve always loved the outdoors and being close to nature, so I wanted to do something to help endangered species,” he said.
Boy Scout Troop 23 has a long-standing reputation of producing Eagle Scouts, and Harry’s family has Eagle Scouts dating back to his great-grandfather. Now Harry is about to join this prestigious group. First, he had to propose a project, then submit the paperwork to the troop leaders and the Narragansett Council. Once the project was approved, he was required to involve his troop.
“I decided to help threatened native birds by giving them houses,” he said. “My father and I got it all started by cutting up pine boards to the proper sizes and assembling them into kits. Then fifteen members of my troop came and put the houses together and painted them.”
They built 20 houses for five different bird species: the white breasted nuthatch, tree swallow, screech owl, barred owl and great crested fly catcher. Different sized houses with various-sized entry holes were necessary for these birds. To help prevent diseases from spreading, the houses should be cleaned out annually, so each needed an access panel.
Many Eagle Scouts in North Attleboro have completed projects for the local parks, but Harry wanted to erect his bird houses at a different location.
“My family has been involved with the (Mt. Kearsarge Indian) Museum for as long as I can remember, and the museum has an emphasis on being one with nature and helping endangered species,” he said.
Early one Saturday morning, five Boy Scouts and some of their fathers traveled to the 12-acre museum campus in Warner to install the bird houses. A light rain fell as the boys began their work, but that didn’t dampen their spirits, as they attached the houses to one tree after another and stood a few on poles in the open. Some birds prefer their houses in the woods, others near open fields, and this property offers both environments. Each species requires their houses to be a particular height, and those needs were met with well-researched enthusiasm.
The director of the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum, Andrew Bullock said, “Our founder, Bud Thompson, has always wanted bird houses around the property to inspire visitors to take a closer look at their surroundings. We’re grateful that my nephew chose to erect his houses on this property, and we’ll be anxious to see them occupied next spring.”
All together, Harry and his fellow scouts contributed about 250 hours to the project, including the paperwork. Now that the project is complete, He must submit even more paperwork for approval before he can receive his Eagle Scout award.
When he isn’t participating in scouting, Harry serves as captain of his high school football team and is a member of the spring track team, which includes shot put and discus throwing. He’s entering his senior year of high school and hopes to join R.O.T.C. while in college, then become a U. S. Marine.