Heading in the Right Direction on the Woodmarsh Trail
Boy Scout Eagle Scout Service Project
Lorton, VA: New trail markers will catch the eye of park visitors hiking along the Woodmarsh Trail in Mason Neck Park.
Picture yourself hiking along a 3-mile trail through Mason Neck Park looking over sweeping views of 250 acres of Great Marsh. Now imagine being in the forest and having no idea how to find your way back to your car. That’s the type of situation Life Scout, Noah Ventura, wanted to help visitors to Mason Neck Park avoid.
When Noah Ventura began looking for a service project for his Eagle Scout rank, he wanted to do something that would enhance the community. One of the first things he thought about was Mason Neck Park. Noah and his family often use Mason Neck Park, the first national wildlife refuge established specifically for the protection of the bald eagle.
Boy Scout Eagle Scout Service Project
Lorton, VA: New trail markers will catch the eye of park visitors hiking along the Woodmarsh Trail in Mason Neck Park.
Picture yourself hiking along a 3-mile trail through Mason Neck Park looking over sweeping views of 250 acres of Great Marsh. Now imagine being in the forest and having no idea how to find your way back to your car. That’s the type of situation Life Scout, Noah Ventura, wanted to help visitors to Mason Neck Park avoid.
When Noah Ventura began looking for a service project for his Eagle Scout rank, he wanted to do something that would enhance the community. One of the first things he thought about was Mason Neck Park. Noah and his family often use Mason Neck Park, the first national wildlife refuge established specifically for the protection of the bald eagle.
Ventura worked with Rosalind Wu, Visitor Services Manager of the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex, on the design and placement of the markers. Then he had to get his plan approved by his Eagle Project Review Board. Once that was done, Ventura started working on the signs and spent over 300 hours in almost 10 months on the project.
The new signage will help visitors better navigate the Woodmarsh Trail Loop. The results are 19 signs in 6 different locations that are designed to blend with the environment, with an earth-tone color palette.
“It’s a really cool project,” says Ventura. “The Woodmarsh Trail is all about connecting the community with nature, and the signs let you know where you are, so the people who use the trail know where they are trying to go.”
Ventura, a student at Carl Sandburg Middle School, said he’s proud of the project and what it means to the community. He is putting together his final report on the entire project that will be reviewed by the Eagle Board of Review before he can get his Eagle Scout Rank.
The project was a team effort. "I could not have done this without the help of my friends," says Ventura. Youth volunteers from other Boys Scout Troops, Girl Scout Troops, Carl Sandburg Middle School, and Fort Hunt Elementary School helped with the project.
Today, more than 71,000 people use the Potomac River NWR Complex which includes, Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge.
