2024 Eagle Scout Project of the Year: He built 150 artificial reefs to clean water, attract sea life – Aaron On Scouting

John Shell’s Sustainable Development Project

John Shell and his father Jeb have been fishing together since John was a child. They have extensive knowledge about fishing techniques and the habits of fish. However, during one Troop 147 campout, they noticed that the Scouts were not enjoying themselves due to the lack of fish. This led John to embark on a project to address this issue.

Developing a Sustainable Solution

John came up with a plan to install 150 miniature reefs in Alabama coastal communities to attract fish and other sea life. These reefs would not only benefit anglers and nature enthusiasts but also attract filter feeder species that could filter 10 million gallons of water annually. The project was later handed over to a local nonprofit and university for further expansion and research on its environmental benefits.

Award Recognition

For his outstanding efforts, John, now a 19-year-old student at Dartmouth College, received the prestigious Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. This award recognizes exceptional Eagle projects completed by young individuals who achieved the Eagle Scout rank in 2023.

Fishing for Support

John’s project aimed to improve various aspects of the area, including business, recreation, and the local environment. He sought support from individuals, businesses, non-profits, and state agencies to raise funds for the project. The goal was to purchase reef kits, ropes for securing the reefs in the water, and life jackets for volunteers.

• The floating reefs were made of PVC pipe and corrugated polypropylene.
• They cost $300 each and were tied to docks.
• Reefs attracted barnacles, oysters, and other marine life.

Installing the Reefs

With the help of volunteers from his church, school, and troop, John organized workdays to build and install the reefs. The process of assembling the reefs was relatively simple, but placing them in the water required careful handling.

• Reefs had to be secured with ropes to pilings.
• Some reefs survived hurricanes without maintenance for years.

A Local Legacy

John’s project has gained interest from local governments, with initiatives to install artificial reefs on public docks. The project is now managed by Partners for Environmental Progress and the University of South Alabama’s Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences. Their goal is to install 1,000 artificial reefs, with nearly 300 already in place.

• Marine biology students will study the reefs under the guidance of Sean Powers.
• The project aims to clean coastal waters and restore wildlife populations.

Nominating an Eagle Scout for the Adams Award

If you know an Eagle Scout with a worthy project, you can nominate them for the Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year award. Nomination forms and criteria can be found here.

## Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Targets, and Indicators Analysis

### 1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

– SDG 14: Life Below Water
– SDG 15: Life on Land

### 2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

– Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.
– Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

### 3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

– The installation of artificial reefs to attract fish and other sea life.
– The filtration of 10 million gallons of water a year by barnacles, oysters, and other filter feeder species.
– The increase in wildlife populations around the artificial reefs.

### 4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets, and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|——————-|———————————————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————————-|
| SDG 14: Life Below Water | Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans. | – Installation of artificial reefs to attract fish and other sea life.
– Filtration of 10 million gallons of water a year by barnacles, oysters, and other filter feeder species.
– Increase in wildlife populations around the artificial reefs. |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. | – Installation of artificial reefs to attract fish and other sea life.
– Filtration of 10 million gallons of water a year by barnacles, oysters, and other filter feeder species.
– Increase in wildlife populations around the artificial reefs. |

Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.

Fuente: blog.scoutingmagazine.org

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