Troop 40 recognized for environmental effort

Scouts from Troop 40 recently delivered a presentation to the Alaska Forum on the Environment discussing their local environmental conservation.

The troop has worked for the last few years removing debris from the shore of Zarembo Island near Roosevelt Harbor, said Kellan Eagle, 13, a Tenderfoot who delivered a speech as part of the presentation. The troop has also been praised by U.S. Forest Service officials for the adoption and maintenance of the Twin Lakes Cabin, and plans to visit the windward side of Zarembo once the season improves, Kellan said.

"Normally we take about a ton out of there every time we go," he said.

Troop members have spent three trips to Zarembo Island working to pick up everything from pop cans, tires, and tailgates to pickup trucks, Kellan said. Once the scouts found a flattened camper that looked like it had been crushed by a giant foot.

The new project will move them away from the detritus of the hunting season and in the direction of authentic marine debris washed ashore from the ocean.

The troop decided to work on the project after some outdoorsy adults – Kellan mentioned Assistant Scoutmaster Kim Powell by name – noticed the prevalence of trash on the island deposited by those who use the island for hunting, Kellan said.

"That got us thinking, so we decided to go out there and clean it up, and eventually that got to the Forest Service, and we started partnering with them," he said. "They suggested cleaning up the Twin Lakes cabin."

Invasive species eventually grew into a full-bore maintenance effort on the cabin.

"This year, we also worked a little bit on the trail," he said. "We made a new trail and stained the outhouse."

The troop traveled to Anchorage Feb. 4 and delivered a presentation about their invasive species, maintenance, and litter work to between 50 and 60 environmentalists. Despite practicing for a month beforehand, Kellan was still nervous to go up in front of all those people.

"Even though it was my second time going up there, I was still really nervous," he said.

Their work and the presentation has opened their eyes about environmental issues and the possibilities of environmental stewardship, Kellan said.

"We learned a lot of different things," he said. "We heard a lot about different adventures that people have gone on."