Clearing Storm Drain  (North Tyson) and Making it Safe for Children  by Andrew Lin Troop 111, Fremont

For my eagle project, I worked mainly in a small pond that was fed by the storm drains near station 5.  My goal was to ecologically landscape the pond so that it would be more suitable for kids to stop by the pond and observe the thriving wildlife.

Before the project	Cutting Tules and Cattails

The first day, we dug and cut tules out of the pond and moved some dirt/mud so that the water could run more smoothly.  When we got back the next week, large amounts of water had been run through the area, so the dirt that we cleared out was washed downstream.  That week, we concentrated on getting as many of the tule’s roots out as we could so that the tules won’t grow back.  For the last week, we pulled up more roots, put rocks on the banks of the pond, made improvements to the dam that was keeping the pond a pond, and moved more dirt onto higher ground.

Laying down the stones	Placing stones for a small shoreline

It was very difficult to find volunteers, as the water that we worked in smelled a lot like sulfur.  Therefore, I am extremely thankful for those who helped me out with my project: Jeffrey Liu, Michael Yang, Jason Parawan, Claire Yang, Norman Su, Joshua Siu, Abby Wang, Brad Windsor, and Teddy Fong.

I would especially like to thank my sister, Vicky Lin, who came home all the way from college at UC Davis to supervise my project while my parents were gone.  Andy Wang, Abby’s father, also came and supervised on that day and gave me tips on which tools to use and how to remove the tules.

Furthermore, I am thankful for my mom and my dad for being there when they could, giving me tips when I needed them, and supporting me all the way.