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Designing
and landscape area below Wetland Center |
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For my Eagle Project, I had to terrace the entire hillside bordering the educational building. I also had to remove the weeds from the curved hillside close to the edge of the cement steps with the railings. In addition, I planted 15 native plants in my terracing and a few trees on the curved hillside. Then the entire project area was covered with woodchips. The project took over 175 hours to complete. |
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Area for weeds to be removed. |
Area after covered with woodchips. |
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| Using the railroad ties for terracing | Volunteers |
This project allowed me to utilize the eleven leadership skills to help complete my project and to ensure the safety of my volunteers. Communicating - An important skill that I used to meet with my beneficiary and inform the volunteers of the time and date of the project. Knowing and using resources of the group – I was able to determine, which individuals were more suitable for a particular job. I was also able to ask for the advice from some of the individuals who have had previous experience. Understanding Characteristics and Needs of the group – I had to understand the characteristics of each individual and organize them into groups that would work together, not argue against each other. Representing the group – I would meet ahead of time with my beneficiary to make sure my plans had no flaws. This way, when we started working, we would minimize the amount of errors. Setting the example – I set a good example by helping in difficult situations and directing the work efficiently. I practiced the safety rules and corrected others when they were breaking them. Planning – My plan was mostly correct, except I had to move some plants because of unforeseen circumstances. I also had to extend the project work days into an extra weekend. However, I carried out my project on the planned days, which were successes. Controlling group performance – This means I had to make sure everyone was on task and not slacking off. Whenever they seemed to be having trouble, I would join in to help inspire them to put more effort. Evaluating – Everyone stayed on task and helped each other out. My ideas and other people’s ideas helped make this project a success. Effective Teaching – At the beginning of each meeting, I set aside some time for the safety rules and quick briefing about my project. I made sure everyone understood before the project began, since it’s easier to correct a problem before it occurs. Sharing Leadership – I had some scouts who had been in this area before, so I could give them instructions to lead a small group. This way, I didn’t have to constantly be in several different places at once. Counseling – I had to persuade some people to do certain jobs because they were unwilling. However, once they were satisfied, work was quickly sped up. Overall, the project was a complete success allowed me to improve my leadership skills.
I would like to thank Best Trees and the Math/Science Nucleus for their donations. I would also like to thank the volunteers who helped make my project a success: Allen Ko, Wayne Hsu, Alex Chin, Vincent Wong, Eric Wong, Eric Hsu, George Yang, Jane Wu, Roger Chin, Mei Lan Liu, Lilian Ma, Kelvin Lu, Alex Lu, Patrick Yuan, Len-Bau Huang, Ryan Han, and Irene Han