TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
“On March 13, Eagle Scout candidate Dawson Schulz assumed leadership in building two fish cribs that will be used at Nels Evjue School Forest,” said Rich Prange, volunteer and President of the Friends of the Nels Evjue School Forest, who helped coordinate this joint project with the Scout Troop.
“After review and approval by Boy Scout troop leaders, this project will satisfy the service requirement for Dawson’s Eagle Scout badge and rank.”
It is up to the Eagle Scout candidate to come up with a project, have it approved by leaders, and develop the plan and a materials list for the project. In this case, Dawson also organized and coordinated a crew of fellow Scouts to do the work and complete the fish cribs.
“The purpose of the fish cribs is to provide protective habitat in a pond located at the Merrill School Forest,” Prange said. “Construction was considered Phase 1.”
“The second phase will occur this summer when the cribs will be installed, after a water draw-down,” Prange added. “As the pond water level recovers, a new fish population will be restored.”
“The work on this fish crib project involved the efforts of fourteen Boy and Girl Scouts,” Prange said. The Scouts were from Troop 513 which was the first joint Boy & Girl Scout Troop in the Samoset Council.
All the work on Mar. 13 was done right on-site at the Merrill School Forest, and the fish cribs will be donated to the Merrill School Forest. The donation is very much appreciated, Prange said.
Troop 513 Scoutmaster, Derek Krzanowski; Dawson’s parents, Dennis & Sherri Schulz; and several other parents were also in attendance that day.
The Nels P. Evjue Memorial Forest, more commonly known as the Merrill School Forest, is home to 764 acres of mixed hardwoods and conifers amidst rolling hills, located to the north of Merrill. Bordered by the Wisconsin River, Ripley Creek, which is known for trout, flows through the property and features a pond created by a manmade dam. Hiking trails also wind throughout the acreage. Abundant wildlife live in the forest and creek. The property features a lodge and many educational opportunities for Merrill area students and the area community. The Merrill School Forest was created in 1944 when William T. Evjue, an 1898 Merrill High School graduate, donated 598 acres in memory of his father, Nels P. Evjue, who was a pioneer woodsman in the area.
