Sean C. Morgan
Matt Morneault completed a project clearing old trail and blazing new trail around Foster Lake last summer.
Morneault, 17, joined the Cub Scouts in second grade while living in Maine. He moved into the Boy Scouts in 1997 and moved to Sweet Home in the eighth grade. He is a junior this year and active on the varsity basketball team.
Part of his project was to clear part of the Foster Lake Trail, which was blocked where trees had blown down. He and his team also blazed new trail on the east end of the lake.
“I needed an Eagle Scout project, so I asked the Corps (of Engineers) to see if they had anything they had to have done,” Morneault said. To complete an Eagle project, the Scout’s team must put in at least 40 man-hours on a project. He had three Scouts and three adults helping on the project.
“There were some pretty big trees in the way,” Morneault said. “We had to use a chainsaw to clear it. It sounded fairly simple for the knowledge I have.”
In Maine, his family had a 20-acre piece of property with trees, Morneault said. They had to clear space for to build their home. He also participated in the U.S. Forest Service’s Civilian Conservation Corps program, a five-day outing working at Longbow Organizational Camp.
The Eagle Scout rank is a leadership program, Morneault said, so the Scout is primarily charged with organizing and leading the project.
“It was fun being able to lead,” Morneault said. “When you’re in the fifth grade, you feel that you’ll never get there. It’s almost unbelievable ? you actually made it.”
Scouting has five ranks before Eagle, the highest attainable. The first two require Scouts to meet various requirements, ranging from tying knots to identifying plants. Then the ranks get more hands on, and Scouts must start earning merit badges in a host of different areas, including first aid, communications and physical fitness. For a badge, Scouts work with a counselor who imposes three to 30 requirements.
“I love to learn things, and it’s fun,” Morneault said. “It opens up a lot of opportunities for you.”
The Eagle Scout rank helps when going to college, and the military also provides recognition for the achievement.
It instills confidence in Scouts, and they know they can rise to a challenge. The rank also is an honor.
“If it’s hard for some people, I should be able to do it,” Morneault said. “So many talk about doing it, but they never do it.”
The lure of the Scouts is “a lot of just being with your friends, the experiences you have,” Morneault said. It helps “you grow and develop. You develop values and ethics you wouldn’t have doing nothing.? I’d be a totally different person today if it weren’t for Scouting. It shows when you put your mind to something, you can accomplish anything. I wouldn’t have the experiences I’ve had. I think I wouldn’t be as understanding of others. I wouldn’t have the respect for everything that I do.”