Hey!

This is my Eagle Scout Project section. A little history on the project: It started when I called the Parks and Recreation Department of my local Park District the Wilmette Park District (WPD), and asked if they had any projects they were looking to do that I might help out with for my Eagle Project. As it turns out, they did: an empty grass basin just off to the side of the North Shore wide community Swimming and Recreational Complex, Centennial Family Aquatic Center. They were looking to create a native prairie garden at this site. I nibbled at the offer, shared it with my Scoutmaster and Troop, and committed to the project.

In June 2010, we (my volunteers – Boy Scout and high school friends – and I) planted nearly 550 perennials in five gardens around the basin. We planted perennials such as Butterfly Milkweed (the only plant Monarch butterflies plant their eggs on), Orange Coneflowers, Purple (and Pale Purple) Coneflowers, New England Aster, and many others.

This was not enough however. I stayed in contact with the Prairie expert, Charlotte Adelman, and we devised a plan to complete a border around the entire basin, rather than just separate gardens. The Wilmette Park District accepted this proposal, and in June 2011, we planted another 850 perennials, for a total of roughly 1,400 perennials. This year the center of the basin was also seeded, to create a full, 2 acre prairie, rather than just a ring of perennials around a detention basin.

On this part of my webpage, I will post the proposal to the WPD and the BSA for my Eagle Project as well as the conclusion report. I hope to also post the site plan for the 2011 follow-up project. I will also post photos of the garden that I have taken, hopefully new ones as I occasionally go back to Chicago to visit. Below I have posted some screen shots of the garden, clearly taken just after the project was completed in 2011.

– Joe