Hunter Mall, right, recites the Boy Scout oath in front of Troop 106 Assistant Scoutmaster Mike Vreeland and family & friends during his Eagle Scout pinning ceremony.
Liberty, NY – Jeffersonville resident Hunter Mall earned the highest rank in Boy Scouting this month thanks to a project on County property in Liberty. He installed duck houses along the shoreline at the County’s Care Center at Sunset Lake.
“While at first I had a hard time coming up with ideas for a project, many different things had crossed my mind,” he said, “and eventually the idea of wood duck houses came up.”
They remind him of a beloved but now-deceased uncle who built duck houses, and they also serve as protection for the duck population.
Hunter searched for a lake that wasn’t too big nor too small. Located next to the County’s nursing home and short-term rehabilitation center, Sunset Lake proved the perfect spot.
Weather played a very important role. Hunter’s goal was to have the houses assembled and installed in the lake before the ice melted, as the ice served as a good support system for the duck houses. Hunter also faced the challenge of getting volunteers and fellow Scouts to help with his project. But with the right idea and initiative, Hunter was able to accomplish his goals.
“I’m very thankful to have such generous mentors like [Assistant Scoutmaster] Mike Vreeland and [Scoutmaster and dad] Ed Mall to help coach me through the project,” Hunter related. “I’m also grateful for having [Hofer Log & Lumber Company owner] Matt Hofer donate the wood needed to build the houses, and for [Sullivan County Parks Director] Brian Scardefield, who made sure the troop [106 in Jeff] and I were allowed to have these houses put in the lake.”