Fox Chapel area Eagle Scout hopefuls turn to nature for top scout honor

A pair of Fox Chapel area Eagle Scout hopefuls are seeking the highest honor in scouts through nature projects.

Josh Lowe, who recently graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School, is in the process of digging an estimated 310-foot connector trail down a hillside by Shady Side Academy’s Country Day School.

The goal is to make it easier for the young learners and their teachers to get to Riding Meadow Park.

“What we did is we made a path off of the main trail and cut switchbacks the whole way down,” said the scout from Troop 380. “We initially raked out the way we wanted the trail to be so we could clear out all the leaves and sticks. We then started to dig and carve out the actual trail in the side of the slope.”

The trail is in a zigzag pattern with certain parts carved in a manner to address stormwater runoff.

Troop 380 meets at Christ Church Fox Chapel behind the academy’s school along Christ Church Lane.

Josh, 17, of Fox Chapel, said he told church officials months ago he wanted to help the congregation and the school.

They made contact with one of the school teachers who talked about how students learn from hands-on activities at the park.

The trail project evolved from those discussions as well as presentations with the Fox Chapel Park Commission.

“Being able to get down there faster than their previous method (helps) the kids learn more and faster in a shorter amount of time,” Lowe said. “We may add some features like posts with signs talking about animals. We may add rocks in some areas to help make it easier to step.”

Josh said he made his trail pitch to park commissioners in May.

“The previous trail was subject to erosion and puddles and a lack of sustainability,” said Park Commission Chairman Wes Posvar. “When he came and said he wanted to create a proper trail with proper drainage using switchbacks and proper construction, that creates what is described as a sustainable trail, which is environmentally friendly and lower maintenance. It’s a win-win kind of concept.”

Borough council gave Josh the green light for his project on June 16.

Several troop members and Lowe’s father, David Lowe, were out on the trail digging and raking the following day.

Josh needs to get the work done and related paperwork submitted to the Laurel Highlands Council by his 18th birthday on July 9.

“It made me realize how much teamwork is important and how your community is helpful to you,” Josh said. “I knew it would be a lot of work, but it’s even more work than I thought it would be. You need a team to help get things done.”

David Lowe, a biology teacher at Seneca Valley High School, said he is very proud of Josh and his Eagle Scout journey.

“It’s really neat to be able to give back to the community, which has beautiful environmental resources,” Lowe said.

Lowe also serves as a liaison between the church and the troop.

Another Scout project

Lowe’s project comes off the heels of fellow Troop 380 scout Victor White’s Eagle Scout project.

Victor, 16, of Aspinwall, worked to help save Fox Chapel hemlock trees from an insect infestation.

He surveyed multiple Fox Chapel parks in the winter and identified 700 such trees, many impacted by the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid.

The tiny bugs, known in nature circles as HWA, have an off-white color and kind of look like snow on branches. They feed on the sap of hemlocks, leading to needle loss, branch dieback and eventual tree death within four to 10 years if left untreated.

“Winter is the best time to see the HWA because it’s their feeding season, and all the leaves are down,” Victor said.

Chemical treatments to eliminate the bugs include soil drenching with a diluted insecticide solution, injecting the tree trunk or spraying the trunk and bark.

Victor, a Fox Chapel Area High School sophomore, chose to fight fire with fire, or bugs with bugs.

He released a colony of Japanese beetles to combat the bugs on two trees in Salamander Park on Mother’s Day. Those beetles are HWA’s natural predator.

Victor also did presentations for different scout troops and organizations about the bugs, and created a website to help educate people on hemlocks and ways to eliminate HWA.

“He did an inventory of all the public lands in the borough,” Posvar said. “That was extremely useful to the borough to come up with a treatment plan for the hemlock woolly adelgid insect. The borough did treat all but two trees chemically per the procedure shown to us by the Audubon Society. The two trees were set aside for the special beetles.

“I think he did a great job. He was very detailed, very organized and just did a wonderful job.”

Tree treatments took place in the spring.

Victor, who also serves as a record keeper for his troop, is expected to go before the Laurel Highlands Council in September for his Eagle Scout evaluation.

“I like the people in my troop and the activities that we do,” Victor said. “There’s a lot of skills that we learn being in Boy Scouts that you can use in real-life situations. We help each other with our projects. It’s also a good opportunity to teach younger scouts.”

Victor’s mother, Lisandra Rodriguez White, said her son became interested in HWA while on the family’s Kittanning property.

“We have about 50 acres and a significant portion is Hemlock trees,” White said. “A few years back, he noticed these white balls. He went online and found out what it was. We started treating our trees there. That got him interested in it.”

White said Victor runs year-round as part of cross country and track, and noticed some of the hemlocks in Aspinwall and Fox Chapel were infected.

That inspired his project, which also included a GoFundMe to raise money for beetles. Excess funds were donated to the park commission.

“I’m really impressed with him,” White said. “It’s a huge project and it’s not always something fun to do, especially when it goes over a long period of time. It’s been about a year from when he started planning this to when he did the beetle release and final report.”

Troop 380 Scoutmaster Andy Gillespie said Josh and Victor are tremendous examples of what it means to be a scout.

“Both of them are outstanding students at Fox Chapel Area High School and have really demonstrated a lot of leadership in their program and have inspired the younger scouts to get involved in the community,” Gillespie said.

“Victor’s trying to protect the hemlock trees to stay as disease-free as possible, and Josh’s trail work is making those trails safer for the public and enjoy the outdoors and participate in family hikes.

“Combined, they are giving back to the community through their love of the outdoors and hopefully inspiring the younger youth to take on similar projects. They are putting their leadership skills to use.”

Both Josh and Victor have been involved in scouts for more than 10 years.