Eagle Scout Project Tackles Sage Grouse Fence Marking
Cache Valley Boy Scout Kaden Hart selected marking 5-miles of fence in Rich County, Utah, as his Eagle Scout Project. He worked with Taylor Payne, Sage Grouse Initiative partner biologist. Read the NRCS E-Blast.
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by Ron Francis, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, Utah
August 13 E-Blast from NRCS Utah
Cache Valley Boy Scout Kaden Hart selected marking 5-miles of fence in Rich County as his Eagle Scout Project. He used NRCS-supplied 3-inch white vinyl fence markers designed to protect the greater sage- grouse from potential collision strikes.
In late July he coordinated his project with Taylor Payne, an NRCS- SGI partner biologist working out of the Randolph NRCS field office. The fence markers were supplied by the Utah NRCS office as part of a statewide drive to mark up to 128 miles of fence in high collision risk sage grouse habitat areas.
Kaden’s mother, Rae Ann Hart, who is employed by the USU College of Natural Resources and has done extensive work on sage grouse management in Utah and the Intermountain West, was on hand to provide assistance and support.
With the help of friends, his mom, and his brother, he was able to complete approximately 5-miles of fence marking across valuable winter habitat in Rich County. The accompanying photos show Kaden (second from right in the group photo), working with his mom who is shown placing markers.
There are still locations and fence markers available for scouts, civic, church, and other groups to organize a sage grouse fence marking service project. Contact your local NRCS field office to learn more about those opportunities, or NRCS State Biologist Casey Burns.
