Eagle Scout builds eagle perches

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    Just south of La Ward, the Formosa Tejano Wetlands are a hidden-in-plain-sight gem that serve as a home to wildlife. The area is home to a small classroom where Calhoun, Edna, and Industrial ISD students learn about nature through immersion. 
    Inez resident, aspiring Eagle Scout and Industrial High School student Spencer Shilinga saw a need at the wetlands, and decided his upcoming Eagle Scout Project would be.
    “I built two eagle perches to bring back eagles to the Formosa Tejano Wetlands, so they can feed their babies at the river where they nest,” he said, “Miss [Debra] Sonsel gave me the idea and I just ran with it.”
    Sonsel, a Calhoun ISD teacher, teaches science classes at the Wetlands. 
    The perches, one standing 45 feet tall and one a towering 65 feet, will allow eagles to hunt at the wetlands. Bald eagles, once on the endangered list, have seen a boost in population due to conservation efforts. Once down to just 500 nesting pairs in the U.S., the population has grown to around 50,000 nesting pairs. 
    The Eagle Scout Project, a prerequisite to achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, can be anything within certain parameters. It is meant to test the leadership and development skills Scouts learn throughout their scouting careers. The project has to serve in some way, and benefit the community.
    Shilinga said he built the perches out of electrical poles, donated by Jackson Electric Co-op, with 10-foot cross arms on top for perching and support beams measuring five feet each.