INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – A 15-year-old scout is working on a project he hopes will earn him the organization’s top rank – Eagle.
Dane Wilson spent his Saturday with several friends and fellow scouts at Round Island Park in south county clearing the walking paths, installing benches and fixing up the educational kiosks.
“I really like this place,” Wilson said while walking down one of the trails to the Observation Tower.
Wilson said he practically was raised in the park, making frequent visits with his aunt.
For several hours Saturday, Wilson organized and led his crew of volunteers from task to task, keeping everyone on track.
“It’d mean a lot to me,” he said of attaining the rank of Eagle Scout – only a fraction of scouts ever reach that rank – and even fewer do so at Wilson’s age.
“He’s very driven,” Wilson’s sister, Natalie, said, taking a break from sanding the kiosk at the base of the Observation Tower.
She said that her brother has always wanted to reach Eagle and when he wants something, he leaps right into it.
“It makes me very proud of him,” Natalie said.
It’s a sentiment shared with Scout Master Mike Hollers.
“He’s doing great,” Hollers said of Wilson.
As for choosing to fix up Round Island Park, the decision came as no surprise.
“It was a natural tie-in,” Hollers said, explaining that Wilson has worked on other conservation projects throughout the year.
Wilson said that he expected to have the project done before the end of the weekend. After that, he will have to go before a review board that will ultimately decide whether he can “fly up” to Eagle.
He hopes that decision will come before the end of the school year. Scouts have only until they turn 18 to achieve the rank.
