LIVERPOOL — While hiking across a creek at Morgan Hill State Forest with his fellow Boy Scouts, Caleb Howard lost his footing. He clutched a nearby tree to keep his balance.
“I jokingly said, ‘Hug a tree and save a life,’” said Howard, who is a member of BSA Troop 620 in Liverpool and a sophomore at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
Thus the troop’s next service project was born: ‘Tree-a-thon,’ a fundraiser to plant 1,000 trees at Graham Park in Pitcairn, New York.
Troop 620 has already raised $1,100 — more than enough to plant 1,000 trees — but the boys aren’t stopping there.
“We’re going to take whatever we can get. If we can get to 2,000, we’ll shoot for that,” said Scoutmaster Anthony Vergara.
The troop will purchase Norway spruce trees from the Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery, which is operated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The boys will plant the trees during their campout at Graham Park the weekend of May 1.
“These Norway spruce provide cover for wildlife [as well as] carbon sequestration,” Vergara said.
The scouts are no stranger to community service projects. Troop 620 has volunteered to build beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, served Christmas dinner to migrant workers, and wrapped gifts for Toys for Tots.
The pandemic threw a wrench into Troop 620’s plans, but the boys have learned to navigate Zoom and have continued to meet outdoors for hiking, canoeing and other activities.
“We were supposed to go to the summit that’s out in West Virginia, but 2020 happened,” Howard said.
“We’ve stayed pretty active. One of the fortunate things about Scouts is it’s pretty outdoors, so it lends itself to social distancing,” Vergara said.
Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, the scouts have taken advantage of social media to promote the Tree-a-thon fundraiser.
“I’ve also seen it as an opportunity for kids to think outside the box. I don’t think this would have happened this way if we weren’t in this virtual environment,” Vergara said.
Vergara said the troop has a busy 2021 ahead. In addition to planning the Graham Park tree planting and campout, the scouts are gearing up for a five-day camping and canoeing trip in the Adirondacks this summer.
“There are three carries during the trek. We have to carry our canoes and our gear from one waterway to the next,” Vergara said.
In a year when many young people are feeling isolated with remote schooling and limited sports and social activities, Troop 620 is staying connected to their community and to each other.
“Our troop is really close. Some of the people are like a second family,” Howard said.
To sponsor a tree, visit troop-620-liverpool.square.site/. To learn more about Troop 620, visit sites.google.com/view/troop620liverpool or facebook.com/Troop620Liverpool/.
