Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • May 30, 2012 Franklin Lakes Eagle Scout installs wood duck nesting boxes by Frank J. McMahon Eagle Scout Raymond Gonzo from Boy Scout Troop 34 in Franklin Lakes has completed his special project to install a number of wood duck nest boxes around the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve. Gonzo’s project was carried out as part of his pursuit of the William T. Hornaday Award. In November 2001, Gonzo received the borough council’s approval to install the nest boxes after advising the council that the wood duck is a shy and elusive species. The ducks already frequent the preserve, but nest boxes will provide additional opportunities for the birds, who otherwise nest in cavities in trees. The nest boxes are mounted on posts in the shallow sections of the lake and on trees that are near or in the water. An example of a wood duck nesting box. Gonzo recently installed eight nest boxes around the nature preserve with the help of other members of his troop. He and his peers first scoped out marshy or swampy areas where wood ducks tend to live and nest. Once they determined the locations for the boxes, they began to install them one at a time. The nest boxes were attached to metal poles that were placed in shallow water near the shore where the depth of the water was about two to three feet deep. The nest boxes are about four to five feet above the water. The pole is about one to two inches thick and 10 feet long. Each pole was hammered into the mud about four feet deep. (continued on page 23)