Jared Cullison always liked watching the Great Blue Herons. But he never thought about helping them until it came time for his Eagle Scout project. When he heard that manmade platforms were giving them needed nesting space, he knew it was time to help those herons he'd been watching for so long.
Jared, a 14-year-old Gregory-Portland eighth-grader and scout, got in touch with Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program's bird biologists, David Newstead and Owen Fitzsimmons to learn more about the platforms.
In the early 2000s, to make up for dwindling habitat for colonial water birds, CBBEP bird biologists started designing platforms birds could use for nesting. The Great Blue Herons nest together in colonies and prefer something a bit off the ground. They had made use of transmission line structures placed across the bay, but lost those spots when the struts went from horizontal to diagonal in a design change.
After several prototypes, the biologists settled on a design and installed the first platform in 2002 on Causeway Island in Nueces Bay. Herons took right to it, and drivers crossing the bridge could often see nesting colonies atop the platforms.
Now, 35 platforms are up across the Coastal Bend, from Baffin Bay to Aransas Bay, Newstead said.
The platforms have clearly led to an increase in Heron nesting, Newstead said. "We also think that when Great Blues come in to nest early, it inspires confidence in other species and results in more nesting by other species," he said.
Newstead and Jared shared platform plans and Jared and his father, David, began preparing the platforms.
"Dad spent some nights at the woodshop with me just building away," Jared said.
In November, Jared and a group of about nine friends loaded up the platform pieces in a boat bound for three rookery islands in Redfish Bay.
"We assembled everything and drilled everything together on the island," Jared said.
Nesting colonies in Redfish Bay have been declining, Newstead said. These new platforms should not only provide additional habitat, but will alert people to the birds' activities and remind them to keep their distance.
Birds can vacate the nest when people get too close, something that CBBEP is working to raise awareness about.
Jared also got a chance to show his leadership skills, one of the key points of requiring such a project for Eagle Scouts. He also improved his people skills, he said.
"On the island, I was taking in different ideas from people, accepting them or saying 'no, it won't work' and trying to divide up the work evenly among the group," he said.
Newstead said Jared's parents were there to support him, but Jared was the one leading the charge.
"He did great," Newstead said. "Putting them up on the islands is tricky for a number of reasons, but we helped him with the first one and he quickly grasped the concept and directed the rest of the group in putting up the others."
Jared has several more steps, paperwork and meetings, before receiving the Eagle Scout Award, but he plans to stay involved in scouting even after receiving the group's highest honor.
Jared's growing interest in birds could lead to college studies in marine or wildlife biology, he said. Until then, he'll keep camping, fishing and sailing, giving him plenty of chances to see birds enjoying platforms he helped build.
"It was fun to build them and fun to go out on island and actually construct and see it all go through," he said. "We were helping our environment, helping the birds. And it was a green project."
CBBEP enjoys working with Scouts and has plenty of opportunities for future Eagle Scout collaborations. Contact Beth Becerra at bbecerra@cbbep.org for additional information.
Download the .pdf project flyer here.