Wonders in Roosevelt's woods await exploration
Scout finishes newest portion of borough's woodland trail
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer
Where many just saw thick woods in an uneven landscape full of fallen trees, briar and thickets, Tim Collins saw a place for a footpath along the forest floor.

JEFF GRANIT staff Eagle Scout Tim Collins, of Millstone, walks along the new portion of the Roosevelt Woodland Trail that he helped to establish to earn recognition as an Eagle Scout. He is a member of Millstone Township Boy Scout Troop 116.

Collins, 16, an Allentown High School student and member of Millstone Boy Scout Troop 116, created the newest portion of the Roosevelt Woodland Trail for his Eagle Scout project.

The 1.2-mile path leads from behind the Solar Village on Farm Lane through the natural wonders of the woods along what is known as the Notterman tract to the Roosevelt Cemetery on Eleanor Lane. The trail is now ready for the public to explore.

"I hope the community gets a lot of use out of it," Collins said. "The trail provides a more serene route coming into the cemetery when visiting loved ones. It is also a leisurely and safe walk through the woods."

JEFF GRANIT staff Tim Collins, of Millstone, created a new portion of the Roosevelt Woodland Trail that leads from behind the Solar Village to the Roosevelt Cemetery for his Eagle Scout project with Millstone Township Boy Scout Troop 116.

The Roosevelt Woodland Trail, a continuing project the borough's Environmental Commission started 15 years ago, consists of more than two miles of paths that wind throughout the community's various landscapes. The trail begins near the water and sewer plant at the end of Pine Drive and crosses Tamara Drive where it enters the woods and meanders through the school yard off North Rochdale Avenue and then crosses Route 571 into the swampy area that leads to the bike path off North Valley Road.

Collins cooperated with the commission to create the portion of the trail that leads uphill from the bike path to the cemetery. To do so, he first explored the woods in October 2006 with David Schwendeman, chairman of the Environmental Commission, to find a safe path. He then marked the trail with tape and later commissioned the help of other Scouts to help him clear the path.

Clearing the path consisted of pushing away leaves, branches and other debris and also involved cutting through large fallen trees that could not be moved. Once they cleared the path, he and his fellow Scouts lined the trail with logs and large branches. To further delineate the route, Collins marked trees with paint for walkers to follow.

The path meanders over an area that gets damp in the spring from Empty Box Creek runoff, so Collins hand-built a bridge to keep people's feet dry. He also took the initiative to place three hand-built benches in some of the more scenic areas along the route.

"There are no other benches along the rest of the trail," Schwendeman said. "He established where to put them to view different habitats a little better. It was all his planning and thinking. It was a good idea."

Schwendeman said that the Environmental Commission has worked with local Scouts for the past 15 years on various projects. He said two other Scouts completed other portions of the borough's woodland trail for their Eagle Scout projects.

The trail projects serve the Scouts well by enabling them to develop and utilize their leadership skills, Schwendeman said.

"Tim was in charge of planning the project and directing others to help him," Schwendeman said. "He showed leadership qualities right from the get-go and developed those qualities and also generated funds to purchase the materials to make the benches and to cover other expenses."

The mission of the Boy Scouts is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout oath and law. The law calls for Scouts to be trustworthy, obedient, loyal, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, helpful, friendly and courteous. The oath calls upon Scouts to serve their duty to God and country, to help people at all times, and to keep physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

"Boy Scouts provides a nice opportunity for boys who would usually be riding bikes or dirt bikes or sitting around watching TV or playing video games to really see what the outdoor life is like," Collins' mother, Mary, said. "It opens a lot of paths for them that they may not have ever taken."

Collins, a Scout since fifth grade, said he has developed communication and leadership skills through Scouting as well as confidence and a great love for the outdoors.

For his Eagle Scout project he had to complete 21 merit badges and advance through numerous ranks, go on trips and fulfill duties to the community under the direction of Scoutmaster Bill Mayer. Of his scouting accomplishments, Collins said he is most proud of being a member of the Honor Scout program and having completed a 50-mile trek down the Delaware River.

He thanked Schwendeman and his parents, Tim and Mary, along with siblings James and Madeline and Scout adviser Tom Banyacski, for helping him earn the Eagle Scout recognition.

Collins hopes Roosevelt residents and visitors will take pleasure in the trail as well as the diverse wildlife and habitats alongside it. He said he enjoyed the deer, turtles and squirrels he saw while working in the woods.

Schwendeman said there are also sights such as maple and sweet gum trees, wild grapes, skunk cabbage and other flora along the path to enjoy.

The Environmental Commission is working to establish a Web site where people who walk the woodland trail can log the types of flora and fauna they have seen on the journeys, according to Schwendeman.