Eagle Scout Project Helps Control Clark's Mosquito Population

When Christopher Makosiej had to come up with an Eagle Scout project, the culmination of the Boy Scout program, he had one thing on his mind: mosquitoes.

Makosiej, 17, a Clark resident and 2013 Arthur L. Johnson grad, saw the rampant mosquito population in Clark and the pesticides sprayed to control them and wondered if there was an environmental fix that could help reduce their population naturally.  

"People have been complaining about the insects and how they bug them, and I wanted to be active, to help the environment and have the most impact and create a really hands-on activity to help the community around me," Makosiej tells Patch.

After a bit of research, Makosiej discovered that bats were one solution to the mosquito problem – a single bat can eat thousands of insects a night, making it a natural self-regulator of the insect population, he says. And so the more bats there are in a community, the fewer pesticides required. Makosiej decided to focus on encouraging the endangered bat population in the area by creating "bat boxes" – homes for the creatures whose habitats are rapidly disappearing.

Makosiej took his plan to the county for ideas on a collaborative effort and was connected with Environmental Specialist Betty Ann Kelly. Kelly suggested Makosiej also consider bird boxes (birdhouses, essentially), as birds also work to control the population, and organized for Makosiej to install both kinds of boxes in Clark's Esposito Park. 

"Usually I try to beef up the projects when the scouts come to me," Kelly told Patch. "I didn’t really have that issue with Chris because he was so self-motivated and thinking really big anyway. I suggested the bird boxes because I knew they'd be easier to get and he'd get some instant gratification from that."

To build the bird and bat boxes and outfit an informational kiosk to explain the project, Makosiej turned to his fellow scouts. After much fundraising and materials donations, the group worked together to build and install a total of 31 bird boxes and six bat boxes, making Makosiej's vision a reality in the summer of 2012.

"Christopher is a wonderful young man and very conscientious. He cares about the environment," says Makosiej's Troop Leader Ted McKeown. "This project was very well organized and it was pretty incredible for him to run something big like this. It was extremely successful and a great partnership between the Boy Scouts, the county and the school."

Makosiej's bird boxes were instantly successful and have fledged several tree swallow, bluebird and wren broods. The bat boxes have yet to see any action, indicative of the severity of White Nose Syndrome, the disease that's devastated the bat population, says Makosiej.

"It was really cool seeing how in just a matter of days we got such a response," says Makosiej. "We had around half the bird boxes already filled up. It was just an amazing feeling."

"The birds and bats are natural bug-battlers and you need a check on mosquitoes since there are so many more of them than any other insect group," says Kelly. "I think the end result is better than I ever could have imagined. Chris and his father, Frank, were so dedicated and the rest of his troop really worked hard to make it happen."

To be sure the project has a lasting impact, Makosiej turned to the ALJ Science Club. Club members monitor the boxes and track activity weekly, reporting findings to a national database at the Cornell University Ornithology Lab.

"With ALJ, we started a stewardship role in the community where they would record the data, manage them, repair them and really help spread the word about how nature can self-regulate," says Makosiej.

While out in the field, the group happily answers questions from curious park-goers. The project is meant to give an example of something homeowners can do to control the insect population in their own backyards. 

Makosiej, his troop and the ALJ Science Club were later honored with the Union County Environmental Hero award – an award the county gives to recognize local projects that help the environment. 

In the fall, Makosiej will attend the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

"Hopefully it does take off and we can use less spray," says Makosiej. "I hope it will give an example of something anyone can make and become one in a chain that will take off to help reduce the insect population and create an environment for birds and bats who have lost so much of their environment."