Eagle Scout Deck at Bosque del Apache
Eagle Scout Deck Rebuild
If you’ve driven along Bosque Road during the cooler season, you may have encountered a school bus, or a large family group, or even a refuge volunteer with a spotting scope on the Eagle Scout Deck. This large deck has been a popular site for environmental education, picnicking, and wildlife watching, as it overlooks the south end of the Flight Deck Wetland. Over time, this high use showed itself as wear and tear, meaning it was time for a deck-lift at the Eagle Scout Deck! This past spring, refuge volunteers tore the deck down to it’s support beams, then replaced the deck: board by board and baluster by baluster. This project was designed and accomplished by refuge volunteers with tour loop entrance (Recreation Fee) funds. Further improvements will come this fall 2023 with the reinstallation of two spotting scopes and three picnic tables.
Eagle scout deck before rebuild, March 2023
Eagle scout deck during tear-down, March 2023
Eagle scout deck during rebuild, April 2023
Eagle scout deck during rebuild, June 2023
Eagle scout deck completed and just awaiting the reinstallation of spotting scopes and picnic tables, July 2023
Flight Deck Rebuild
It’s dark, it’s cold, you’re anxiously anticipating a cacophony of geese lifting off soon. The last thing you should worry about is the structural integrity of the deck you’re on! The difficult-to-maintain Flight Deck will appear differently to you this fall! In June 2023, the Flight Deck was removed AND replaced with an ADA-accessible, concrete-topped earthen mound the same size, the same height, and in the same location as the previous wooden deck. This was accomplished with a USFWS Maintenance Strike Team with Great America Outdoors Act (GAOA) funds. Further improvements will come this fall 2023 with the addition of a railing and the reinstallation of two spotting scopes.
Flight deck before rebuild, May 2023
Flight deck during construction, June 2023
Flight Deck completed initial construction, June 2023