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An Eagle eye for the little ducks

This Eagle Scout's project gives smaller birds on Lake Paloma a chance.

By THERESA BLACKWELL, Times Staff Writer
Published December 26, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT James Garrison of Dunedin, 17, is a student in the veterinary science academy at Tarpon Springs High School.

DUNEDIN

The mallard duck, with that unmistakable head of metallic green feathers, recently swam slowly toward the shore of Lake Paloma.

The mallard, along with a companion white duck, tried to scamper up the bank. But a group of larger and more aggressive Muscovy ducks muscled them back into the water.

"Did you see that?" asked James Garrison of Dunedin, 17, a junior at Tarpon Springs High School.

Garrison has seen it, and he's doing something about it.

With so many larger birds foraging at the pond, smaller ducks like mallards and wood ducks often have trouble finding a spot to rest or nest at the pond, which empties in St. Joseph Sound.

For his Eagle Scout community project, James organized and supervised an effort Dec. 15 to give the ducks some relief. It will also provide habitat for fish and minnows while filtering out stormwater pollutants.

James and a crew of volunteers built two plant-covered resting platforms and a nesting platform that now float in the middle of the lake. They cleaned out shoreline trash and planted vegetation offshore, too.

Dunedin officials hope that providing better habitat will help smaller ducks and wading birds multiply and eventually crowd out some of the Muscovy ducks in the Lake Paloma city park.

The neighborhood loves the wildlife since it slows down traffic on the roads surrounding the lake, said Dunedin Parks superintendent Art Finn.

But some residents have complained about the domestic Muscovy ducks, a large duck with a red bill and feathers in many variations of black and white.

The city looked at trapping Muscovy ducks, Finn said, but other neighbors spoke up.

"Some of the residents had made friends with the ducks ... had names for them all," Finn said. "They let us know that trapping them was not a good thing."

So the city decided to try enhancing the lake for other ducks and wildlife, to help them thrive.

James, a student in the veterinary science academy at Tarpon Springs High School, chose his project from a list of future city projects. The city provided the plants and most of the materials at a cost of $2,265.

The Scouts planted 1,200 plants just off shore and on the floating platforms, which look like mini-islands, Finn said. The plants will help clean the water, provide cover for birds and fish, and some will produce seeds to feed the ducks.

"I've done a lot of Eagle projects in the past," Finn said. "His was one of the best I've attended. He was well-organized, and the food was good. And that's important."

James had the support of his parents, Roberta and Joe Garrison of Dunedin.

James is a direct descendant of Richard L. Garrison, who his father said obtained the first land grant in Dunedin in 1854. Richard L. was the "Garrison" in Dunedin's Garrison-Jones Elementary School. Family members see themselves as conservationists, Joe Garrison said, and they value giving back to Dunedin.

James also had help from Scouts in his troop, Troop 422 of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, other Eagle Scouts and the parents of Scouts. The city of Dunedin dropped off plants around the lake, close to planting locations.

The crew planted pickerelweed, common arrowhead, Canna lily and rush.

They filled holes drilled in interlocking foam mats with plants to create two resting mats, then started building a nesting platform from plastic barrels, plywood, orange plastic barricade wrap and a coconut fiber mat that they covered with plants.

Finally, they dragged the platforms onto the lake from a boat and anchored them in place.

"It was hard, just getting everything organized and finding everything," James said, but he was happy with the result.

During a visit a few days later, no ducks were venturing onto the islands, but James was confident they will.

"It will probably take them a few weeks to get used to having something new."

Times staff writer Theresa Blackwell can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or 727 445-4170.

Boy Scout James Garrisoncreated new habitats to help mallards hold their own against the bigger species of waterfowl, Muscovy ducks.

[Last modified December 25, 2007, 21:48:09]