Support Ben Melanson's Eagle Scout Project
Hi there! My name is Ben Melanson and I am 14 years old, I am a Life scout in Troop 186 in Three Bridges New Jersey. I am excited to be working towards my Eagle Scout Rank and I need some help to do it.
I have chosen to construct and install 10 Wood Duck boxes in the county parks and preserved lands near rivers and lakes near my home. We are building 5 extra boxes for replacement of other boxes that are nearing the end of their usefulness. 
Why Wood Duck boxes you might ask? At one point in our history, Wood Ducks were close to extinction, but regulating hunting practices and building these specially designed homes for them has helped this particularly beautiful species of duck begin to thrive again.
I have started this GoFundMe page to help me to purchase all of the supplies needed to accomplish this task. In speaking with my sponsor organization, the Hunterdon County Parks Commission, we would like to build the boxes out of cedar wood, or at least make the roof and the back panel out of cedar. The broken and rotted boxes we are replacing were made with pine. Pine is great for a Cub Scout race car but it doesn’t last in the elements. Unfortunately, cedar wood is nearly three times the cost of pine wood but it is expected will last 5 times longer.
We estimate that the costs or the boxes will be $750, I am hoping to get $600 in donations to help cover the cost of materials for the 15 wood duck boxes. My dad and I visited local lumber yards and they have agreed to provide me the materials for their cost and I plan on paying the initial $150 from my own savings to get started. 
My scout troop, friends and family will help me to build these boxes and when completed, I plan to host several work days with members of my scout troop to remove the old broken boxes and install the new boxes.
Please consider donating whatever you can to help me reach my goal.
Thank you in advance for helping me on my Eagle project and for helping the environment by providing homes for Wood Ducks
