My son was trying to figure out what to do for an Eagle Scout Project. One day we heard that the City of McKinney was constantly getting calls from people visiting Town Lake and two other small lakes in our city parks. People were reporting that wildlife, specifically birds and turtles, needed rescue from fishing line entanglement. Some animals were found deceased.
We went on line and looked for help and found an incredible person by the name of Michael Scherer with FishingsFuture.org
With approval from the Scoutmaster, my son Kieffer Howes put together a power point presentation outlining the problem and a solution to the horrible pictures Kieffer posted of animals in trouble. He then did the presentation to the Parks & Recreation Board of Directors. They unanimously approved of Kieffer’s Eagle Project.
Then Covid hit. Due to all the restrictions, the project was delayed for about two years.
Finally in the Spring of 2021 Kieffer was able to complete the project on three ponds.
Since then the project has been a huge success. The monofilament containers were rapidly filled. One day while walking my dog I noticed a container was tilted over. I called Parks & Rec. and they fixed it immediately. I asked if they needed postage paid boxes to send the fishing line to Berkley to be recycled. On their own, they had been taking the fishing line to Cabelas’s to be recycled.
The City of McKinney’s Parks & Recreation Department was totally self sufficient with the care and maintenance of my son’s Eagle Scout Project.
This was a total success.
Mike & Kieffer Howes
