East Coweta High School senior Ryan Goembel is used to spending time on the water. He rows competitively with Row Georgia, and for his Eagle Scout service project, he found a way to make Lake McIntosh in Peachtree City a little more welcoming for some of its other residents. Goembel built and installed five nesting boxes for wood ducks in wooded areas along the south end of the lake. Wood ducks are cavity nesters, meaning they typically look for openings in dead trees or similar protected spaces where they can lay eggs and hatch their young. “They really just use it for nesting,” Goembel said. “So it’s where they lay their eggs and hatch the ducklings, and then after they do that, they basically just leave it, and then the duck box needs to get cleaned out, and then a new duck will move in the next nesting season.” The project required more than woodworking. Because the boxes were going on public property, Goembel first worked with Fayette County Parks and Recreation to get the project approved. The location also required additional approval involving the Fayette County Water System and Scouting. Then came the logistical challenge: There was no road access to the sites. The materials, volunteers, and completed boxes had to cross Lake McIntosh by boat. That is where Goembel’s other major activity — rowing — came in handy. Members of Row Georgia helped with the project, and his coach drove a jon boat to transport people and materials. “It was very wooded and only accessible by…
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