Howell Resident Earns Eagle Scout Rank

A Howell resident’s Eagle Scout project was for the birds and will help the flying friends in our area as well as the Monmouth County Parks System for years to come.

Brian Gembara, 17, worked on a project he called the “Yellowbrook Bird Sanctuary,” in two fields in the township. The project took more than six months to complete with fundraising starting with a car wash at the Ramtown Elks Lodge.

By the time he was done Gembara had built six birdhouses, made a pamphlet full of information about the topic and also had $260 leftover to give to the Parks. The pamphlet is now available at the Manasquan Reservoir and the Environmental Center with a map showing where the birdhouses were built and a description of bluebirds that are native to the area.

Gembara also took what he learned from his project and presented his findings to members of Troop 515 including information on field nesting birds, their habitats and their conservation as well as their diets.

Over the course of his scouting career Gembara earned 35 merit badges including the 21 needed to reach the highest rank. He also needed to complete five separate 10 mile hikes and one 20 mile hike to finish the process. As a junior in the Computer Science Academy Program Gembara was also selected to the National Honor Society at Freehold Township High School.