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An Eagle Scout and his Spiders Improve Local Fishing Environment

Florissant Eagle Scout candidate, Nicholas Matteoni, has partnered with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the City of Wentzville Parks Department to provide fish habitats in the newly created lake at Heartland Park.

In early November, Nicholas, along with Denise Otto, a Fisheries Management Biologist from MDC, and others from his Boy Scout Troop, deployed 22 spider block fish habitats into the lake. These strange-

looking structures were placed in clusters around the dock and are meant for small fish to use as a refuge from predators by providing a place to hide and by giving anglers a ‘fishy spot’ to increase their success.

Heartland Park is the City of Wentzville’s newest park which recently opened last May. The area was farmland without any natural trees or bushes to be submerged when the lake was formed. With MDC’s plan to stock the new 7-acre lake with various species of fish, these ‘spider blocks’ will serve as a habitat for them. The habitats should promote fish growth and development and eventually improve recreational fishing in the lake. They provide a purpose similar to placing discarded Christmas trees in a lake, except these scout-made structures will not decompose like natural materials. In time, algae will grow on the surface of the spider blocks, providing a source of nutrients for some fish by attracting insects and converting fish waste into oxygen through photosynthesis. The PVC spider block habitats are durable and anglers will like that the flexible piping won’t snag their hooks.

The habitats are concrete blocks stuffed with fourteen 7-ft long PVC pipes, making them look like spiders. The block is filled with concrete, keeping the pipes in place. Nicholas and several scouts made the structures in advance in his backyard. The units were transported to the lake in the troop trailer where Ms. Otto met them with a motorized boat. After a brief safety moment, they began deploying the structures and quickly discovered a design flaw. Nicholas used light-weight concrete blocks and the air in the piping

made the structures too buoyant to sink. He solved the problem by ‘snipping’ a small hole in the pipes, allowing air to escape as the habitat sank.

Nicholas built and deployed these spider block fish habitats as part of his Eagle Scout project. The Eagle Scout Project is the opportunity for a Boy Scout to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project that he plans, organizes, leads and manages for the benefit of his community. This is the culmination of the candidate’s leadership training and requires a significant effort on his part. A Scout has until the age of 18 to earn the rank of Eagle. Only 5% of eligible Scouts achieve this rank.

Nicholas is a Scout with Troop 713 chartered through St. Rose Philippine Duchesne of Florissant, Missouri. Currently, the lake at Heartland Park is closed to fishing while the fish community develops.

Alternate Title: Eagle Scout, Missouri Department of Conservation, and the City Of Wentzville Work Together for Better Fishing