By Wally Meyer
Boy Scout Troop 127

Bailey Sargent has earned the William T. Hornaday Award, the premier conservation award in scouting. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) estimates only 2,500 awards have been earned by scouts since 1914, making it one of the rarest awards offered by the BSA.

Sargent is an Eagle Scout with BSA Troop 127, sponsored by St. Peter’s Catholic Church and Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church. Sargent’s Eagle Scout service project involved creating 30 bee boxes that were placed at various locations throughout Madison’s Northside.

“Native bees and pollinators are beneficial to our community because as humans and animals we need bees to survive,” said Sargent. “They are an important component to the food chain because they pollinate the foods we eat. Native bees are more efficient pollinators than honey bees.”

In addition to his Eagle Scout project, Sargent had to earn many conservation-related merit badges, such as Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Management, Soil and Water Conservation, Forestry and Nature. He also organized and led several additional service projects on Madison’s Northside and presented educational talks about the importance of supporting our native bees and pollinators to the Friends of Lake View Hill Park, Sherman Terrace Neighborhood Association and Friends of Cherokee Marsh.

Sargent is a junior at Madison East High School and hopes to find a career in conservation after college. Sargent is enrolled next semester in Conserve School, a specialized school in northern Wisconsin where students are immersed in environmental studies.