Presiding Officer Norma L. Gonsalves (R-East Meadow, LD 13) recently attended Boy Scout Troop 362’s Eagle Court of Honor for Eagle Scouts Nicholas Bonomo and Brett Fontana held at the East Meadow Fire Department Headquarters. Presiding Officer Gonsalves presented each with a Nassau County Citation in honor of their achievement. For his project, Nicholas teamed up with the science department chairperson at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, NY to construct a bird cage for Bob White Quails, birds that help to control the tick population. Quail eggs were incubated as part of a program in the schools’ Life Science curriculum and once the birds reached adulthood, they were released into state parks. Brett, for his project, constructed and hung 12 Bat Boxes in the Speno Park Bird Sanctuary. Bats are helpful in controlling the mosquito population in the environment with the benefit of also helping to lower the risk of West Nile Virus in the community. Each Box will house up to 100 bats and help to reduce the threat of an over population of mosquitos.
“The projects that Nicholas and Brett undertook displayed their dedication to the Scouts as well as their affinity to the environment,” said Presiding Officer Gonsalves. “As an environmental advocate, I am very proud to say that both of these projects will go a long way to helping our local ecosystems. I wish them the best of luck on their future endeavors.”
Pictured (l-r): Scoutmaster James Surless; Eagle Scout Nicholas Bonomo; Presiding Officer Gonsalves; Eagle Scout Brett Fontana; and New York State Assemblyman Tom McKevitt.