Somers Scout proposes a new angle on outdoor learning

SOMERS, N.Y. - The Scouts' legacy of service will continue to grow at Somers’ cherished Angle Fly Preserve with the creation of an outdoor education area, local leaders say.

Eagle Scout candidate Hunter Stephens of Troop 376 presented his plan to the Town Board on Oct. 1.

“Sometimes the best way to plan for the future is to understand what came before us,” town Supervisor Robert Scorrano said in an online post, pointing out that the new gathering spot will give visitors “another opportunity to learn about the natural environment around them.”

“More importantly, it fits into a much larger vision for the town-owned portion of the preserve,” he added.

Eagle Scout projects have to benefit schools, religious institutions, or community organizations. They can’t benefit Scouting America, a business, or an individual.

Candidates have to plan and develop the projects themselves, then lead other volunteers to carry them out.

Hunter, a student at Archbishop Stepinac High School, previously gained the approval of the town’s Parks & Rec folks for his project.

It will utilize an existing patio attached to a former chicken coop at the entrance to Angle Fly and will include two rows of half-log benches (in an amphitheater format) and a structure to hold an outdoor projector screen, he explained.

The “floor” would be landscape fabric (a weed barrier) that’s covered with stone dust so it “wouldn’t be super messy,” Hunter said, adding that if an electrical source can be established, then some string lights may be added.

The estimated cost of the project is a little over $2,000.

It should take about six weeks to complete and will hopefully be done before winter arrives, Hunter said.

Scorrano told the teen that the town always loves to see this kind of “collaboration” between the Parks & Rec folks and the Scouts because that helps ensure that Angle Fly “is a place where people can learn and grow.”

Thanking Hunter for “bringing that to us,” he said he was looking forward to seeing how the project turned out.

Town Attorney Roland Baroni noted that Stepinac, an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, was his alma mater.

After graduating from John F. Kennedy High School in Somers, Baroni’s son studied business at Harvard and is now a top executive with Deloitte, one of the Big Four professional services networks.

Whenever his son sees that a job candidate has been an Eagle Scout, it means they “definitely have a leg up,” Baroni said.

“What you’re doing here is great, but it’s also something that’s going to serve you throughout your life. So, it’s really important that you get it done,” Baroni advised the young man.

Councilman William Faulkner pointed out that being an Eagle Scout “is one of the few things” someone can do at 18 years old that they’re going to keep on their resume when they’re 50.

Councilman Rich Clinchy agreed.

“Yeah, you live in a world where you wonder is good character a thing we still honor. That’s what Eagle Scout says to people. It’s not necessarily that you designed this or you did that, but that you have character,” he said, reminding Hunter about Baroni’s connection to Stepinac.

“When you start your fundraiser, I think that’s where you begin,” he said, pointing at Baroni.

“Feel free to reach out,” said Baroni generously.

FROM DEVELOPMENT TO PRESERVATION

Angle Fly is a 654-acre protected open-space and wildlife sanctuary located off Primrose Street (Route 139). It’s named after Angle Fly Brook, reputed to be the last natural brook-trout spawning stream in Westchester County.

According to the post, Scouts have already left an important mark on the preserve. Over the years, their projects have included informational kiosks, interpretive signs, nature trails, bridges, bog planking, benches and other improvements.

“This latest proposal has the potential to build on that tradition while complementing the larger master plan for the town's property,” Scorrano said.

Visitors to the preserve might assume that its woods and trails were always going to remain open space, but they’d be wrong.

It was once the target of plans to build 1,264 condominiums, and later for two single-family home projects.

Instead, in 2006, 654 acres were preserved through a partnership involving the town, county, state, and New York City.

Officially opened in 2009, Angle Fly was managed and developed by the all-volunteer Somers Land Trust until that responsibility was transferred to the town in 2023.

Today, it has about 10 miles of trails that stretch from Reis Park toward Route 35. It protects wildlife habitat and land within the Muscoot Reservoir’s watershed.

Protecting that natural resource was “a remarkable accomplishment,” said Scorrano, adding: “Now the question is how we build upon it.”

The town has in hand a $17,500 grant it is applying toward the development of a master plan for its portion of Angle Fly.

Central to that is the historic Reynolds House, which dates back to the early 19th century and perhaps to around 1776.

Silas Reynolds bought the land in 1828 and farmed it for nearly half a century.

The homestead has undergone a complete rehab and restoration in recent years. It and the surrounding property are now envisioned as “a place for education, stewardship, and community.”

“A place where veterans and Scouts can take ownership in caring for the property,” Scorrano went on poetically. “A place where young meets old, where knowledge and skills can be passed from one generation to another. A place where the history of the property isn't simply preserved, but experienced.”

GOOD TO KNOW

Anyone interested in donating labor, materials, or funds to the project can reach out to Hunter at angleflyeagleproject@gmail.com.