RIVER FALLS – River Falls High School senior Nolan Tody is well on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout after coordinating and completing a Kinnickinnic River trail clearing project.

Tody worked with the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust to restore and maintain trails along the river on KRLT land near W10310 County Road FF. He admitted when KRLT first gave him the idea, he was a little disappointed.

“I thought it would be too easy,” Tody laughed. “But when they walked it with me, it was a lot bigger than I thought.”

Tody picked the project because it was a chance to practice conservation in River Falls and help the Kinni.

“I really like conservation and I’m looking into a future in it,” Tody said.

Tody began the daunting project by assembling a group to mark and level the trails, which totaled about three-quarters of a mile. They also trimmed branches to widen the trail, taking it from a 2-foot passage to a comfortable 8 feet. In all, he estimates 202 hours were put into completing the work.

“The point of the project is he planned it and delegated it,” his mother Val Tody said. “He coordinated the dump trucks, skid loaders, mulch, everything.”

Tody had to find a compost site willing to donate mulch, which came from Prescott. He then had to find and coordinate dump trucks to haul the mulch to the KRLT land, plus four-wheelers and side-by-sides to take the mulch from the central dump site down the trail. He had to provide tools for all volunteers and arrange the workday, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 21. He planned for 15-20 volunteers, but 42 showed up, much to his surprise.

“Make sure you have a lot of volunteers, probably more than you would normally have and make sure you have supplies for all of them,” Tody advised. “I had 42 show up and we barely made the time that we had set.”

His mom said a lot of acquaintances, family and friends volunteered time and services.

“A lot of people came out of the woodwork to help,” she marveled.

Tody received confirmation just before Halloween that the KRLT has signed off on and approved his work. He and the crew laid 50 cubic yards of mulch on three-quarters of a mile of trails in seven hours.

“The (KRLT) president came out and said it looked really well done,” Tody said. “It was really cool that we had completed such a big project. The biggest (Eagle Scout) project we have seen from River Falls.”

Val Tody said very few Scouts make it to Eagle Scout rank in recent years in River Falls, so this will be a big accomplishment. Nolan joined Scouts in first grade; as time went on, he decided to stick with it because he liked what it had to offer. He’s a member of Scout Troop 9054, under the leadership of Mitch Wolf and Jerry Wolf, which has about 15-20 members.

“I really liked the outdoor aspects and opportunities because of scouting,” Nolan Tody said. “Camping, conservation groups. I just joined two different groups I wouldn’t have known about.”

Those groups are the KRLT and Tread Lightly!, a nonprofit organization that leads a national initiative to balance off-road and off-highway vehicle users’ need for adventure with the need to conserve the land. Tody is also applying to UW-Stevens Point to pursue a degree in natural resources, fisheries or forestry. The RFHS swim-team member credits his mom for being his biggest inspiration/mentor.

“She has helped me through a lot of the difficult work we have to do,” Tody said. “She will sign me up for stuff, keep me up to date with what’s going on, keeps me up with the work I have to do.”

Val Tody said Scouts is “very hands-on and student-led.” To complete his Eagle Scout requirements, Nolan Tody must finish four more merit badges to total 21. He must also complete an application, obtain letters of recommendation and go before the Eagle Board of Review. He must have this all completed by his 18^th birthday in March.

“He’s really persevered,” said Val Tody. “When he started in Cub Scouts, he joined with 15 kids and now there are three. He’s the only one who kept going the whole way through. The fact that he has taken on these challenges and so much himself, in the end he really did it all. It’s very self-led and a huge deal. I definitely think it has inspired his career.”

Tody said he’s learned many unique skills in Scouts, from sailing a boat to dehydrating food in the wild.

“It creates great opportunities and allows you to experience things you’ve never experienced before. It’s work, but it’s worth it in the long run,” he smiled.

To learn more about Troop 9054 Scouting opportunities, visit https://www.adventureiscalling.org/join/Troop-9054