Valley Stream brothers build bat bunks as part of Eagle project

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Matthew and Nicholas Tineo, 14-year-old twins from Valley Stream, spent their Memorial Day weekend building structures at Alley Pond Environmental Center in Little Neck as part of the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout.

Matthew built six bat houses on top of poles so that squirrels could not climb up and snatch the bats, and he restored tags identifying the species on 15 trees in the environmental center. He said he decided to built bat houses and put the tags on the trees because he visited the Alley Pond Environmental Center with Troop 119 and noticed that they needed bat houses, and that the trees did not have identification tags.

“They are trying to get the scouts more interested in conservation,” their mother, Jaelle Tineo, said.

Matthew also said that he invited some members of the troop to help out with the project, and that they were able to complete it that weekend.

“I think it went really well,” Matthew said. “It just started raining that day, but other than that it was good.”

Nicholas built three benches, bird charts and several bird feeders out of recycled materials. He said that the birdhouses only took about an hour to build, and that he decided to build the benches because he noticed that when he visited there was not any place to sit. “It wasn’t very costly, it didn’t take too long,” Nicholas said.

The boys also placed a memorial on the back of one of the benches, because a beneficiary of the project died as they were working towards their Eagle Scout project.

Nicholas said that he is happy that he completed his Eagle Scout project. “It’s a relief,” he said. “We’re done now.”

Matthew and Nicholas have been in scouting since they were in first-grade. Jaelle said they always wanted to do an Eagle Scout project. “They knew they were going to do this no matter what,” she said, adding, “I’m glad it’s over.”

Scoutmaster Ron Healey also said that he has known them since they were Cub Scouts and is “very proud of them and the fine young men they are becoming.”