When Cale Bazley was in middle school, he and classmates got to visit areas where bat houses stood tall and watch their residents dart around the skies at dusk in search of a meal. Seeing them fly in large groups was awe-inspiring enough to have stuck with him ever since — and inspire him this year.
Before anyone even goes there: Bazley’s not a world-famous billionaire entrepreneur by day and you won’t find him fighting crime in a cape and cowl on the streets of Plant City by night. But he did just do the local bat population a solid favor for his Eagle Scout project by building a set of eight shelters for them, two of which were installed at Mike Sansone Park on Dec. 18.
“I chose this project over others because it’s a different kind of idea… that most people wouldn’t exactly go for on the first thought,” Bazley, 17, said. “I find it to be quite fun because I got to work with my grandfather on building them, because he’s a carpenter. It was a good experience.”
Bazley started bringing the idea to life in the beginning of the year with help from his friends and family. His grandfather, a carpenter, opened his workshop to Bazley and the two spent many hours there building eight bat houses in the summer. Now, in December, he finally got to see the project through with help from his father, who assisted with the installation of the two bat houses in the southwest and northeast corners of Mike Sansone Park. The remaining six houses will be given out to family and friends.
Bazley, a member of Troop 734, said having the finish line for his Eagle project in sight couldn’t be more refreshing.
“Since joining Scouts, my goal was always to become Eagle,” he said. “It feels pretty great. I’ve been working on this since the beginning of the year and to see it come to an end, to see it finally finishing up, is very rewarding.”
Bats are very good for pollinating plants and spreading seeds. But if you’re looking for an all-natural way to keep an insect population under control, you can’t beat a bat. According to the Florida Bat Conservancy, one bat can eat as many as 3,000 insects in one night and it’s estimated that the 22 million Mexican free-tailed bats that live in Bracken Cave in Texas chow down on 250 tons of insects every summer night.
Plant City doesn’t and will likely never have a bat population quite that large, but Bazley’s project could help the existing population grow and thrive.
“We are excited to be a part of Cale’s Eagle Scout project and also to be a part of such a significant effort to improve our community,” Parks and Recreation Department Director Jack Holland said. “The reduction of insects such as mosquitoes in our parks and surrounding areas is beneficial to everyone. We are proud of Cale’s commitment to excellence through his scouting efforts.”