By Mike Bodine
Register Staff
2-28-2009

Four young men from Bishop are just a few steps away from becoming Eagle Scouts, the highest rank of Boy Scout that has been shared by past U.S. presidents, senators and other men of distinction.
Becoming an Eagle Scout is no small feat, as only 4 percent of Boy Scouts earn the esteemed rank.
Daniel Johnson, Ben Ono and Trevor Taylor, all sophomores at Bishop Union High School, and senior Heith Jones of Bishop have completed their community service projects, one of the last of many stages before their Eagle Scout applications are sent out for national approval.

“Plan, develop and give leadership to others in a service project,” is just one of those requirements. Other requirements include earning a total of 21 merit badges, not including the 15 badges required each time a scout rises through the six ranks prior to becoming an Eagle Scout. The scouts must also stay active in their troop or unit and provide letters of recommendation from those who can vouch that the applicant is upholding the Scout oath in his daily life.
Heith Jones exemplifies this by doing “a ton of community service work aside from his work with the scouts,” according to Heath’s mother, Kim Jones.

Kim explained that it is a major accomplishment to stay dedicated to the scouts, especially as the youngsters get older and pressure from friends to go out and play begins to build.  
Heith said he has plenty of fun being on the Bishop High cross country, track and field and cross country ski teams. He is also taking classes at Cerro Coso College and through the Forest Service, preparing himself for a career in Fire Science.   
Jones said he got the idea for his community  service project from his father, Jon Jones, who works at the Courthouse in Independence. He said the county has been looking to replace the outside lighting at the courthouse and gave him the job.
According to Jones, the original lights from the 1920s hung from chains, but heavy winds kept breaking the globe covers. In the 1950s, these chain lights were replaced with a solid fixture, but the fixtures were placed so high that changing a bulb was nearly impossible.
Jones’ idea was to return the fixtures to their 1920s look, but with energy-efficient bulbs and stable hangers. He said he replaced the chain with a pole, but attached it to a fan fixture, so the lights still swing in the breeze, but not so much that they’ll break. Jones was also able to procure 1920s era globe covers.
The project required Jones to scale three stories of scaffolding to reach the lights and deal with several snags from the 1920s wiring, but, “It was a great day,” he said of the installation.
Jones got help from Boy Scout Troop No. 86, the county paid for the parts and The Meat House in Bishop provided lunches.        
Daniel Johnson has risen through the scout ranks from a Cub Scout in first grade to Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and is now a Life Scout, the final rank before Eagle Scout.
Johnson explained that he went out looking for projects, going from business to business, until the Forest Service called back. The Forest Service suggested that the “Fisherman’s Trail,” which starts at the Lake Sabrina store and meanders along the north shore to the lake’s inlet, needed some work. This trail is not an “officially maintained” trail by the Forest Service, but needed to be re-established and cleaned up, Johnson explained.    
In August 2008, Johnson began the work with help from his friends, Troop 86 and Sam Glasser from the Inyo National Forest, who supplied tools and supervision.
Johnson said that in addition to needing to be cleared of litter, the trail also had to be “brought up to code.” This, Johnson explained, meant cutting and clearing back many trees and bushes to be in line with Forest Service trail requirements that demand a three-foot wide trail with an additional foot of clearance on both sides.
The owners of the boat landing and store, Rick and Juanita Apted, who are also friends of the family, supplied free lunches for the laborers and even let the scouts use a boat on occasion, making for easier access to the back side of the lake.
Johnson said he’s kept with the scouts with the help of his friends, and being in the scouts “is always a good time.”
His mother, Mary Ward, couldn’t be more proud of the outcome of Johnson’s project and the commitment he’s displayed throughout his scouting career.
“I’m really proud of him,” she said. “To stick with something for so long speaks highly of his character.”
Ben Ono’s project was to put up maps of the grounds at the Bishop City Park.
Ono explained that he worked with City of Bishop Community Services Director Keith Caldwell in coming up with the idea – to aid residents and visitors.
“Many of the visitors to the park are from out of the area,” Ono explained, “and they might not know where everything is, like the tennis courts or rest rooms.”
The maps are also part of the park’s Master Plan, and can easily be replaced to accommodate any updates to the park, Ono explained. He said that he designed the maps on his computer and Alpine Signs transferred the maps to Plexiglas that was nailed to the posts. The maps are located at both the front and rear entrances of the park.
Ono said that his inspiration for becoming an Eagle Scout is the fact “it looks good on a job application.”
Trevor Taylor agreed with Ono that he wanted to be an Eagle Scout because “it looks good on transcripts and job applications.”
Taylor’s project involved starting a community garden at Sunrise Trailer Park. Sunrise is a low- to middle-income trailer park for seniors, owned and operated by the City of Bishop.
Taylor said he, too, approached Caldwell for ideas, and Caldwell said the garden idea at Sunrise had been “talked about for a while” and suggested it to Taylor. According to Taylor, he designed several plans before one was approved.
The Bishop Sunrise Rotary then stepped in to help by supplying “lots of volunteer work” and High Country Lumber and Bishop Nursery donated materials.
Taylor said that from the construction and assembly of the automated water system to the raised beds and paved walkway for wheelchair access, “everything went pretty smoothly.” 
Aside from their scouting responsibilities, the boys are very busy with a mass of extracurricular activities. Ono, Taylor and Johnson play golf five days a week and are on the Bishop High golf team; they also play in the high school band and enjoy playing basketball and snowboarding.
The parents of these kids deserve a round of applause as well. They are the ones who supplied lunches and even materials for the projects, and arguably most importantly, they inspire and help keep the boys focused and on-task.