Eagle Scout remains dedicated to troop

Colin Bowers' family has always composted, so it was only natural that his Eagle Scout project involve recycling.

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"It was something I was familiar with," said Colin, who has been in Scouts since he was 6 years old. "When I was a Cub Scout, my pack actually had a composting area that we ran."

Last year, Colin, the son of Roy and Sandra Bowers, of Martinez, built compost boxes, along with instructions on how to use them, at the Spirit Creek Educational Forest in Hephzibah for his Eagle Scout project. Some 15 to 20 people volunteered their time and effort to help with the project, with donations made by Howard Lumber Co. and Carol Fabrics.

While he's attained the highest award presented by the Boy Scouts, Colin said he plans to continue with scouting by teaching younger scouts, with the intent of helping him become a better father when he has children of his own.

"If I have a son, I would encourage him to join the Scouts, and I would like to become a leader," the Lakeside High School senior said.

Although he has to balance his extracurricular activities - football and debate team - with a part-time job at Chick-fil-A, Colin said he can never envision not being active in Scouts.

"My troop is very big in high-adventure activities - backpacking, whitewater rafting, caving," he said. "Those are things that I only get to do in Scouts."

Colin is training for a 26.2-mile marathon on Tybee Island in February as part of his senior project.

"That was one of the things I wanted to do in my life, but I always thought it would be in college," he said. "It's been fun so far."

Speaking of college, Colin plans to enroll in Georgia Tech and major in engineering.

"I would like to work in the field for a couple of years and then re-evaluate myself and determine whether I want to go on and get my master's degree and do research," he said.

Colin said the greatest life lesson he's learned in his 17 years is to "not expect other people to take care of you. If you want to do something, then it's up to you; don't expect someone else to do it for you."