Way to Go! William Floyd student installs bat boxes at marina
Eric Corn, a senior at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, recently spearheaded the creation of five bat boxes. Credit: William Floyd School District
A William Floyd High School student has installed a series of bat boxes to help reduce the presence of mosquitoes at a marina.
Eric Corn, a senior at the school in Mastic Beach, recently organized the creation of five boxes for nearby Marina 5 using cedar wood, weather-resistant paint and chicken wire on the inside “for the bats to grab on to,” he said. The boxes, which were made using materials donated by Speonk Lumber, aim to attract bats to combat the mosquito population, which would otherwise require chemicals to reduce, he said.
Corn, 17, pursued the project as part of his Eagle Scout Award, the highest achievement attainable within the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of Troop 414.
“As a child I grew up around my grandma, who lives in the area, and a lot of the times we would get a warning in the mail that we had to stay inside while they sprayed the area,” Corn said. “When I did research on the chemicals they were using, it was harmful to animals and the environment, so I thought that giving bats a home so they could eat the mosquitoes would be much better.”
Corn’s other activities include hanging memorial flags on light poles several times a year in downtown Center Moriches as well as on veterans’ graves at Calverton National Cemetery. He has also participated in clothing and food drives to benefit area churches.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
