While various activities and youth groups teach basic skills and promote teamwork, Scouting goes beyond that, and encourages youth to achieve a deeper appreciation for service to others in their community.
Below is a list of service opportunities throughout the Sam Houston Area Council for units, Scouts working on their Eagle Scout projects and Scouts working on the Distinguished Conservation Service Award.
Community and Conservation Service Projects
Armand Bayou Nature Center 
Galveston Bay Foundation
Harris County Flood Control District 
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center 
Eagle Scout projects, unit projects, and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: Trevor Rubenstahl (trubenstahl@houstonarboretum.org), 713-366-0428
- Forest & Range Management/Eagle project: habitat restoration: restore prairie, savanna and woodland habitats by replacing invasive species with native plant communities.
- Unit/Individual service hours (e.g., Arbor Day).
Houston Aubudon Champions Property 
Eagle Scout projects, unit projects, and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: Andrew Beck, 713-932-1639
- Invasive species removal: Chinese Tallow and Chinese Privet.
- Fish and wildlife management: installation of bird boxes and signage to indicate type of birds likely to utilize each.
- Soil and water conservation. This property was donated to Audubon Society as a wetland mitigation project. Restore swamp conditions to northern portion of tract after removal of invasives.
- Eagle project: work with sanctuary steward to map out a trail system. Clear the route and improve the surface. Could be expanded to a Distinguished Conservation Service Award project by adding interpretive signage.
- Eagle project: create and install signs at the entrance to the preserve, once a parking area has been established. Install signage at Cutten Road to indicate the turn-off. Add any trail signs that may be required.
- Eagle project: construct and install park benches.
Jesse Jones Park & Nature Center 
Katy Prairie Conservancy 
Montgomery County Lake Creek Preserve 
Eagle Scout projects, unit projects, and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: Glenn Buckley, 936.273.0098
- Trail development
- Interpretive nature trail guide and signage
- Invasive species removal on benches along trail
- Trail and bridge maintenance
NRCS
Eagle Scout projects, unit projects, and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: 281.469.7856, ext 108
- Develop permanent display to be used in educational programs. Project would include working with Ms. Dean to develop theme and content of , constructing the display and organizing a crew to staff the display in at least one educational event. The display must be constructed so as it can be used as a permanent educational tool.
Sam Houston Natural Forest 
394 FM 1375 W., New Waverly
Eagle Scout projects, unit projects, and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: Nancy Garcia
Hiking Trails: Possible soil and water conservation - trail and bridge maintenance projects.
- Eagle Scout / troop projects - campground maintenance:
A. Waste receptacles (55 gallon drums purchased, painted and placed; or restore receptacles, bins, drums already on hand.)
B. Fire pits (clean/restore grates, paint them; replace concrete pads that the grates sit upon)
C. Paint metal gates
D. Clean signs
E. Repair and maintain bulletin boards
F. Restore bathrooms, remove graffiti, replace (i.e., damaged toilet paper rolls, benches) as needs arise
G. Remove fallen and bucked (sections of felled hazard trees that have already been cut into manageable sizes)
H. Pick up trash along lake and roads along the lake
I. Fee tube sanding and painting
- Eagle Scout / troop projects - road maintenance (fix pot holes, replace/clean road signs and sign posts, as needed):
A. Cagle (FRD 205),
B. Scotts Ridge (FDR 212), and
C. Stubblefield (FDR 240)
- Eagle Scout / troop projects: hunter camp maintenance:
A. Bulletin board repair (clean and paint, replace/maintain roof)
Volunteers may list their names, ages, and phone numbers along with projects they might like to help with.
Sheldon Lake Outdoor Learning Center 
Eagle Scout projects, unit projects, and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: Tom Olson, 281-456-2800
- Invasive species control: Chinese Tallow and Chinese Privet removal (year round)
- Forest and range management: tree planting (winter)
- Fish and wildlife management: bird and bat houses
- Other innovative projects agreed upon with management
Spring Creek Greenway & Nature Center
Eagle Scout projects, unit projects, and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: Matthew Buckingham, or Stephanie Prosser
- Forest and range management: install native trees and plants by nature building, parking lot and pond. Give presentations on the value of native plants, and why those were selected.
- Forest and range management or fish and wildlife management: interpretive trail development.
- Eagle Scout project: maintenance on existing nature building/outdoor classroom.
- Eagle Scout project: benches along trails in preserves
- Invasive species control: invasive species removal (e.g., Tallow, Sedge, Japanese Climbing Fern, Cattails)
Peckinpaugh Preserve
- Forest and range management: install native trees and plants at preserve entrance, parking area and canoe launch, along with informative signage.
- Forest and range management or fish and wildlife management: create a new loop trail, promote and give guided nature tours of the trail. Depending on the length and difficulty of the trail this may constitute two projects: trail development (Eagle Scout project) and development of interpretive signage, guide and tours (Distinguished Conservation Service Award project).
- Eagle Scout project: benches along the trail in preserve.
- Invasive species control: invasive species removal (e.g., Tallow, Sedge, Japanese Climbing Fern)
- Serve as a guide at the grand opening of the preserve.
- TBD: Promote and host a nature day at the preserve.
- Soil and water conservation: repair and stabilize ATV ruts and other damage.
Mussle Lake Preserve (FM 2854)
- Develop interpretive nature trail around all or part of lake.
- Develop teaching dock for lake.
- Remove invasive species.
- Other projects defined by Scoutmaster.
Storm Water Inlet Marking (SWIM) 
Eagle Scout projects and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: 713-685-7355 or visit www.cleanwaterways.org/swim
- Air and water pollution control: StormWater Inlet marking and community education. Obtain proposal form and release waiver.
Stormwater runoff from urban areas can carry pollutants and trash into the stormwater drainage system. Water that flows down the drains in our homes first goes to sewage treatment facilities before it's released to bayous and rivers. But, water that flows into our stormwater drainage system, along with other substances it collects, goes directly into our bayous, rivers, and ultimately into Galveston Bay. Unlike sewage, stormwater receives no treatment.+
Stormwater inlet markers bearing the JTF's Clean Water Clear Choice logo and a message stating "No Dumping, Flows to Galveston Bay". Markers are available for citizens' neighborhood storm drains. The message will remind citizens to not to dump pollutants into storm sewers or contribute to ordinary stormwater runoff by littering, over-fertilizing, or sweeping yard debris into the street.
The program is open to any individual, group, or community that would like to participate in helping us reach our goal: marking every storm drain in Harris County in order to prevent pollution from entering our local waterways. Developers can also propose installing SWIM markers as part of their Storm Water Quality Management Plan.
Much of the pollution in area creeks and bayous comes from common, every-day materials, like household chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline, used motor oil and antifreeze and litter. These substances run off into storm drain inlets by rainwater from our streets, yards, driveways and parking lots.
Texas General Land Office 
Unit projects and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
Contact: Adopt A Beach Program, 1.877.892.6278
- Units can participate in beach clean up
- Recycling / erosion control: organize a Christmas tree recycling project in your neighborhood and in cooperation with the General Land Office (GLO); use them to stabilize a section of beach dunes (must be planned with the GLO and local community).
Trash Bash 
Eagle Scout projects, unit projects, and Distinguished Conservation Service Award projects
www.trashbash.org
Contact: Glenn Buckley, 936.273.0098
Units can participate in Trash Bash clean up and demonstrations for educational program.- Fish and wildlife management: develop reusable display board demonstrating the impact of trash on wildlife, organize staffing for one Trash Bash event and make presentation(s) to community groups and/or Scout units.
- Check specific locations and contacts at www.trashbash.org
W. Goodrich Jones State Forest 