Boy Scout takes matters into his own hands

Brian Kaempf, left, had the help of his friends in his effort to clean up remains of the October storm in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. He was joined, from to left right, by Patrick Weisansal, Gus Petko and Peter Roehmholdt. The project will count toward his effort to become an Eagle Scout in Troop 665, of which Weisansal and Roehmholdt are also members.

The aftermath of Buffalo's surprise October storm is evident throughout the city, but perhaps nowhere was there a more obvious need for help with tree debris than at historic Forest Lawn Cemetery, according to one student.

The vision of sharply bent and fallen limbs of the deciduous trees was especially apparent to Boy Scout Brian Kaempf, a student at neighboring Canisius High School and a member of Troop 665.

Forest Lawn is located on 269 acres along the Olmsted Parkway system at the intersection of Delaware and Delevan avenues, and he rode by the damage every day while en route to school. He decided to make restoration a personal effort.

Having already earned all of the merit badges necessary to become a Life Scout, all Kaempf needed to achieve the honor of Eagle Scout was to create his own public service project totaling 80 hours for an approved not-for-profit institution in need of community service.

Forest Lawn Cemetery, with its estimated $1.5 million in cleanup requirements and the expense of replacing more than 500 trees, qualified as a suitable recipient.

Kaempf needed to recruit 10 to 15 other individuals to assist in the 80 hours of service, which took place over two days without the use of power tools, as required by the Boy Scouts. Under the direction of Scoutmaster James Bauer Sr., Kaempf recruited members of Troop 665, and others youths to assist.

The team worked at the direction of Forest Lawn Grounds Supervisor Dennis Crahen on June 25 and 26, using rakes and shovels to eliminate the big piles of wood chips that obstruct some of the historic grounds.

To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, Kaempf will go before the Boy Scouts of America's Board of Review for its consideration as to the worthiness of his candidacy and constructive nature of his public service project.

"This review process should happen before the end of this year," he said. "There are other members of my troop who are also working for their rank of Eagle, and I'm choosing to wait for them so we can all become members at the same time. Each of them is also working on a public service project of their own creation."