Jacob Wiersch recently completed his Eagle Scout project, a walkway to the penguin exhibit at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville.

Wiersch, a Life Scout with Boy Scout Troop 261, Ziegels Church, Brein-igsville, spent a long time thinking about and discussing the project with his parents, Larry and Diane.

"My dad first suggested the Lehigh Valley Zoo," Wiersch said. "When the Lehigh Valley Zoo came up in our conversations, I immediately took to the idea.

"I knew that both the staff there and the community would really appreciate it and I was confident that I could really make a difference in my community by doing my project at the zoo."

Wiersch said he visited the zoo and met with the staff.

"We took a walk around the grounds looking at potential project sites," he said. "The last thought we went over was actually an idea they had come up with a year or two ago."

The marketing team at the zoo wanted to build a brick walkway and sell the bricks to be engraved, so they could use the proceeds to support their various conservation programs.

"But they were having trouble selling the bricks because people couldn't envision the walk," Wiersch said.

They put their heads together and came up with "The Penguin Pathway." "The penguins were already a popular attraction, so our thought was by expanding the viewing area, we would not only beautify the area but also draw attention to and provide a visual for the walk," he said.

Wiersch really liked this plan because its main objective was to provide revenue to support the zoo's conservation efforts and by buying bricks, people were promoting the return of endangered animals, such as the African Penguins.

"Planning was probably the most difficult aspect of this project," he said. "The planning took months. The majority of the work was done in three days."

Not only did he have to create a budget and a floor plan, raise funds, secure tools and materials, coordinate schedules and labor, but the design of the project changed four or five times.

"Initially, the path was going to be much smaller, maybe 50 square feet," Wiersch said. "Now, it is roughly 200 square feet."

Wiersch said he wasn't entirely without guidance throughout the process but one of the major goals of an Eagle project is for the Scout to provide most of the direction so he can grow into a successful leader.

"I had loads of help from so many people," Wiersch said. "Two of my major donors of professional time, tools and talent were Klase Landscaping and Greentree Nurseries, which provided me with just about all I needed free of charge.

"The Brick Yard in Northampton gave me a discount on the bricks for the project as well as offered me their professional insight."

Most of the physical labor came from friends and family.

Lehigh Valley Zoo officials were extremely generous and very accommodating as far as coordinating work periods and providing all the supplies and insight they could, he said.

"I was fortunate enough to have community groups and businesses who were extremely generous when it came to fundraising," Wiersch said. "My first opportunity to receive a large contribution was a $1,000 grant from TeenWorks, a grant program supported by Lehigh Valley labor unions that offers up to $1,000 to any teen interested in doing community service in or around the Lehigh Valley."

In addition to reaching out to local businesses and community groups for financial support, Wiersch hosted an Applebee's Flapjack Fundraiser this past summer and raised almost $1,900.

"The community has been overwhelmingly helpful these past few months, and I can't thank them enough," Wiersch stated. "I don't necessarily consider the Penguin Pathway my project, because I couldn't have done it without any one person who supported me. It was a collaborative effort on the behalf of so many people that there's no way I could list all of them."

"I've learned a lot through this experience and I am satisfied knowing that I oversaw and gave leadership to a project that will continue to give back to the community long after it has been completed," he said.

Wiersch, his parents, brother Brian and sister Kathryn live in New Tripoli. He is a sophomore at Northwestern Lehigh High School.

A Boy Scout since 2008, he was a Cub Scout for five years.

Wiersch has earned First Aid, Personal Fitness, Communications, Emergency Preparedness, Citizenship, and Personal Management badges.

After he achieves Eagle rank, he wants to remain active with his troop and community .

When he is not involved in Scouting activities, Wiersch participates with Northwestern's varsity soccer team, Key Club, Foreign Language Club and is the vice president of the Leo Club.

He also does volunteer work at Hawk Mountain, Cetronia Ambulance Corps, as an emergency responder in the Teen Associate program.

Wiersch is active in his church and volunteers as an altar server once or twice a month.

Wiersch encourages everyone to visit the Lehigh Valley Zoo with friends and family to see the beautiful animals and scenery and to learn what can be done to promote the zoo's conservation efforts.

"To any Scouts out there who hope to achieve their Eagle rank one day, I say, keep going. It's a lot of hard work but it's always worth it in the end when you realize you made a difference in your community through service," Wiersch said.