From left to right, Veronica Daniel, Tucker Wedgwood, Rebecca Gimzo, Darian Gimzo, Henry Kerns and Isaak Cruz pose for a photo at Union Grove Lake on Friday morning with the fish structures Darian built for his Eagle Scout project in front of them. PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY

GARWIN — Being an Eagle Scout means a lot to West Marshall sophomore-to-be Darian Gimzo of Clemons. Now that he has completed his necessary project — constructing and installing fish structures at Union Grove Lake between Gladbrook and Garwin — he represents the third consecutive generation of his family, after his grandfather and uncle, to earn the honor within the same area troop.

Gimzo, who belongs to Conrad’s Troop 107 and has always enjoyed fishing, said he was on the hunt for an Eagle Scout project when the perfect opportunity came along. Henry Kerns, who lives on Union Grove and serves as the chairperson for the walleye funding on the Lake and Park Holding Corporation board, had discussed adding more fish structures, which are filled with cement and placed near jetties and docks to allow the creatures to nest and reproduce, during a board meeting.

He wondered if a prospective Eagle Scout might be interested in taking it on, and one day at the Salvation Army in Marshalltown, Kerns and his wife noticed a sign for an upcoming Boy Scouts fundraising dinner in Conrad.

“I thought, ‘Well, you know what, if I can’t reach any Boy Scouts, there’s gotta be one there,'” Kerns said.

He eventually connected with Gimzo’s grandmother, Veronica Daniel, and she suggested Gimzo for the project. Citing his longstanding love of fishing that he traced back to his own father, the Eagle Scout to be was excited to undertake the endeavor.

“Actually, it went very smoothly. They thought it was gonna take a little bit longer, but after the first few batches, they were kind of tests to figure out ratio for the cement,” Gimzo said. “They were practice batches, we’ll put it like that, but after we figured out the right ratio, we set a pace, and in two hours, we were done.”

During that time, they put together 43 buckets, and according to Kerns, the structures “give them something to hide in” and grow. He also sees it as helpful for collecting algae and preventing snags.

Gimzo had a little help from his friends through the process, with fellow scouts Tucker Wedgwood and Isaak Cruz — who are both currently seeking out their own Eagle Scout projects — pitching in to get it done.

“I had never made concrete (or) mixed concrete ever, so learning how to mix concrete, how to kind of just work with concrete, if for my Eagle project, I do something with concrete or later in life I use concrete, it’ll be nice to know,” Wedgwood said. “Plus I’m helping out (Gimzo) get his Eagle project.”

As it relates to the bigger picture, Kerns sees the project as a way of passing on a legacy and making sure that Union Grove is still beautiful for his children and grandchildren.

“These will be here for a long, long time,” he said. “It’s gonna help because number one, it’ll sustain some of the smaller fish and allow them to get bigger to where they can hatch eggs and go on with the cycle as well… Anybody that’s involved with this will have something that they (can) say ‘Well I know what’s out there and I know what I’ve done to help the lake.'”

And according to Kerns, Gimzo will have a free pass to come out and fish whenever he wants, and he hopes he’ll even bring his own children someday. Union Grove is home to crappies, bluegills, channel catfish and largemouth bass.