After researching the volunteer Wood Duck Monitoring program at the Lake County Forest Preserve, I registered with the Stewardship Coordinator at the Lake County Forest Preserve in June of 2006. Working with the Wood Duck program coordinator, I developed an annual program to teach the cub scouts about the wood ducks and their environment. With the completion of the February 23rd, 2014 Wood Duck Box monitoring hike, Cub Scouts from the Aptakisic District in the Northeast Illinois Council has on a bi-annual basis since August of 2006, built, maintained and monitored the Wood Duck boxes at Almond Marsh Forest Preserve. The Cub Scouts had monitored the Wood Duck boxes at Almond Marsh, Half Day and Wright Woods Forest preserves up until the fall of 2011. Since then, the scouts have focused on the Wood Duck boxes at Almond Marsh, where the box count is 20 and takes the scouts about 3 hours to conduct a single monitoring hike. Last fall, the Cub Scouts were recognized with the awarding of the William T. Hornaday Unit Award for a unique, substantial conservation project. I received the William T. Hornaday Gold Badge, for demonstrating leadership and a commitment to the education of youth for significant conservation efforts for a period of at least three years.