This has been a very busy spring for Troop 555 out of Jim Thorpe as it has honored yet another Eagle Scout candidate. Christopher W.R. Widdicombe of Albrightsville actually completed all of his requirements for obtaining his Eagle rank last year, but had to leave for college before the troop was able to celebrate his accomplishments. The troop attempted to honor him earlier this year, but 2 feet of late winter snow pushed the date even further out.

"I never thought we would get this pin set and flag off my kitchen table," said Harold Litts of BPOE Lodge 319.Litts, who delivers the pin sets and flags to all of Troop 555's Eagle Scouts, also quipped that his car automatically drives to Christ Lutheran Church since he has attended so many honor courts in recent weeks.The beneficiary of Widdicombe's Eagle project was Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary, located along Route 903 in Penn Forest Township. The delay in Widdicombe'shonor court actually gave Mari Gruber of Bear Mountain an opportunity to speak to the success of Widdicombe's endeavor."The garden that Christopher constructed consists of native plants that attract pollinators," Gruber said. "In all my years, I never saw a wild monarch on my property. If I saw any, they had escaped from the sanctuary. Last year, we had over 40 chrysalises in the garden."Gruber said each female monarch can lay up to 500 eggs. The success of Widdicombe's garden is an important step in Gruber's attempt to reverse the decline of the monarch butterfly population.Widdicombe's project cost $464.61 and took 121.3 hours to complete. He thanked fellow Scouts Travis Huschka and Matthew Green as well as his father, Paul Widdicombe, for all of their assistance in completing his project.Widdicombe also took the time to thank his girlfriend, Jenna, who is a resident of South Korea and was watching the ceremony on Facebook Live.Local dignitaries Rep. Doyle Heffley, 122nd District, and Carbon County Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard each presented Widdicombe with certificates in recognition of his accomplishments.Widdicombe's younger brother Matthew, also a member of Troop 555, presented Widdicombe with his white neckerchief. He later presented his brother with one of his mentor pins."I may not think of you as a mentor, I still think you are more deserving of this than anyone I know," Widdicombe said to his brother."I really appreciate having you by my side all of my life. Through thick and thin, we stuck together. I will never forget how you are, and always will be, my best friend."Widdicombe gave his second mentor pin to Troop 555 former Scoutmaster Ray Attewell.Widdicombe spoke of having quit scouting when he was younger, and when his mother took him to Troop 555 he did not want to go but his mother insisted. He said he knew he would fit in immediately and he thanked Attewell for that as well."There was something about him, almost mystical, that made being there so much better than it should have been."Widdicombe was especially grateful to his parents to whom he said, "I love you both dearly, and thank you so much for allowing me to be who I am, and believing in me."Widdicombe is the son of Michelle Turner and Paul Widdicombe and attends Rochester Institute of Technology, where he is studying electrical engineering technology.