Nikhil Trivedi, of Newtown Boy Scout Troop 270, inspected a small roof keeping the contents of a new kiosk dry on a recent rainy January afternoon. As of October, his months of research, planning, and finally construction of his Eagle Scout project - an informational kiosk including trail maps and habitat and wildlife information - stands between two benches at the end of Stone Bridge Trail in Sandy Hook.

Nikhil admits that the project "took awhile," but he "made the effort," he said. "There were no easy steps."

Before he began, he didn't know what materials to use or how to build a kiosk. He spent time discovering what would work best, he said. He also relied on volunteer Scouts for help.

For his Eagle Scout project, he said, "I wanted to build and I wanted to be satisfied and offer back to the community. The kiosk accomplishes what I want and represents the forest well."

Recalling the many hours and work that went into the kiosk, Nikhil said he is "proud" to have led the process.

Ideas for a kiosk came from conversation with Deputy Director of Planning, Land Use, and Emergency Management Rob Sibley.

Mr Sibley said, "Nikhil's donation of time, materials, and leadership continues a wonderful tradition in Newtown. His Eagle Scout project produced educational space where the public can better learn about what the recreational and natural resources are that are on the Newtown open space lands."

The Stone Bridge Open Space Preserve located near the kiosk "is a combination of a decade's worth of time in which the town purchased and acquired 34-plus acres directly abutting the Lower Paugussett State Forest," Mr Sibley said. He offered his thanks to Nikhil "and his Scout leadership" for the kiosk donation to the town.

Included in the information at the kiosk is habitat management work, forest maps, and wildlife information. Stone Bridge Trail is a dirt road off Berkshire Road (Route 34), near the Monroe border.