When Michael Roise started thinking of a project that would benefit his community and help him earn the highest rank in the Eagle Scout Division of Boy Scouts of America (BSA), he looked no further than the Falls River Preserve.

As someone who loves the outdoors, Roise focused his project on enhancing the community’s enjoyment of one of his own favorite hiking spots.

This summer, Roise, with the help of his family and friend James Tedeschi of Deep River, installed three benches along the red trail of the preserve. The 40-acre Falls River Preserve is located at the end of Falls River Drive in Ivoryton. It is owned and maintained by the Essex Land Trust.

“I love that preserve,” said Roise. “I think it’s a great loop…so I figured [benches] would be nice for people to sit and absorb the scenery.”

The project took four hours to complete, including clearing the area, assembling the benches and anchoring them in place, according to a press release from the Essex Land Trust.

Roise, who lives near the Falls River Preserve, said the installation “was actually not too bad. We had the material delivered here, to where I live, which is just up the hill. We shipped them [the materials] all down and just wheelbarrowed them out.”

Roise is a life scout, the second-highest rank in BSA. He started in Cub Scouts when he was six and is now a member of TriTown Cub Scout Troop 13. He is a senior at Valley Regional High School.

“The eagle scout project itself is really just a display of leadership, which is what being an eagle scout is about,” said Roise.

He is now busy with several other requirements that go into earning the rank of eagle scout, he added.

“He’s a terrific kid and we’re really glad to have this contribution to the preserve,” said John Matthiessen, who has been a steward of the trails on the Falls River Preserve since the first parcels of land were acquired by the land trust in 1998.

The benches are laid out along the trail “at several different locations throughout to sit down and enjoy the view,” said Matthiessen.

The first is near the boulder commemorating the 1998 land acquisition while another is close to the water with a view of Trinity Lutheran Church on Main Street. The last one is around a bend across from Jean’s Island.

Matthiessen said that visitors to the Falls River Preserve will be able to sit and experience the land as it changes from “season to season. As the leaves thin out in the winter, they’ll be able to see the river and landscape.”

The Essex Land Trust describes the area as an important one for migrating songbirds such as warblers and blackbirds and a “year-round home [for] chickadees, titmice, cardinals, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.”

Other waterfowl like swans, mallards, egrets, and osprey from Long Island Sound can also be spotted.

“I’ve seen and heard barred owls,” said Matthiessen. “I’ve never run into a bear, although I would love to see one from a safe distance. You can walk out there 12 months out of the year. It can be a little icy in the winter, you have to be careful. And it can get buggy in the summer, but it’s a beautiful place to go all year round.”

The system of trails in Falls River Preserve is just one example of the properties maintained by the Essex Land Trust. In town, there are approximately 1,100 acres of open space, with 900 acres being owned by the Essex Land Trust.

“This community is really lucky to have open space throughout town to enjoy,” said Matthiessen.

And now, thanks to Roise, lucky to have a few special places to relax and take in the bounty of what nature has to offer at the Falls River Preserve.