Eagle Scout John Casper of Round Rock Troop 157 has been nominated for a Distinguished Conservation Service Award by the Capitol Area Council. The council said the award is Scouting America's highest conservation honor and that fewer than 100 youth nationwide have earned it since it began in 2000.
Casper's nomination is based on two projects. The main one is a 10-acre fire break at the Lost Pines Scout Reservation in Bastrop, along FM 1441. Casper led more than 70 volunteers over several months, and the project recorded over 300 man hours. A final plant inventory in August 2026 showed a 90% reduction in vegetation rated as highly flammable, and the grass reseeding has been successful. The fire break will now serve as an alternate evacuation route for the camp. His earlier project was installing flood-water control devices at the Gault Archeological Site in Florence.
Casper is a senior at Round Rock High School and plans to study nuclear engineering at a university after graduation.