Before Hanover Township Supervisors got into what ended up being a nearly three-hour meeting Feb. 26, they lauded Liberty HS senior Elijah Sivick for his achieving Eagle Scout rank.

Supervisor Jeffrey Warren read aloud the proclamation declaring Feb. 23, 2021 as “Elijah John Sivick Day” via the Zoom meeting.

“Thank you all for this. It’s really cool to see. I never thought that I’d actually reach this point. I’m just really grateful for this,” said Sivick, who was dressed in full Boy Scout uniform and accepted the honor at home with his mother, Lori Sivick, at his side.

Elijah is a member of Boy Scout Troop 302, based out of First Presbyterian Church in Bethlehem. He earned his Eagle award by creating a tower that will become the new home for a flock of chimney swifts who have taken up residence in the church’s existing chimney.

Sivick thought of the project after learning the church’s chimney needed to be cleaned but that the roosting swifts were occupying the space. Chimneys left unmaintained present a fire hazard, but the issue of the birds also needed to be respectfully addressed.

Audubon.org describes the chimney swift as a slender 4-7 inches long, with a wingspan up to a foot. The dark olive and grayish-brown birds once nested in hollow trees, but have steadily been forced to roost in groups inside of large chimneys, which are more readily available.