Landon Moir of Jacksonville is a thoughtful young man who gives us reason to have faith in future generations. Following the family tradition, the 15-year-old freshman at Cascade Christian High School, is working on his Eagle Scout project—the creation of a community prayer and meditation pathway on the grounds of Jacksonville Presbyterian Church.

Much of Landon’s own personal faith is derived from more than 12 years of attending Jacksonville Presbyterian Church—where he is very active in the youth group. In addition to church projects, Landon has also been active in scouting since the first grade, where he’s been involved in numerous other community service projects.

The new pathway, stretching more than 400 feet, now enables walkers to stroll along a walkway bordered by large deciduous trees and grape vines from neighboring Crater View Vineyard. Although the pathway is located entirely on privately-owned church property, it was created to be enjoyed by all and is open to the public. Along with various members of the church who initially had the vision to create an inspirational trail connecting the church property to the community path, Landon jumped at the chance to take on completion of the path as his Eagle Scout project. He explains, “To make the new path a reality, members of the church felt this trail should follow the property lines along the vineyard to the south, with great views of the old wood ranch barn to the east and the Pheasant Meadows neighborhood to the north. The way it’s laid out provides a nice area with views and a quiet meditation area to rest and view God’s splendid creation below the beautiful hills of Jacksonville.”

As is typically the case with Eagle Scout projects of this magnitude, it took more than one inspired teenager to make it happen. Work crews comprised of church and scout members held several work parties beginning in early summer. “We had to clear away a lot of brush and care for lots of trees and then level the area for the pathway,” Landon said. “We also rebuilt and refinished six park benches that will line the trail.” The scout also explained that in addition to his scouting team providing the bulk of the labor, all of the material to complete the project came from generous community members. Tim Alvarez of Claudio Alvarez Construction provided a tractor with a box scraper to level the pathway, Mike Bartlett of Bartlett Tree Service donated the wood chips, Joe Soares of Knife River donated the rebar and weed barrier cloth, and Jacksonville Lumber Company provided the pressure-treated 4×4’s for edging the path at a substantial discount.

Landon says, “When I met with Pastor Larry Jung and expressed an interest in doing this kind of project that would benefit the church and community, he suggested that I meet with the group overseeing the proposed trail and it just developed from there. All in all, it’s been a good learning experience.” Landon’s parents, Rick and Michele, note the experience has helped shape their son’s leadership skills and provided him an opportunity to use his math skills and work with others in a leadership role.

The Moir family has a long history of involvement in Scouting. Landon’s dad, Rick Moir, recently retired from the position of Scoutmaster of Troop 7 in Medford. Landon’s uncle Mike Moir, from Grants Pass, attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1975 and was on-hand to help with the project along with Mike’s dad and Landon’s grandfather, Don. Landon’s brother, Nathan, is also an Eagle Scout who completed his major scouting project in 2014, the complete rehabilitation and restoration of the 40-foot tall Bunyan Brother’s Monument at the Jackson County Expo Park.

Thanks to young men like Landon Moir creating positive pathways, the future of our community is bright!