Carl Rockel, a youth member of the Hortonville Polar Bear Riders Snowmobile Club, was able to bring together his two passions of Boy Scouts and snowmobiling this fall.

Rockel is currently working on completing his rank of Eagle Scout, and when contemplating a Community Service Project, he approached the club membership and proposed building snowmobile trail map houses. He came upon the idea last season after talking with some lost snowmobilers and decided to help guide the influx of trail system users coming to or passing through the Hortonville area.

The Polar Bear Riders overwhelmingly supported the proposed project which was then approved by the club, his Boy Scout Troop #36, and the Bay Lakes Council office of the Boy Scouts of America.

Recently, with help from fellow scouts Alexander Bodoh, Joseph Nicholson, and neighbor Don Holewinski, Rockel designed, planned, organized, and built three snowmobile trail map houses. Taking suggestions from club members he added night illumination to the trail maps using solar powered green technology.

As the majority of snowmobile trails in Outagamie County pass through farm fields, the temporary structures were built to be moved at the end of each snowmobile season for summer storage. The snowmobile trail map houses will be located in southwestern Outagamie County Zone #5 at intersection #83, #95, and Bear Creek Park in Stephensville.