A Monroe County Boy Scout just received a rare honor.
Chase Cousino, 17, the son of Jason and Jodi Cousino of Newport, earned the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Conservation Service Award.
The award is given for projects that “contribute to environment improvement on a long‐term scale,” Jason said.
“It’s a pretty big deal. We found out at the ceremony (April 12) that Chase was only the second to receive this award in the state of Michigan,” said Jason, who also is a scoutmaster with Carleton Troop 508. Jason earned his Eagle Scout ranking when he was 17.
“I’m prouder than any dad or scoutmaster on this earth right now,” he said.
The award recognizes two of Chase’s Monroe County conservation projects.
In 2025, he prepared four acres of land at Summerfield Township’s Petersburg State Area and planted pollinators and native grasses. In 2021, as a project to earn his Eagle Scout ranking, Chase built eight osprey platforms.
In addition to the two projects, to earn the BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award, Chase had to earn five merit badges in conservation areas and least two more merit badges in other areas.
“After the rank of Eagle Scout, he continued on earning more merit badges, (totaling) nearly 70 and nine Eagle Scout palms,” Jason said.
Among the honors is the 50 Miler Award, earned when Chase and Jason took a two-week trip to BSA High Adventure Camp in New Mexico, where they hiked 70 miles and backpacked up Mount Baldy.
Chase’s projects
Chase started planning his Petersburg State Game Area project in October 2024. He worked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Pheasants Forever.
Chase staked out four acres of land, mowed it, removed the weeds and prepared the seed beds. On June 22, 2025, he planted more than a dozen varieties of Michigan native wildflowers and prairie grasses, including Black-Eyed Susan, Butterfly Weed and Purple Coneflowers.
In 2021, as part of his Eagle Scout project, Chase, with help from friends and other Boy Scouts, built eight 4-foot-by-4-foot osprey nesting platforms. Chase had to fundraise, create a proposal, get approval and work with groups like DTE, Osprey Watch and the DNR.
Chase then helped DTE install one of the platforms on a 60-foot utility pole at Pointe Mouillee State Game Area in Rockwood.
Chase’s dad is a field safety facilitator for DTE. For years, he has relocated endangered birds who build nests on power lines, which can cause fires and power outages.
“(Chase) has done this since he was a baby. He’s been through all phases of this,” said Jason in 2021.
Chase received tributes for his projects from Reps. Tim Walberg and James DeSana.
“Chase Cousino takes the stewardship of the land seriously and treats its resources with the utmost gravity and respect. Through this accomplishment, there can be little doubt that he is well-prepared to take on the challenges that await him,” said DeSana in his tribute.
Chase is graduating this spring from Airport High School, where he plays three varsity sports. He plans to become a union electrician.
“Scouting’s been good to me and my family,” Jason said. “Chase is quite the young man because of it.”
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Chase Cousino earns rare conservation award from Boy Scouts of America
Reporting by Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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