Madelaine Thorsen was among the first girls to join Scouting America — formerly known as Boy Scouts of America — in 2019 when the organization first allowed girls to join its Cub Scouts program.  

Now a sophomore at Bigfork High School, Thorsen is nearing completion of her Eagle Scout project, the final step in achieving the highest and most prestigious scouting rank attained by just 4% of scouts.  

Thorsen began her scouting career with the Girl Scouts, but when she was 8, the Boy Scouts announced their intentions to open the pathway for girls to join the organization, which was completed with the renaming of the organization to Scouting America in 2021 and the inclusion of girls in its flagship Scouts BSA program, which includes the pathway to the rank of Eagle Scout. 

“I’ve loved connecting with the outdoors and all the experiences and opportunities it allows me to have,” Thorsen said. “I originally was in Girl Scouts, but I decided to join Boy Scouts because it was more focused on the outdoors rather than inside activities.” 

To reach the highest rank in scouting, Thorsen had to earn 13 required merit badges for skills like first-aid, cooking and citizenship, along with eight additional badges for a total of 21 merit badges. 

Eagle Scout candidates must also complete an Eagle Scout project. While there are few guidelines for what the project must be, the projects are meant to benefit the community and challenge Scouts to take on leadership roles. Constructing benches, picnic tables and water fountains are all popular options.  

When Thorsen was brainstorming her project, she knew she wanted to give back to the Bigfork community that she grew up in. A lifelong Bigfork resident, Thorsen is involved in student council at Bigfork High School and loves art, especially ceramics. She’s inherited that love for art from her parents: her father is renowned artist Eric Thorsen who, along with his wife Cyndy, runs the Eric Thorsen Gallery in Bigfork and the Kalispell Art Foundry.  

With her love for the outdoors, Thorsen wanted to create a space in Bigfork for kids to spend time outside and decided the library would be the perfect space to create an outdoor seating area. She envisions that, when complete, it will be a space for children and adults to read books or work on projects in the fresh air.  

When she started the project last fall, the patch of land next to the parking lot wasn’t much more than a mess of weeds. Now, the project has taken shape and is nearing completion, with a leveled gravel area bordered by native Montana plants and tree stumps for seats and tables. Thorsen still has plans for an island of native plants in the center of the seating area. She also envisions a rock border with rocks painted and signed by local kids who use the seating area.   

At the outset, Thorsen had a rough idea of what the finished project would look like, but it kept changing as the steps progressed. When she and her group of volunteers first started work with an excavator loaned by Flathead Lake Lodge, she realized there were already native plants that could be kept, along with an apple tree. After deciding to leave these plants intact, the project area got smaller.  

The project has been a real community effort from the beginning, with Thorsen taking charge to coordinate the materials and volunteers.  

The wood stumps were donated by Rick Trembeth, a veteran forester in the community, and the gravel was discounted by Montana CAD. The Flathead Audubon Society contributed money toward the purchase of native plants and also donated labor. Thorsen’s fellow troop members showed up to put in some elbow grease and get the project rolling along.  

With all the support, Thorsen said she hasn’t hit many challenges with the project, although coordinating volunteer schedules was sometimes a challenge.  

“I've learned how to step up and be a leader when no one else wants to take that position,” she said as she reflected on her experience working on her Eagle Scout project. “I've learned how to handle my responsibilities better and just how to be overall a better person. Scouts helps guide you through life, and it gives you opportunities to get in contact with different people who you can always utilize in the future if you need to.” 

Thorsen plans to complete the project later this summer and will then present her records to her troop’s review committee board, who will determine if she’s met the requirements to ascend to the rank of Eagle Scout. 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.