BOY, 13, GETS OUTDOOR THEATER BUILT FOR NATURE CENTER EAGLE SCOUT EAGER TO HELP OTHERS IN HIS COMMUNITY.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- The 19,000 schoolchildren who will learn about feathered and scaly critters in Placerita Canyon Nature Center's amphitheater this year may not discover one fact: A kid designed the much-needed outdoor terrace.

Thirteen-year-old Eagle Scout Timothy Wray, whose troop has camped in the wooded park, determined to build the amphitheater after learning the park's main building would be shut for a year for repairs. The park had not had a theater since the old one burned in a July 2004 wildfire.

``The fire, combined with the fact that we are moving and need a venue for nature programs, makes this project one of the most important Eagle Scout projects in this last year,'' said Ian Swift, the nature center's director.

An Eagle holds the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. The group estimates only 2 percent of boys who enter the Scouts attain Eagle status.

The entire western Los Angeles County region counted only 450 Eagle Scouts last year, including 74 in the Santa Clarita Valley. Scouts at all levels perform 2,000 to 5,000 hours of community service each year in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Neat rows of benches provide seating for 60 under oak trees singed by the 2004 firestorm. Timothy Wray invested 180 hours over two months in the $400 project, funded entirely by donations. It was not his first choice.

``I went on a hike (in the park), and at one part there was no bridge -- just a log you had to walk across.'' He considered designing a bridge. ``That was too hard, so I asked what other projects were needed.''

Wray's dad, Edward, helped him with the schematics, and the teen enlisted 35 helpers -- other Scouts, fellow church members and friends -- to build the project one Saturday in March. They immediately held a campfire program when they finished because they had used quick- setting concrete.

``I thought it would take two (Saturdays),'' Wray said.

Frank McDaniel, who became an Eagle Scout before World War II, made about 350 Scout projects possible in the park over the years, Swift said. When McDaniel retired from Lockheed Corp. as a test pilot in 1980, he began volunteering at the center, which rekindled his interest in Scouts and the outdoors. He died last year.

The Scouts have built trail signs and a shed and planted scores of oak trees.

As with most building projects, Wray's was not without setbacks.

``We went to Home Depot, but the machine wouldn't cut the wood to the size we wanted, so we had to cut wood in the parking lot with a chain saw,'' Wray said.

He enjoys hiking and camping, but sees the Scouts as more than an opportunity for such activities.

``I want to help people so they can live a better life, so I'll be able to feel good about what I've done,'' said the teen whose brother, 8, is a Cub Scout.

The nature center's $2 million-plus rehab will begin in October, Swift said. The wood shingle roof will be replaced with a fire-resistant one. Fire-resistant siding and an air conditioner will be installed. Meanwhile, the center's operations will be transferred to a small trailer in the parking lot.

The historic Walker Cabin will be fireproofed, the bridge over Placerita Canyon will be rebuilt, and a waterline for the campground -- whose major users are Scouts -- will be installed.

The head of the local Scout group said the nature center gives much to the community.

``It's great that our Scouts are giving back and helping that also,'' said Peggy Murphy, the Bill Hart district executive director for the Boy Scouts of America.

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Eagle Scout Tim Wray, 13, enjoys the amphitheater that he designed and built, with help from his family and friends, at the Placerita Nature Center.

David Crane/Staff Photographer