h i g h e st awar d s
| take action
>
For our Bronze Award, we chose to make the Greenwood Elementary School Nature Trail more accessible to the Greenwood teachers and students. Mr. Braunstein, a 4th grade teacher at Greenwood Elementary School, was a source of inspiration for our troop. Some members of the troop were in Mr. Braunstein’s class and enjoyed visiting the nature trail and seeing different kinds of native and invasive plant species. When we talked about our visits to the nature trail, the rest of the troop wondered why all of the teachers weren’t using the nature trail.
increasing the use of the greenwood nature trail by Charlotte A., Anna B., Genna E., Mackenzie F., Gina L., Sofie L., Katerina M., Jessica S., Troop 47 SU 610 Participants
We met with the original founder of the nature trail, Carol Borchers, as well as Bert Rothenberger, the current trail manager, to get the history of the trail and learn about the plants and wildlife. Then we put together a web page for the school website which includes information about the trail and suggested activities that correspond to all areas of the curriculum. Together, we created a map of the
nature trail, and we changed the discovery station signs to make them more relevant for elementary school students. We even put a geocache on the nature trail! A nature trail clean-up day was held on May 18. We invited all of the other Girl Scout troops from Greenwood Elementary School to help. Mr. Rothenberger, the trail manager, started the day with a talk about the
trail, the types of plants and wildlife that can be found on the trail and instructions on clearing the trail. Junior Troop 41771 helped us check the trail for trash, and we only found two drink bottles. We replaced the discovery station signs and cleared large branches off of the trail. Finally, both troops painted toad houses and placed them on the trail.
check it out online Visit the web page that Troop 47 created about the
Greenwood Nature Trail that includes a hand-drawn map, descriptions of the different habitats found along the trail, and nature-inspired games and activities http://bit.ly/17Nhveb.
gsep.org • spark • spring/summer 2014
43