LMHS Student Earns Girl Scouts Gold Award
Little Miami is excited to share the news of two LMHS students earning Girl Scouts high distinctions – with Madelyn Highfield earning her Gold and Silver Award and Maddie Summers earning her Gold Award. Not only have Madelyn and Maddie been active in Girl Scouts for thirteen years, but they are also highly-involved Little Miami students who excel in the classroom.
This week, LM is spotlighting Maddie Summers, who focused her project on bringing attention to the declining population of Monarch butterflies. Maddie worked with a naturalist and a team of volunteers at Cowan Lake State Park to plant two butterfly gardens at the park full of native plants that are beneficial for pollinators. She also organized educational workshops with local beekeepers, environmental experts, and enthusiasts, and a naturalist from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, where attendees learned about the importance of pollinators, chose native seeds to take home and plant in their own gardens, and completed a community service project for the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative.
Next week, we will spotlight Madelyn Highfield! Congratulations ladies!
Summary of Maddie’s Project provided courtesy of Heather Summers
The Monarch butterfly population has decreased significantly over the past several years due to pesticide use, construction, and other destruction of the Monarch's host plant, the milkweed plant. Monarchs must have milkweed to lay their eggs, and plenty of nectar to help give them the energy to fly from Canada to Mexico each year. They drink nectar from flowers, so they need a supply throughout the year, from early spring to late fall, and the best source is from plants that are native to the area.
For her Gold Award project, Maddie chose to make efforts to save the Monarch butterfly by planting gardens and educating the public about the importance of pollinators, and what they can do to help restore natural habitats for the Monarch and other pollinators. She worked with Mandy Wolski, the naturalist at Cowan Lake State Park to plant two butterfly gardens at the park that were full of native plants, including both common milkweed and butterfly milkweed. She enlisted the help of volunteers to help plant the gardens, and all of the native plants were purchased using funds from the fall product sale and the cookie sale.
The next part of her project was to host an educational event that would bring experts in the field and the community together in a day full of fun, educational activities. Her guest speakers were local beekeepers and a naturalist from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. In addition, there were workshops conducted by local experts and environmental enthusiasts who provided lots of useful information on pollinators, flowers, seeds, bees, and the Monarch butterfly. Each Girl Scout and their leader/parent chose seeds from native plants to plant in their gardens at home and left with lots of useful information about how to re-establish the Monarch habitat.
At the event, Girl Scouts were able to be part of a community service project for the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative (OPHI). The project’s mission was to separate the seeds from the fluff of 180 gallons of milkweed pods using various methods, including shaking, hand separation, and a shop vacuum with a filter. Once separated, the seeds would be redistributed by OPHI to local gardens, classrooms, and community gardens. This was a great hands-on activity that would ultimately result in more milkweed plants in the community for our Monarchs.
Maddie also created a website and patch program about the Monarch butterfly. It includes education, fun activities the reader can do at home, and a patch program for Girl Scouts to complete in their own time. For anyone who wants to complete the activities that are not a Girl Scout, there is a certificate they can print once they complete the projects. Readers can share pictures of their efforts, and see what others are doing to earn the patch/certificate.
