Girl Scout Junior Journey and Bronze Award - Troop 2358 - 2023/2024

HELPING WILDLIFE - PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

I think for the Journey and Bronze award that we could go in the direction of helping Wildlife. I know the
girls REALLY LOVE frogs - so we might be able to get them all on the same page with this and there
are a lot of resources from Nationals on the "Tree Pledge/Promise" that we can incorporate and leverage
(bonus points with council/nationals). Here are my idea's for where to go with having the girls plan this
out for the year. Please feel free to comment and provide feedback and ideas! We can do as little or as
much as the girl's want and within time and resource constraints. Also, these ideas work for any area the
girls choose to go in if they decide Wildlife isn't what they are passionate about.
Keep in mind: We have to do a “take action” for our journey and a separate one for our bronze award. They can be related or
even the same type of activity but you must spend 20 hours on the take action for the bronze award whereas the “take action” for
the journey is a one-time event where time spent isn’t specified. We cannot raise money for this because crowdfunding sites take
a portion of donations and that isn't allowed per our council (girls can't raise money for other organizations). National allows
crowdfunding; however, our council does not. The only way around this is if someone wants to donate money for our troop for
this project they can donate to Council and earmark their donation for our troop for our project and they will make sure we get
the entire amount.

STEP 1 LEARN:
1. Do the citizen science journey to help scientist learn about the height of trees, native plant species
and native animal species like squirrels and natural streams.
2. Make the tree pledge promise and earn the badge to learn all about trees then host a tree planning
party.
3. Education about buy nothing Facebook groups that keep things out of the landfill and helps out
fellow community residents. Has there been studies on this because I feel like those groups are
really growing and can be making a difference? Education about companies that do a lot to
protect the environment and those with bad scores to educate people about where they spend their
money?
4. Do as many badges and activities that are already planned and set-up to learn about the
environment and animals. Even skills such as STEM or Selling or Leadership learned in other
badges can help in this project – there are all kinds of ways to make the connections, so I want
them to be thinking about this right away. For example, skills they learned selling cookies helps
with educating the community when interacting with people, Leadership skills help with
contacting businesses or STEM helped them think of an idea for something to create either
physical, mechanical or technology wise to help with this project. We can use time spent here to
help us log the 20 hours, within reason. They want the girls to be making connections between
what they are learning and different activities they do and their project.

STEP 2 TAKE ACTION:

1. Host an educational event like the example I found was National Moth Week to educate the
community about ways to protect the plant – partner with agency’s. Ask for help from NC
Wildlife Federation, state and local politicians, schools and businesses and see what connections
we can make and what we can do to partner with them or what they can do to help us.
2. Create cool graphics/logos for education, create ideas for technology/social media awareness to
further outreach. We have an AMAZING artist in the troop (Maya)! Wouldn’t it be cool to create
a series of catchy educational flyers that make connections between human habits and the impact
to the environment and wildlife and then educate different types of people according to age,
location, socioeconomical status, gender etc? Create things other things (magnets, reusable bags
or anything clever) that people will keep reminding themselves of the do’s and don’ts of
protecting wildlife. This would require a lot of time learning still and researching and being
creative and innovating.
 3. Creating their own research project to get data from people on what they know vs. what they
don’t know about environmental facts and projecting wildlife, what they are willing to do vs. not
in order to change their habits, etc. Partner with real researchers/business on this? Research is fun
to collect and analyze and shows you made an impact just by having people take the survey and
think about things. Also, we can do this in connection with selling cookies to reach out to people.
4. Host a clean-up event for invasive species and trash or plant a community garden
5. Raise awareness to team up and host a service project to plant native pollinator habitats in the
inner city
6. How to hold people responsible? Educate them and ask them to sign a pledge to take simple
already mapped out actions? Get out there and give all our cookie customers flyers on the
environment and wildlife!
7. If we do plan an event – it would be cool to know the details before cookie season in order to
promote it with our cookie sales?

STEP 3 LASTING IMPACT:

1. Create YouTube educational videos and create social media buzz – this is an easy way to cover
the “lasting impact” requirement since the video lives forever on the internet and this is what I
have seen a lot of others choose to do. They have even done them for other girl scouts to just
teach them about how to do a bronze project.
2. Create a buzz and a stir about everything we are doing – contact media and difference business as
well as non-profits to partner with spreading the word of what we are doing. Also, creating a
lasting educational plaque or "installation" at the library is something really cool I have seen
some do to meet this requirement.
3. If you use clean-up or a garden or planting trees or something as meeting this requirement then
you have to maintain a maintenance plan for this going forward?!!?
4. The girls don’t actually have to “achieve” this “lasting impact” requirement for bronze award
they just have to prove that they thought about it and how it could be done. For the Silver and
Gold awards this is required on different scales. I think doing this helps get the required hours
especially if they didn’t get them when they were doing the “take action” activities but you still
have to be thinking about this ahead of time.
New Leaf Wildlife Rehab
Tuesday, November 7 · 6:15 - 7:30pm EST

Join Concord Wildlife Alliance to hear from New Leaf Wildlife Rehab about
their work to assist injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife and return these native
species back to their natural habitats. Learn about the significance of the
viability of wild species and how people can facilitate and coexist with
wildlife in the ever-changing urban environments in the Carolinas.

Goals
 Wildlife Goal: Protect, conserve, and restore diverse sustainable fish
and wildlife populations in North Carolina.
 Habitat Goal: Protect, conserve, restore, and connect habitat for fish
and wildlife.
 People Goal: Mobilize people and communities to achieve local and
statewide wildlife and habitat goals.
 Infrastructure Goal: Build and maintain an internal infrastructure that
grows organizational capacity, impact, resiliency, and sustainability.

Strategies
 Policy and Advocacy - Strongly influence local, state, and federal
policy that affects wildlife and habitat in North Carolina using science-
based, established conservation models to guide our positions.
  Community-based - Restore habitat in North Carolina communities
through cleanups and plantings in partnership with NCWF Wildlife
Chapters and volunteers and organize community members to connect
with nature through outdoor experiences.
 Education and Awareness - Enhance and expand opportunities for
youth and adults that foster awareness and appreciation of wildlife in
North Carolina and the importance of biodiversity for healthy habitat and
humanity.

Wildlife Diversity Abounds in North

Carolina and Faces Increasing Threats
From climate change and loss or degradation of habitats to lack of funding to
pesticides, wildlife face many challenges. NCWF advocates and works for all
wildlife, for biodiversity throughout the landscape and ecosystems. Every
native species to North Carolina matters and plays an important role in our
ecosystem. To this end, NCWF is dedicated to their conservation. Whether
they fly, swim, burrow, hop, slither, scamper, or climb, wild animals are
interconnected and crucial to a healthy diversity in North Carolina’s rivers,
fields, forests, and beyond.
Many of North Carolina’s most beloved wildlife species are well known and
pretty easy to spot. But many wildlife species are rarely seen, and are
declining and of great conservation concern. There are 34 North Carolina
wildlife species listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act, 109
listed as endangered or threatened in the state, and 129 listed as species of
special concern in North Carolina. These species are every bit as worthy of
conservation action—and human awe—as southern flounder and elk.

Implement Impactful Projects to Protect,

Conserve, and Restore Wildlife
While collaborative conservation has led to numerous successes, today more
than 12,000 wildlife species across our nation are considered “species of
greatest conservation need,” as identified by various state fish and wildlife
Agencies. These species—such as pollinators, frogs, turtles, songbirds and
shorebirds, freshwater mussels, oysters, etc.—often receive neither the
attention nor funding sufficient to recover them.
By preventing the decline of species and avoiding listing under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA), businesses will operate with more regulatory
certainty and reduced risk. As the decline of numerous species and their
habitats across the country worsens, preemptive action can reverse this trend
and keep species from the critical, yet often costly, “emergency room”
measures required by the ESA. This is especially important to rapidly
developing states like North Carolina.
This growing wildlife crisis poses a threat to the vibrant outdoor economy of
America and North Carolina. Hunters, anglers, birders, hikers, campers, and
backyard wildlife watchers have created a fast-growing outdoor economic
base that depends on healthy wildlife populations. Today, the outdoor
economy contributes $887 billion to the national economy and $28 billion to
our state economy annually, creating 7.6 million direct jobs with 260,000 in
North Carolina, and generating $124.5 billion in federal, state, and local tax
revenue.
We are heavily invested in seeing passage of The Recovering America’s
Wildlife Act. This non-regulatory, collaborative approach is a proven means of
recovering species and leverages additional funds through innovative
public/private partnerships. An influx of resources is needed for the protection
of our nation’s fish and wildlife heritage by supporting efforts to direct
dedicated funding into the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program
through the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
The state’s Wildlife Action Plan seeks to give these species the helping hand
they need to thrive in the future. The results of this document are intended to
build a community of citizen conservationists, along with professional staff
employed by both agencies, and implement impactful projects to protect,
conserve, and restore wildlife, specifically species of greatest concern and
their habitats identified within the Action Plan.

Why just learn about habitats when you can create one on your school's campus?
Our second graders have been busy working with Gayle Gratop from the U of A Coconino County
Cooperative Extension Office and JT from TerraBIRDS during their STEM class time. They've
begun creating a forest and native pollinator habitat. To date, the second graders have planted
approximately 100 native plants, three fir trees, and an aspen tree. They've also put in a lot of effort
and teamwork into weeding the area.

TreeBaltimore will be giving away free trees tomorrow to City residents

Certified Wildlife Habitat is making Baltimore an ideal nesting site #ForTheBirds! #Birdland

Connecting Urban Residents with Wildlife.

When you think of wildlife, an urban environment is usually not the first thing
that comes to mind. But did you know the City of Baltimore is certified as a
NWF Community Wildlife Habitat?

One of the easiest and most effective ways to help wildlife is to preserve the environment in
which the animals live. Volunteer with organizations in your area to restore native forests,
grasslands, and coastal ecosystems by planting native species, manually removing invasive
plant species, and taking out old fences.

1. Bring a bag. Remember to bring reusable bags to the grocery store or for
any other shopping activities to reduce consumption of disposable bags.
2. Invest in a reusable water bottle. Acquiring a reusable water bottle would
not only greatly reduce the amount of single-use plastic you use, but it would
also save you money in the long run! If you’re concerned about the quality of
your tap water, consider using a water filter.
3. Bring your own reusable cup. Think about how many disposable cups are
used every day in just your local coffee shop. Bringing a mug for your
morning coffee can reduce the amount of waste you produce annually.
 Imagine how much waste we could reduce if we all made this simple daily
change!
4. Refuse single-use items. Take note on how often you rely on single-use
items and choose to replace them with more sustainable versions. Refusing
plastic straws and disposable cutlery when you go out and bringing your own
containers for leftovers are a few ways you can start today.
5. Avoid products with microbeads. Facial scrubs and beauty products
containing plastic microbeads were banned in the United States in 2015, but
won’t be fully phased out until 2019. Read the labels when purchasing
products and opt for ones that contain natural scrubbing ingredients like salt
or sugar.
6. Shop in bulk. Consider the product-to-packaging ratio when purchasing
items and choose larger containers instead of multiple smaller ones. When
you have the option, also consider purchasing package-free foods and
household goods.
7. Make sure your waste goes to the right place. Do your best to ensure that
the waste you dispose of ends up where it should. Recycle the materials that
are recyclable in your area and make sure to reduce the likelihood of your
garbage ending up in the environment by keeping a lid on your trash can
when it’s outside.
8. Compost. Composting at home reduces the volume of garbage sent to
landfills and reduces the chance of some products becoming marine debris.
11 Ways to Help Wild Animals

Humans share the planet with 8 million other species of plants and animals. We have a
responsibility to future generations and all living things to protect the environment, so
we can all thrive together. Protecting ecosystems and nature means protecting animals.
Fortunately, there are many opportunities to help. Here are 11 ways.

1. Plant native species

Creating planet- and wildlife-friendly environments can start right in your own backyard
and in your community. Plant native species of trees, bushes, and plants, especially
those that flower and provide food sources for wild animals. Trees recycle oxygen,
returning it to the atmosphere for us to breathe and absorbing potentially harmful gases
along the way. Get involved in an organization that supports community trees
like ACTrees, or learn how to plant your own.

It's also a good idea to think beyond the typical lawn, which can be a drain on water
supplies and not offer much food or support for animal life. Allow your manicured lawn
to go a little wild. Replace part of the lawn with vegetable or flower gardens filled with
native species. Even a small garden can also have a big impact. Find out which species
are native to your area.
2. Help the zoo or aquarium

Zoos and aquariums often have wildlife conservation efforts. Find out how you can
volunteer to help spread the word about or work to support wild animals through
the Association of Zoo Docents and Volunteers. Or get your office involved. Whether
you want to liven up your next office videoconference or want to have a special visitor
when you video chat with your family, the Cincinnati Zoo puts the zoo in Zoom. For a
fee, you can get a 15-minute call with zoo stars like Fiona the hippopotamus or a group
of wallabies or goats.

3. Make your yard a wildlife haven

In addition to planting native food sources for wildlife in your area, you can also help
them create habitats by installing bird feeders, baths, and houses. In addition to giving
birds necessary shelter and sustenance, watching the birds that visit can be very
entertaining. The National Wildlife Federation has other suggestions to make your yard
wildlife friendly.

4. Avoid harmful chemicals

In our efforts to spur lawn growth and control pests, we may turn to chemical solutions,
which can be very harmful to wildlife like bees and butterflies that are helpful to the
environment. Fertilizers usually find their way into water sources, polluting rivers, and
streams, causing harmful algae blooms, and poisoning the aquatic life.Instead, opt
for natural pest control to discourage critters in your garden, and organic fertilizers like
animal manure or compost.

5. Pick up trash

Picking up trash not only protects the environment and keeps our surroundings
beautiful, but it can also save wildlife. Plastic bags and twine can easily trap birds and
other smaller animals, hurting or killing them or making them easy prey. So put on your
gloves, grab some trash bags, and pick up litter to protect wildlife—and keep your
neighborhood looking good.

6. Become a citizen scientist

Researchers who need help gathering wildlife and insect counts may turn to the public
for help. This provides interesting and fun opportunities for you to lend a hand from
home. For example, the Great Sunflower Project is studying bee populations around the
country. To participate, you need a bit of a green thumb. The project asks that you plant
and grow lemon queen sunflowers in your yard. Once they bloom, you count the
number of pollinators that land on the sunflowers in five-minute segments.

Love lizards instead? Head on over to Zooniverse’s project center and count Galapagos
Island iguanas from aerial photos, or help transcribe historical records to help scientists
understand nesting patterns. The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s Nestwatch
program is also looking for volunteers to report on the nesting habits of birds in their
area. Take a test to get certified, then explore the outdoors around you and report back
on the nests you find. Or sit back and log on to Penguin Watch to help count penguins
in remote regions to help scientists better understand them.

7. Learn about endangered species

The Endangered Species Coalition helps identify endangered species and share how
people can help to preserve them. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also has
an endangered species website that shares information about endangered animals in
the U.S. and how people can help them. Share what you learn on social media or get
involved with a conservation organization.

8. Adopt an animal

Protect the animal of your choice—one either threatened by endangerment in a far-off

land or by abandonment nearby.Defenders of Wildlife lets you symbolically adopt a wild
animal of your choosing. Your donation goes to improving habitats, research,
monitoring, and ultimately saving the species from endangerment. Make it a birthday gift
for your animal fanatic friend!

9. Do your part

What animal rights issue troubles you the most? Poaching? Cruelty? Fur? Whatever it
is, you can act. Humane Society and World Wildlife Fund can help you find out petitions
to sign, bills to support and state representatives to write. By acting, you’ll give a voice
to those who don’t have one.

10. Donate

Your gift to a trusted animal rights organization will be appreciated and well utilized. By
supporting their concerted efforts, you play a valuable role in the protection of wildlife
and in helping our planet thrive. You can also donate to local shelters in need. Many
animal shelters and rescue centers lack the necessary provisions to keep animals
healthy and safe. If you can’t adopt, giving your extra food and supplies—or
volunteering—can be just as valuable in helping these shelters survive..

11. Understand human impact

Population increases pose a threat to wildlife as previous resources diminish. Whether

it’s for science, food or greed, humans endanger animals, sometimes without
considering the positive impact wildlife can have on the posterity of our planet. What
can you do? Stay informed on the issues, know your impact in the ecosystem and take
your part in protecting wildlife. Earth and its present and future habitants will be grateful.
National Moth Week Event Raleigh
Past
Event

Save
Share
07/20/2018
WHEN

WHERE 1671 Gold Star Drive

Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607 USA
PRESENTED North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
BY

WEB http://naturalsciences.org/calendar/event/moths-at-night-2018/
ABOUT Celebrate National Moth Week with the North Carolina Museum of Natural
Sciences at Prairie Ridge! Enjoy a brief orientation before heading out to our
blacklights to see what’s out and about throughout the night. Bring a flashlight, a
camera (if you have one), and your moth questions. We’ll have activities for kids,
Moth Bingo (with prizes!) for everyone, an activity hosted by the North Carolina
Entomological Society, and a station to upload photos of the moths that we see to
citizen science projects. You’ll walk away with some basic identification guides you
can use for your own moth adventures!
Main Event Information
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