Bethpage State Park is Thankful For Girl Scout Troop #3632!

 Upon their latest visit in October, Girl Scout Troop #3632 had one mission in mind; to leave our park better than how they found it! With the wonderful help of Troop Mom Melissa, I was able to organize and host a Girl Scout Litter Clean Up Day in the picnic/playground area of our park!

The event for the day started of with a small discussion of handling trash safely. We wanted to make sure that The Scouts were not picking up anything hazardous and also not wandering into areas where they could come into contact with poison ivy. Troop #3632 is always prepared though and had high boots and long pants on for the task!

Once ready, scouts paired off into twos or threes and spread out! Each girl was given a bucket, gloves and a garbage picker. Additionally, I handed out a Litter Collection Sheet.

 I created it special for this event.

This handout served as an audit, where the girls could tally off what kind of objects they were collecting of the ground. Listed were about 20 different waste categories: food wrappers, bottle caps, straws, aluminum cans to name a few. I also included a space at the bottom of the sheet to write down unique litter items that did not apply to any of the categories. I wanted this activity to serve as awareness tool for wastefulness and understanding which single-use items are most used by the public!

 

 I also knew that dividing into groups and making the activity into more of a scavenger (trash) hunt, would be a more engaging activity that  encouraged some competitive fun too. The girls were smiling and appeared to be having a great time, all while beautifying Bethpage State Park. 

 

 A really nice component to most of the events I organize with Melissa is that she always encourages her scouts to bring either a family member or a friend along for the ride. The more the merrier holds true and there is nothing like spending a little quality time giving back to the community. 

 I truly believe that real connections to our park, to nature and to this planet grow out of moments that are shared with the people you love.  

 Whether at the beginning or the end, Melissa always calls on the girls to gather around and have a small group discussion. Scouts share what they have learned and sometimes mention their favorite part of the activity. As an educator, I always find the reflective part of the event especially helpful and try to keep their comments in mind when creating meaningful events for them in the future!    

With it being being the season of thanking and also giving, I would just like to personally thank Troop #3632 for all they do to give back to Bethpage State Park!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Park Ecologist Yael Weiss.