Local Girl Scout earns Bronze Award
A local Girl Scout recently completed a wildlife garden and earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award.
Evelyn Bowden, 10, created a garden on the Live Oak Middle School campus in an effort to help displaced wildlife during nearby construction.
“I was worried about the wildlife,” Bowden said. “This is a safe place for them to live.”
Bowden said her project included perennial plants and a watering system. There is also a maintenance crew to troubleshoot any problems along with a team of middle school students to plant new plants if needed.
One of the important aspects, Bowden said, is that the project is sustainable.
The project took a little more than a year to complete and involved her looking for something that would be beneficial to the community, finding a place for the garden and seeing about getting donations for soil, plants and more.
Bowden said the bronze award is the highest honor a Girl Scout junior can achieve.
“(I’m) proud of her, she worked really hard at it,” said Kasey Crosby, troop No. 1245 leader. “... She’s definitely an animal lover, it doesn’t matter if it’s a deer or a bear or even a bee. Everything has great value to her … It’s something she cared about and it was a good way for her to give back.”
Crosby said it’s also about organizing the project, such as putting together a team, finding people that help support them in doing the project, putting the project in motion and letting people know about it.
Bowden said “seeing the birds and butterflies and bees happy” was her favorite part of the project.
Typically there is a ceremony where Bowden would be recognized for the achievement, however, due to COVID-19, there wasn’t one.
“Unfortunately with the times, activities for kids are limited and it’s changing how we’re interacting and doing these things but there’s definitely good still happening,” Crosby said. “... There’s always a way to make your community better and Girl Scouts is an organization that encourages that and teaches those values.”