Congratulations, Makayla, on earning your Gold Award! GSSEM is proud of you and your dedication to making a positive impact on your community and beyond. 

Project: Pollinator Garden

It was no surprise Makayla’s Gold Award project centered on helping the environment by upgrading an abandoned pollinator garden at the Stoney Creek Nature Center.

“I’ve always been real interested in the environment,” she said, so when she noticed the state of the garden, she decided to do something about it.

Picking proper plants

Working with a team of volunteers from her school, Stoney Creek Metro Park, and her family, Makayla identified and removed non-native and invasive species.

The team also updated the paths and beds with appropriate native plants that pollinators love to visit, including butterfly milkweed, beebalm, yarrow and more.

Growing interest

For more educational interaction and impact with young park visitors, Makayla created two different fun scavenger hunts based on age, as well as an informational Instagram page with details on pollinators and how to start a pollinator garden.

“Native pollinators are important to a healthy environment, and we need to help them out,” she said.

Makayla’s project continues to bloom for pollinators large and small.

Learn more!

Makayla chats about her Gold Award project on GSSEM’s YouTube channel.

Find out more about Girl Scout Highest Awards on our website at www.gssem.org/highestawards.