girl scouts of the colonial coast
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Oyster Gardening
Laney, a Girl Scout from Troop 411 in Chesapeake, Virginia, has earned the highest honor and achievement a Girl Scout
can earn, her Gold Award. She devoted her Gold Award project to restoration of
the Chesapeake Bay.
Growing up, Laney spent her summers in the Outer Banks and
developed a love for our waters and sea life. She learned the Chesapeake Bay’s
ecosystem is dangerously out of balance due to pollution and a changing
climate, and she wanted to take action in a way that would help the ecosystem.
Laney focused her service project on oyster gardening. She supported the
Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Virginia Oyster Restoration Center (VAORC)
programs by gathering oyster shells from local Chesapeake seafood restaurants
and placing them in a collection bin for processing and cleaning by VAORC in
Gloucester, Virginia, at her high school previously installed by other Girl
Scouts.
Along with collecting shells, Laney went on to provide
training and education to the community on oyster gardening and recruited
volunteers to build oyster cages. The cages are used by oyster gardeners to
grow baby oysters, using the cleaned shells she collected as a foundation.
Laney also asked people in the community to sign a letter that she sent to
Governor Northam, asking him to enhance funding for local agricultural
management and state agencies that are responsible for land management. In so
doing, Laney hoped the letter would prompt action to sustain oyster restoration
program in the region.
Thank you, Laney! Congratulations from Girl Scouts of the
Colonial Coast!
