Girl Scout Cadette Grace recently saw the need to help conserve the local bat population, which serve as pollinators, in her North Carolina community. By doing so, she earned her Silver Award for the project she titled, "Bat Box Building." Throughout the process, Grace used her research and planning skills to fabricate and install functional habitats for the bats living nearby.
The process involved several steps, but upon completion, Grace thoughtfully assembled eleven bat boxes that were designed to last.
"I researched bats, their habitats, and how to build bat boxes," Grace said. "I created a pattern for building the bat boxes, based on various types I saw online. I gathered the materials, cut the wood patterns, and built eleven bat boxes. I painted and caulked the boxes so they would protect the bats against the elements, and last several years."
Along with the boxes, Grace also created an educational presentation and provided the resources to her neighborhood garden club and homeowner's association for distribution to residents. Grace has submitted a request to her neighborhood's architecture committee with the hope of approval for an expansion of her project into neighboring communities.
Grace and her father, Albert, work together on the box fabrication |
Presenting information about her project to the community |