Community Bat Houses
It’s officially spooky season and that means we can’t forget about Halloween’s iconic winged animal: the bat!
Three Girl Scouts, Caroline, Trinity, and Allisa, from Troop 2096 of the Sandy River Service Unit, completed their Bronze Award project this past September with a focus on creating safe homes for local bats.
The idea came about after conducting some research on pesky bugs near them. The Girl Scouts discovered a major biting insect issue in their local areas of Mount Vernon and Vienna.
These insects can pose a threat to surrounding species and even humans as they could potentially carry diseases or other bacteria. That’s when the troop came up with an animal-friendly solution!
Knowing that bats eat insects, thus keeping the population to a safe minimum, Troop 896 decided to create community bat houses that would ensure they had a safe, steady habitat to survive in, and in return, eat more potentially threatening bugs!
In total, the three Girl Scouts built and installed three bat houses in different locations.
“We learned more about bats and their habitats, how to fundraise outside of normal Girl Scout product sales, how to build a bat house, and how much we are supported by the community around us,” says Troop Leader Carol Spaulding.
In addition to their Bronze Award, the troop also focused on a journey project which included the creation and installation of a wooden trail sign at Camp Kirkwold's Enchanted Forest Trail.
Great work, Troop 2096!
