810-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 6, 1993
Girl Scouts Go Wild
At Speedwell Lake
LYNN ROSSI
Special To Lancaster Farming
LITITZ (Lancaster Co.) In a
topsy-turvy world that seems to
lack permanence and tradition at
every turn, it’s a fact that Girl
Scouts arc still earning badges for
worthwhile efforts.
Although these girls sing and
dance to the latest tunes on the
Walkman and play Game Boy as
much as any other youngster, they
are willing to consider that there's
more to life than videos and televi
sion. With a little bit of encourage
ment from their parents and con
siderable effort of local Girl Scout
leaders, 70 Lititz Girl Scouts
recently had the opportunity to
earn a “Wildlife” patch at Speed
well Forge Lake, Lititz.
The “wildlife” dealt with the
out-of-doors type, not the kind of
erratic behavior you read about in
the newspapers.
Arranged by a local Girl Scout
organizer and resident of the lake
area, Evic Bcrgcy, the program
featured three hours of activity
designed to make the young parti
cipants aware that people can no
longer afford to lake the natural
world for granted. Consistently
mentioned as the greatest danger to
Wildlife elude Girl Scouts on their hike, but the domesti
cated cat cooperates nicely for Kate Schrelter, Whitney
Rossi and Jolene Ortega, left to right.
Dal* Boyar and Barrel
about aquatic Ufa In tha
creatures of the wild was loss of
habitat.
Barry Pollock of Pennsylvania
Fish and Boat Commission,
bureau of law enforcement, along
with Dale boycr, presented dis
plays of fish and other aquatic life
native to the Commonwealth.
Speaking about the importance
of an untainted food chain. Pollack
said that some companies are more
interested in making a dollaV than
the environment. And the people
who manage these busineeses are
not only destroying vital aquatic
life but also polluting someone’s
clean drinking supply.
His overview included explana
tions of spawning, habitat, colora
tion and endangered species. Ears
were particularly alert ot informa
tion about the venomous snakes
indigenous to the state. The two
men distributed a large number of
publications about fishing and
boating.
A real highlight for each girl,
though, was the opportunity to per
sonally test the cruiser's siren and
hand-held microphone.
Unknowingly and simulta
neously, Mark Mctzlcr of the Lan
caster County Conservation Dis
trict emphasized some of the very
of tha Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission talk
ft
Junior Glii Scouts foim a large horse shoe in preparation for the closing flag cere
mony of the Speedwell Lake Outdoor Day. Becky Frey and Katie Ranslng facing cam
era on the left.
same points made by Pollack.
White that could be a contributing
factor to adult boredom, it is not
with children. Hearing the same
idea from different people using
different words only reinforces the
truth of what is being said.
Both men cited the bog turtle as
an endangered species on the local
level. Mctzlcr noted that in the
Orient one of these little creatures
can fetch as high as $6OO on the
black market Of course the child
ren were so busy absorbing this
information that it never occurred
to them to ask why, even though
that was the adults’ unspoken
question. As it turns out bog tur
tles arc the perfect complement to
bonsai forests.
Mctzlcr said the turtles would
live only three days without water
and depending on their size and
health only three months without
food. He also pointed out that
while water is primary to life, it’s
of no use when someone falls
through ice in wintertime, and,
death occurs in a matter of
minutes.
To emphasize that diminishing
habitat endangers wildlife, he scat
tered on the ground three different
colors of cards that represented
food, shelter, and water. As deer
competing in th ewild, the girls had
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Hiking through the woods to sam the Wildlife Badge are,
left to right, Megan Dougherty, Sara Gibb, Erica Krelder,
Becky Krelder, Carrie Judd.
u secure as much of each as they
possibly could in order to survive.
Although most were able to obtain
some of each in the first round, dra
matic results were noted when the
number of cards were cut in half.
Clearly some deer would die with
out the basics to sustain life.
On another hillside of the land
bordering the lake, a couple of
leaders played a game that empha
sized the same concept: when a
number of deer remain constant
Junior Troop 242 folds ths flag at tha conclusion of the
morning’s activltiss to asm tha wlkflllls badge.
but the food, water, and shelter do
not, deer will die.
Recognizing that all talk and no
action does contribute to child
ren’s boredom, Bcrgey included a,
short hike in her itinerary. Of
course, any wildlife in the area,
with die exception of birds high in
the treetops, instinctively recog
nized that this was a good time to
•make themselves scare. A domes
tic cat that followed the group was
a real hit though.