FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2024
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
SCOUTS ESTABLISH A POLLINATOR GARDEN IN VIRGINIA BEACH
Virginia Beach, Va. – Over the last year, members of Tidewater Council have been making a difference in the community.
Local Scouts and leaders from Pack 374 and Troop 362 led a Messengers of Peace Ambassador Award project establishing a pollinator garden at the Princess Anne Public Library in Virginia Beach.
Starting in August 2023, the group met and identified a project, partnered with the Virginia Master Naturalist society to learn why pollinators are so important to natural habitats, and determined what they could do to help.
Virginia Beach Princess Anne Public Library had a perfect place – right next to their drive-through – and staff with a teen group willing to support the effort. Once the location was identified, the real work began.
A local Eagle Scout drew up the landscape design to give the Scouts an idea of what an Eagle-level project could be. The group worked together to hone the plan, define the scope of the project, and list requirements. The Scouts prepared the location by clearing the existing land, grading and leveling the bed, and preparing it for the garden. On each workday, as many as 20 additional Scouters and family members joined the group in volunteering their time, rain or shine.
Norfolk Botanical Garden donated 60 native plants and sent representatives to the garden to advise on design layout. Through the generous donations of local businesses, the Scouts received eight wooden barrels from local breweries, wineries, and distilleries that were converted into planters. Four nurseries, the botanical gardens, and a landscape company donated more than 125 plants, five yards of river rock, and four yards of compost.
The plants in the previous garden had been choked by weeds, and the poor soil was packed as hard as cement. The Scouts quickly recognized their plan would fail without amending the soil and providing irrigation.
Scouters coordinated with a local irrigation company, All Things Green, who donated time and materials to install an irrigation drip system for the containers and ground plants.
“Working on the project was difficult. The soil was hard, the weather was poor, and unforeseen problems kept popping up. But every day, we could see that we were making progress, and every step towards the goal felt substantial and fulfilling,” said a First Class Scout with Troop 362.
A Second Class Scout with Troop 362 said, “When we first started this project, I thought we would just plant a few plants. Over the year, we completely transformed the land (function and form) far beyond what I thought we could do. I am really proud of what we accomplished and the positive impact on the local ecosystem and community.”
To date, the project includes a total of more than 708 hours, with the core group of Scouts and leaders completing more than 550 hours, and another 158 hours contributed by families and Scouts of Cub Scout Pack 374.
Within a week of planting the garden, the Scouts noticed many monarch and swallowtail butterflies visiting the garden, as was evidenced by the dozens of caterpillars and chrysalides. At least a dozen monarch butterflies have emerged in the garden.
The Scouts aren’t done yet. They plan to carry this project forward into the next Scouting year to harvest and donate seeds from the garden to the library’s seed bank. They will also provide a backyard design for pollinator gardens to accompany the seeds, in the hopes that the community will help provide much-needed habitats for pollinators.
“We’ve participated in several Messengers of Peace projects throughout our Scouting journeys,” said a Scouter and STEM mentor with Tidewater Council. “This is the most ambitious and rewarding, so far, with the greatest, positive impact for our community.”
Ashley Barrineau, Manager of the Princess Anne Public Library, said, “Seeing the dedication of the Scouts along with the thoughtful support of their leaders in showing them how to create positive impact on their community is truly inspiring and I would love to see them recognized for this contribution. It is so much more than just a small garden: the thought and care really shows.”
Along with the Messengers of Peace Ambassador Award core group recipients, 68 members of Pack 374 and family members of recipients participated. Each of the Scouts will receive the Messengers of Peace Award.
Laura Bussiere, Tidewater Council’s International Scouting Representative shared, “The World Organization of the Scouting Movement serves 57 million young people around the world. Since the inception of the Messengers of Peace program, Scouts have contributed more than 3 billion service hours to their communities. Each level of the Messengers of Peace Program is made up of four stages: Inspire, Learn and Decide, Do, and Share. Activities to meet each stage should directly correlate with one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Scouts are also the largest youth contributor to the SDGs.
“It is inspiring to see so many young people passionate about creating positive changes in their communities,” Bussiere continued. “In this project, the Scouts worked towards many of the SDGs including Climate Action, Life on Land, and Partnership for the Goals.”
The Scouts thank all who have supported the project, including All Things Green, Anderson’s Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay Distillery, Coastal Landscapes, Commonwealth Brewing Company, Knotts Creek Nursery, Mermaid Winery, Norfolk Botanical Garden, Southern Branch Nursery, Tidewater Lawn Care, Virginia Master Naturalists, the staff and teen group of Princess Anne Public Library, and the family members and volunteers who devoted their time.
This project has been nominated by Tidewater Council leadership to be considered for the Messengers of Peace Distinguished Projects Award.
About Messengers of Peace
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) created Messengers of Peace in 2011, to encourage Scouts around the world to step up and do what they can to make the world a little better.
Messengers of Peace aims to promote a culture of peace and dialogue for mutual understanding, promote service initiatives led by Scouts, support the development of young people affected by conflict situations, provide further connection to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and connect Scouts around the world in a global network of 20 million Messengers of Peace.
Learn more at scouting.org/international/messengers-of-peace.
About Scouting America Tidewater Council
Tidewater Council is the 5th oldest Scouting America council in the United States, established in 1911. Today, the council serves approximately 4,000 youth and 1,700 adult volunteers in the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, and the North Carolina counties of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans.
More information about Tidewater Council is available by visiting TidewaterBSA.com, emailing james.parnell@scouting.org, or calling 757-497-2688.
About Scouting America
Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”
Scouting America welcomes all of America’s youth into its programs. Scouting aims to give them fantastic experiences in the outdoors, and elsewhere, where they can grow in a safe environment. More than 130 million Americans have participated in Scouting’s programs since its founding. Today, more than one million youth are served by 477,000 dedicated adult volunteers in local councils nationwide.
To learn more about Scouting America’s mission, visit Scouting.org.
###
