Submitted by Jessica Spangler

Metro Denver

Denver

Multi-level Troop 65659 completed the “Think Like a Citizen Scientist” Journey. They made a field guide of the Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch and when all the pages were in a report cover, they all signed it and gifted it to the girl whose idea it was to complete the Journey. They chose iNaturalist as their SciStarter project and went back to the Nature Center to complete their observations of biodiversity including ants, cactuses, ladybugs, beetles, dragonflies, several species of butterflies, cattails, and mallard ducks. Their observations were uploaded to the iNaturalist website, which uses software and volunteers to help identify species, and the data the girls contributed will help scientists track changes in biodiversity.

The girls chose illegal off-leash dog walking as their issue for their Take Action project and brainstormed how it bothers other people. They decided to make a video with dancing and singing to educate people about the issue. The troop leader helped them survey neighbors online and then, the girls sang a song about why dogs should be leashed to the tune of “Who Let the Dogs Out?” by Baha Men. They added their own skit to the video, and local service dog handler Aziza agreed to help by speaking in the video about her experiences with off-leash dogs, some of which threatened her safety. The survey and video got neighbors to start discussing the issue after being posted to Nextdoor. Through the process of making the video, the girls and families learned more about where dogs are allowed to be off leash.

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