Conservation Fun!

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Conservation Fun! is an All Ages Award from the Girl Scouts of Utah.

The purpose of this patch is to:

1. Introduce girls to the concept of conservation
2. Learn about the six broad categories of natural resources (soil, air, water, plants, animals and humans)
3. Discuss backyard conservation
4. Develop their own conservation plan
5. Explore the links between natural resources, agriculture and environmental issues
6. Discover conservation as a career option

Age Level(s):

* + - * Brownie
			* Junior
			* Cadette
			* Senior

# Discover (do 2)

1. 1. 1. Conservation means different things to different people. What does the word mean to you? Look up conservation in the dictionary. Was the definition different than you thought? Can you use something and conserve it at the same time? Consider what would happen if our water, air, wildlife, plants, soil or culture was used up too fast and disappeared. Make a flyer that illustrates what you learned about conservation, or an interest or concern you have regarding conservation.

2. Conservation of our natural resources includes everything on the planet; air, water, soil, animals, plants, and humans. What conservation issues do you think each of these resources might have? Draw a chart that includes each of the six resources, along with three columns next to them. Label the columns: "The Problem," "A Solution," "What I Can Do." Now fill in each of the columns.
3. One place where each of us can promote conservation is at home. Backyard conservation means making your yard more wildlife-friendly by providing food, water, cover and a safe environment for wildlife. Draw a picture of your backyard if it was the perfect habitat for wildlife. What kinds of wildlife would you like to attract to your yard? Would this cause any problems with the neighbors, create traffic problems or issues for dogs and cats in the neighborhood?
4. Take a walk in a natural area or park. Look for animals along the way. Keep a log of the animals you see and where you see them. What kinds of plants are they near? Why is this important? Draw a picture of the animals and places where you saw them.
5. The State of Utah has a system for indicating air quality problems. Green indicates healthy air quality, yellow indicates medium air quality, and red indicates a health risk. Why is this important? Do you know anyone who has asthma or trouble breathing? Write down three things you and your family can do to improve air quality.
6. Utah commonly has drought years where water conservation is a newsworthy topic. Learn where your water comes from. Draw a diagram tracing your water from its source to your faucet. Name three other uses of that water that could occur before it reaches your house. What are some ways you and your family can conserve water even in times when water is abundant?
7. Our history and traces on the land are one way humans are a natural resource. Visit a Natural History Museum and learn of the many ways humans have left traces of their culture through the ages.
8. Visit a farm or a ranch to see how the farmer is a conservationist. What crops do they grow? What animals to they raise? Do they have wildlife on their land? How do they use water? Do they take special steps to prevent soil from eroding way? Does the farmer’s work affect air quality? Make a list of all the ways the farmer conserves natural resources.
9. Choose a woman conservation leader that you admire or find interesting. Learn all you can about her. Where did she grow up? What were her hobbies? What were important issues that came up in her life? Make a scrapbook of her life.
# Connect (do 2)

1. 1. 1. Find your house, school or church on an aerial photograph. Identify nearby features like a park, freeway, golf course or shopping center. Can you trace the way you get to school? Now find the closest park, Forest Service land or open space to you. What kinds of wildlife do you think would use this area?

2. Learn to draw a map. Measure the size of your yard and then draw it to scale on graph paper. Put in the main features, such as patio, trees, flowerbeds. Be sure to include scale and which direction is north. Draw a second map to scale of just the outline of your yard. Now you design a yard that would attract wildlife. What changes would you make and why?
3. Use the computer to identify what kinds of soils are in your backyard. What else can you learn about those soils from this program? Why do you think that this could be important?
4. Use a field guide to identify 3 plants or birds in your neighborhood. What are they and what about each plant or bird helped you with the identification? Where did you see each of these? Where can you go to find out more about the birds in your neighborhood?
5. With a digital camera, take pictures of places you would expect to see wildlife in your community. Download the pictures and create a report featuring these pictures. Have you seen wildlife at these places? If so, what kind and what were they doing? If not, what would you expect to see and why. Are there any potential problems for wildlife using this area? If there are potential problems, what could be done to reduce the hazard to wildlife?
6. See how your use of resources ranks on a global scale by logging onto http://www.globalfootprints.org/issues/footprint/councquiz1.htm . Compare your quiz results with troop members, family and friends. How can you reduce the size of your global footprint?
7. Make an appointment to visit an office that works on conservation issues. Tour the office and learn more about what kinds of work is being done. Document your visit by taking notes. Write up a short report to share with your troop.
8. Job shadow someone who works in the field of conservation. Spend 4-8 hours observing the kinds of work they do and why this work is being done. Which natural resources is this person helping to conserve? Take notes and/or pictures of this experience. Share this information with your troop.
# Take Action (do 1)

1. 1. 1. Find out about volunteer groups that are working to restore native plants in important habitat areas. Some may be pulling noxious weeds, while others may be planting native trees and bushes. Donate 1 hour or more of your time helping with one of these kinds of efforts.

2. Farmers and home gardeners are often good conservationists. But during the summer, problems can arise when their vegetables are growing faster than they can give them away. Find a farmer or home gardener who is willing to let you take their excess vegetables to the local assisted living home or food bank.
3. Sometimes the best way to help is to draw attention to a problem is to write about it. Identify a conservation issue/problem in your community (water conservation, water contamination, wildlife habitat, air quality, etc). Contact a conservation agency’s public affairs specialist and work with them to develop brochures, flyers, news releases or other ways to get information out to your community.
4. Help start a container garden for an older neighbor or relative. Help plant vegetables and flowers in containers that are easy to tend. Also help with the watering, fertilizing and care of the plants.
5. Organize a conservation career day for your troop. Invite 3 or more people who work in different fields of conservation (wildlife, forestry, range, soils, public relations, farming, administration) to give a short talk to troop members about the work they do, education and training requirements for their job, financial and other benefits they get from this work.

# External Links

Council patch Programs - GS of Utah
Patch Requirements