Chloe Colleton has earned the Girl Scouts of America’s Silver Award, and now she is going for the gold – the Gold Award, that is.
Chloe, whose Silver Award project involved cleaning up the Environmental Center at Etra Lake Park, has set her sights on earning the Gold Award by building pollinator boxes at the same East Windsor Township-owned park.
The Girl Scouts of America’s Gold Award is the equivalent of the Boy Scouts of America’s Eagle Scout rank – the top rank that can be earned. A Girl Scout starts her march toward achieving the Gold Award by earning a Bronze Award and then a Silver Award.
Chloe presented her proposal to build pollinator boxes for bees to Mayor Janice S. Mironov and East Windsor Township Council last month, and earned township officials’ approval for the project. The 15-year-old Hightstown High School sophomore belongs to Girl Scouts of America Troop 70106.
The number of bees has been in decline, due to habitat destruction and the increased use of pesticides, she told Mayor Mironov and Township Council at its Feb. 12 meeting. Pollinator houses could help by providing a place for them to live and raise their young, she said.
The bees who would be attracted to the pollinator boxes are solitary bees, Chloe said. They do not live in a beehive with a queen and worker bees, and they do not swarm. They are non-aggressive, she said, but they do need a place to live so they can survive to pollinate flowers, fruits and vegetables.
“I was looking online for ideas for my Gold Award project. I want to do something outdoors. I found the pollinator boxes and I thought it was a really good idea,” Chloe told Mayor Mironov and Township Council.
“I really thought, bees are important to the environment and I love building things. The pollinator box is a house-like structure, with different shelves inside. It draws the pollinators inside,” Chloe said.
Each of the three pollinator boxes would be attached to a post, which would be cemented into place in a hole. Perennial flowers would be planted around the pollinator boxes to attract the bees, she said, adding that the bees are not dangerous or aggressive.
Chloe said she hopes to have the pollinator boxes in place in the spring, so they will be ready for the bees, moths, beetles and other pollinators. Her parents will help her to build the first pollinator box, and then she will enlist the help of the other girls in the troop, she said.
Township Councilman John Zoller praised Chloe’s project. People would appreciate the pollinator boxes and their purpose, he said.
“This is very creative,” Mayor Mirnov said.
“It’s a clever idea. I see a lot of projects, and this took some initiative. I know I learned a good bit about your project,” Mayor Mironov said.
Councilman Alan Rosenberg also liked the idea of building pollinator boxes.
“When you grow up and move away from here, you will have left your mark on East Windsor Township,” Rosenberg said.
