Published: Thursday, April 16, 2009
Girl Scouts dig in at garden
Their work is just part of the volunteer effort at the Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens in Everett.
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Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald
In honor of Earth Day, Girl Scouts, Brownies and some friends and family members helped to clean up, weed and plant annuals at the Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens in Everett on Saturday. Work stopped for a few minutes as (from left) Noreth Salazar, 7, Trinity Preisiager, 8, and Meghan Halpin, 9, studied snails inching along a bench in the arboretum.
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Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald
In honor of Earth Day, Girl Scouts, Brownies, and some friends and family members helped to clean-up, weed, and plant annuals at the Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens on Saturday. Steve Davis of Lake Stevens (left) helps his daughter Madeline, 9, a Brownie, plant ornamental kale.
LAKE STEVENS -- Kathy Nysether wanted to find a service project for her Junior Girl Scout troop, something that they could do to earn a Bronze Award, the highest merit at junior level.
Some girls suggested a park cleanup. Then the subject of Earth Day came up. Soon Nysether was e-mailing around trying to find out where she could combine the two.
The Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens at Legion Park in Everett became a workplace for Troop 2452 from Lake Stevens on Saturday.
The team, made up of fourth- to sixth-graders, joined other volunteers to clean, weed and rake as part of their effort to earn a Bronze Award and to celebrate Earth Day 2009, which will be observed around the United States on Wednesday.
"This was the first time the Girl Scouts had done anything like that," troop leader Nysether said. "It was a really good learning experience."
What began as some kids dreading pulling weeds became a volunteer effort at the arboretum and a subsequent boon for some parents.
"Two girls went home and weeded their parent's garden," Nysether said.
With no rain in sight, the arboretum had a turnout of about 75 volunteers.
The Mukilteo Garden Club was there for a tree-planting ceremony and the Junior Girl Scouts helped with that task.
Hap Wertheimer, president of the Arboretum Board, volunteered with one of the groups whose focus was the Northwest Native Plant Garden.
"On the board, we each take a different garden," Wertheimer said.
The arboretum has two work days a month from February through October. Work parties on those days typically have 10 to 20 people helping.
The next volunteer day is April 25, when kids from Boys & Girls clubs will offer their services.
"There will be 13 to 15 kids at the work party."
On Saturday, the arboretum will begin docent training for those interested in leading tours. The tours are scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. Saturdays beginning in June.
Each of the girls who participated from Troop 2452 was assigned to help an area of the arboretum. Troops from Everett and Mukilteo, and another from Lake Stevens, also took part. They focused on routine cleanup, ivy removal, decorative planting and the planting of a new tree in the Small Urban Tree area.
Each girl got to plant either a sunflower or pumpkin seed and take them home to grow.
"I think they did a really good job," Nysether said. "And they really had fun."
Christina Harper: 425-339-3491, harper@heraldnet.com.
Some girls suggested a park cleanup. Then the subject of Earth Day came up. Soon Nysether was e-mailing around trying to find out where she could combine the two.
The Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens at Legion Park in Everett became a workplace for Troop 2452 from Lake Stevens on Saturday.
The team, made up of fourth- to sixth-graders, joined other volunteers to clean, weed and rake as part of their effort to earn a Bronze Award and to celebrate Earth Day 2009, which will be observed around the United States on Wednesday.
"This was the first time the Girl Scouts had done anything like that," troop leader Nysether said. "It was a really good learning experience."
What began as some kids dreading pulling weeds became a volunteer effort at the arboretum and a subsequent boon for some parents.
"Two girls went home and weeded their parent's garden," Nysether said.
With no rain in sight, the arboretum had a turnout of about 75 volunteers.
The Mukilteo Garden Club was there for a tree-planting ceremony and the Junior Girl Scouts helped with that task.
Hap Wertheimer, president of the Arboretum Board, volunteered with one of the groups whose focus was the Northwest Native Plant Garden.
"On the board, we each take a different garden," Wertheimer said.
The arboretum has two work days a month from February through October. Work parties on those days typically have 10 to 20 people helping.
The next volunteer day is April 25, when kids from Boys & Girls clubs will offer their services.
"There will be 13 to 15 kids at the work party."
On Saturday, the arboretum will begin docent training for those interested in leading tours. The tours are scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. Saturdays beginning in June.
Each of the girls who participated from Troop 2452 was assigned to help an area of the arboretum. Troops from Everett and Mukilteo, and another from Lake Stevens, also took part. They focused on routine cleanup, ivy removal, decorative planting and the planting of a new tree in the Small Urban Tree area.
Each girl got to plant either a sunflower or pumpkin seed and take them home to grow.
"I think they did a really good job," Nysether said. "And they really had fun."
Christina Harper: 425-339-3491, harper@heraldnet.com.
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