Cub Scout Pack 211 planted honey bee garden at Greenfield
On Saturday, September 22nd, Cub Scout Pack 211 planted a honey bee garden at Greenfield’s Cherry Blossom trailhead, near the bee sanctuary. The scouts completed this Conservation Good Turn project in coordination with the Valley Conservation Council and Mountain Castles Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD). Rockingham Coop provided nine plants at reduced cost and Botetourt County Parks & Recreation cleared the way for the project to happen. Local beekeeper Mike Wolfe lent advice regarding the types of plants to use.
“Valley Conservation Council looks for ways to connect people with their land. Helping these Cub Scouts learn firsthand about pollinators and plants was a worthwhile endeavor for everyone,” Genevieve Goss, the Council’s Upper James Program Manager says.
Pack 211’s cubmaster, Ken McFadyen, planned the project as part of a Scouter leadership training program, Wood Badge.
“Conservation and the outdoors are at the very heart of Scouting, so I chose a project that involved working with our area’s conservation organizations that would add value back into the Botetourt community,” says McFadyen, who is also an Eagle Scout.
“Mountain Castles SWCD is happy to support community conservation projects, especially ones that involve youth. The more often our kids can get their hands dirty or their feet wet in the name of conservation, the better,” Tim Miller with Mountain Castles SWCD comments.
The new honey bee garden is another Scouting project at Greenfield to complement the bee sanctuary and informational kiosk projects.
Pack 211 is chartered by St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Daleville and meets on Tuesdays. The Pack welcomes new members who are elementary school-age. McFadyen can be reached at 540-580-1232 for information about joining Cub Scouts and its activities.
Cub Scouting is a program within the Boy Scouts of America, whose mission is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. The Scout Law is: “A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.”
Submitted by and photo by Ken McFadyen
Tag line: Cub scout hard at work on honey bee garden.
