Get With the Land!

By Tia Kaul Disick

It's September, and you know what that means! Sure, you're a year older in school, and you'll get to learn all kinds of new things, but for the next nine months you'll be stuck inside all day long.

But guess what? Just because you're going back to school doesn't mean you have to forget about the outdoors. There are some great ways to spend time outside and do something good for the environment at the same time. So check out this list of September outdoor activities and get started!

National Public Lands Day
September 30, is National Public Lands Day. This is the country's largest hands-on volunteer effort to keep parks and other public areas beautiful! Girl Scouts of all ages can install bird boxes, plant flowers, or repair stream banks. You can collect trash from public areas, or help pull weeds to keep public gardens looking great! Planning is easy. Just visit the National Public Lands Day Web site to register by September 20 and download the "Get Involved" guide. The weather is still great in September, so get outdoors and have fun!

National Estuaries Day
September 30 is also National Estuaries Day! An estuary is a body of water where the ocean meets the river. It is home to many plants and animals including sea grasses, pelicans, butterflies and sea turtles. Estuaries help protect our environment by preventing flooding and protecting coastal communities from major storms—not to mention they're great for swimming, boating, hiking and bird watching. National Estuaries Day, kicks off on Friday, September 29 when you can take a free, interactive field trip over the internet to take a live tour of our nation's estuaries! Visit the National Estuaries Web site for more information and to register. And make sure to think about saving water every day—turn off the tap when you brush your teeth and don't take really long showers!

International Coastal Cleanup Day
September 16 is International Coastal Cleanup Day, when girls from all around the world will be helping clean up their local shores and waterways! Helping to remove trash from coasts and bodies of water can save the lives of many marine creatures. You and your troop or group can find out about Coastal Cleanup in your area by visiting the Coastal Cleanup Web site and clicking on your country and state. We all enjoy using our beaches and waterways, so let's make sure we help keep them clean and sparkly for everyone to enjoy for years to come!

Linking Girls to the Land Patch
Want to take caring for the environment a step further? Brownies, Juniors, and Girl Scouts 11-17 can earn the Get with the Land Patch by doing environmental projects in partnership with federal natural resource agencies! Here’s how:

• Visit the EPA Web site and download the PDF file on earning the patch
• Contact your local council to borrow a Linking Girls to the Land resource guide and video, and use these to learn about the Linking Girls to the Land partnership with Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
• Work with a federal natural resource agency on a volunteer project, like National Public Lands Day. You can find the names of agencies and contacts in the resource guide.
• Complete one Try-it or Badge related to the environment, outdoors, or science. Brownies, you could do the Earth is Our Home or the Eco-Explorer Try-It! Juniors, you could do Earth Connections or Eco-Action, or any of the other suggestions from the "How the Girl Scout Program Links Girls to the Land" section of the Resource Guide.

Earning the patch is fun. Plus you'll feel good about doing something to help improve the environment in your community!

Going back to school can be an exciting time, but don't forget about the outdoors. Get together with your Girl Scout sisters and "Get with the Land!"

	Here are some examples of what Girl Scouts just like you have done in the past for Public Lands Day! Troop 624 worked at Golden Gate National Park in California on a "Trails Forever" project, cutting back vegetation, weeding, and removing invasive plants. Troop 1212, from Girl Scouts of Mile High Council, built birdhouses, tubed trees and helped maintain the lakeshore at Barr Lake State Park in Colorado. Troop 4638, from Girl Scouts of Citrus Council in Orlando, Fla., helped clean up the nature center at Geneva Wilderness Area. They painted an outdoor education area and did trail maintenance. Troop 106, from Girl Scouts-Totem Council in Washington, helped with trail restoration at Watmough Bay and received training in Leave No Trace skills and ethics. Troop 747, from Richmond, Virginia, improved fisheries habitats and helped improve water quality by stabilizing the shoreline to help reduce erosion. There are so many cool things you could do too, as part of National Public Lands Day this year! Send us the story of what you do (and pictures!) and maybe next year, your troop or group will be featured online, too! Share the News Do you or your troop have a great story to tell about one of your Girl Scout activities? "Share the News" and send your story to us at info@gogirlsonly.org! Brownies, what about sending us your Girl Scout Trip Diary (page 103 of your handbook)? "Sharing the News" also counts toward the Junior Girls Scouts Communication badge (page 47 of your handbook). Don't forget to include your name and age. We look forward to hearing from you!