Becoming One with Nature

It is always nice to highlight the ecological contributions of local area residents as part of this column. Today’s article turns the spotlight on young Rhianna Cornelius, a young Ewing resident working on her Girl Scout Silver Award project. During the last weekend in July, Rhianna led other local Girl Scouts in her project entitled "Becoming One with Nature."

Ever since she was young, she has enjoyed gardening with her Dad. She chose to do her project at the Lawrence nature center since it encourages the growing of native plant life. The project at the nature center consists of four parts: labeling native plants, creating a set of cement walkway stones, decorating miniature bird houses, painting flower pots, and going on a short nature hike.

Prior to leading the events this weekend, Rhianna had to do some prepatory research and work. Choosing native plants to grow required her to research which plants were native to the region, then selecting perennial plants that could grow in the shady portions of the nature center and even considering when they might bloom.

Once the plants were gathered, she lead several other Girl Scouts in the labeling at the nature center. To help future visitors identify the plants, she and the volunteers placed a wooden stake with the plant names next to each plant.

The cement walkway stones were created from kits she obtained. The walking stones were decorated by the Girl Scout volunteers and will serve as a lasting autograph paying tribute to the volunteers and the project.

The miniature bird houses and flowerpots are small tokens the volunteers can take with them to help inspire their own projects at home or in other parts of the community. During the nature hike, Rhianna tested the volunteers on their knowledge of local tree species to see who could recognize the trees by sight.

Rhianna hopes that her project will educate future visitors on the types of native plants that can be grown locally and maybe inspire others to start their own projects. She already has been asked to hold another session for additional volunteers and is considering doing this type of project on a recurring basis.