By Dawn Bené & Skip Mathews (2024)
We began our presentation to Boy Scout Troop 220 in Lee’s Summit, MO, with a “Journey into Nature” which included a slide show that was enthusiastically accompanied by the Scouts playing a various array of percussion instruments to enhance the Journey.
The presentation continued with an overview of Missouri Conservation and the MMN program, how we got involved, and our participation and requirements to becoming a Master Naturalist.
We talked about our classes and our amazing field trips, which included touring a remnant prairie, a Missouri River Boat Cruise and conducting a water quality test at the Little Blue. Our presentation also highlighted Douglas Talamy’s book “Nature’s Best Hope”. We encouraged the Scouts to create their own “Homegrown National Park” by sharing Talamy’s ideas of planting native plants, changing out white bulbs to yellow bulbs, providing food and water for animals and birds, and shrinking the lawn. We also talked about the importance of insect population.
We concluded our presentation with a lively Q&A, a drawing for prizes and refreshments!
The presentation and the engagement and enthusiasm from the Scouts exceeded our expectations. We also received great feedback from the Scout leaders! Thanks for having us Troop 220!!!
