Boy Scouts of America member gets innovative;

      At the Eden Mill Nature Center, there lives a highly popular box turtle by the name of Cecil who needed a new home. Junior Danielle Burton, inspired by a project given by her Boy Scout troop leader, took it upon herself to raise money to construct a new enclosure. 

    For her project, Burton created a cage for the turtles at Eden Mill, who, according to their website, is a “non-profit, volunteer-run organization that creates and supports educational and environmental programs and partnerships for our surrounding communities.” 

    Burton joined Boy Scouts in November of 2019, becoming the first female member of her troop. She joined because she “wanted something to challenge [herself] to learn more and wanted something to fill [her] free time.” Through joining Boy Scouts of America, she has been able to “teach people to be better members of society, to learn more about the outdoors, to be more active outdoors, and to give back to the community.” 

    According to the Boy Scouts of America, by instilling these values of the Scout Oath and Law at a young age, they are preparing young people to “make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes.” In addition to pushing the importance of leadership, the organization wishes to “provide the opportunity for all people to develop greater appreciation and awareness of the natural and historical resources of the area.” 

    It was important to Burton to create something of use for Eden Mill because she had “gone to their camps when [she] was younger and wanted to allow other kids to have as good of, if not a better, experience as [she] had.” According to Eden Mill, they offer a plethora of summer camps, parks and recreation programs, bird searching, and other family-friendly activities. 

    Without this troop, the student would not have been granted any of the experiences she has gotten to explore nature. For example, she says, last summer, she and the fellow members went “backcountry canoeing,” which is a combination of canoeing and camping where travelers paddle to different campgrounds over a period of time.  

    Burton found the prospect of carrying all her belongings across a lake in the Adirondacks of New York to different campsites incredible. She expects to be enthralled once again by a “10-day backpacking trip, [involving] hiking up a mountain in New Mexico.” 

    When reflecting on her years in Boy Scouts of America, the scout admits that she has shared many memorable moments with her friends. She reminisces on the last day of their canoe trip when they “all went outside and were watching the stars” late at night. She adds that where they were camping, there was “little to no light pollution, so [they] could see the edges of the Milky Way clearly[,] and could see the stars well.” 

    Burton recalls that this was the first time she got to see a shooting star. As she was witnessing that moment for the first time, she remembers the sound of her troop singing songs. In combination, the night made for one that she will “remember for a while.”