Troop 2016 first began working on their Bronze Award last fall when, after receiving  an information insert about the California drought, the girls agreed they wanted to learn more about the water shortages and see if there was anything they could do to help.

Katja Braun , who shares her co-leader duties with Dana Stenzel,  said, “We scheduled a tour and seminar with Kevin Hempe, the Education Coordinator at the Coachella Valley Water District.  During the tour, Mr. Hempe went over the severity of the drought that we are currently facing and began to talk about ways to conserve.”

It was during this presentation that Troop 2016 had their eureka moment. While Mr. Hempe used a tape measure to demonstrate the difference in water needed to hydrate a square foot of grass versus desert landscaping, the troop was left having to really work their imaginations in order to fully understand.

“After the trip, they decided they wanted to build something to help Mr. Hempe teach others about how to use water wisely in their outdoor watering,” said Ms. Braun.

The girls drew out designs and decided which type of water display would work best to fully make an impact on the common visitor. As part of their Bronze Award criteria, the troop wrote a letter to Monterrey Home Depot in Palm Desert to request in-kind donations of hardware and lumber.

With the help of Girl Scout-dad Troy Batchelor, the girls learned how to use power tools, as well as hand tools to build their water project.  After construction was finished,  the first thing Troop 2016 did was bring their display to Home Depot and educate the customers about how to use water wisely in their landscape projects.

The girls spent a whole afternoon giving people “tours” of their water project.  The final project  was delivered to the Coachella Valley Water District for them to use in educating local residents about the effective use of water in their outdoor landscaping.