In March, Fountain Hills Ambassador Girl Scout, Serena Noss, held an “All About Snakes” event at Gateway Trailhead in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale; the first part of her Take Action project to earn Girl Scout’s Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn.

Her goals were to educate the public about how to identify the 17 species of snake in the preserve and how to stay safe if they are encountered. Specifically, her event focused on identifying characteristics of venomous and non-venomous snakes. Noss said was a huge success with 290 people in attendance.

Materials from the Center for Native and Urban Wildlife (CNU) were on display, including a live king snake, snake skins, shed skins, skeletons, a coral snake identification game, informational posters and displays. Noss distributed snake coloring pages for children and provided refreshments for all.

Over this summer, Noss will complete the final part of her Gold Award project, a pamphlet of the 17 species of snakes that inhabit the preserve. This will include a photograph and identification information for each snake, useful facts about safety and the role snakes play in the ecosystem. To sustain her project’s impact, the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy will use the pamphlet to educate future visitors to the Preserve.

“Congratulations to Serena on choosing to earn Girl Scouts’ Gold Award,” said Nita Blose, Fountain Hills Girl Scout service team member and GSACPC Gold Award committee member. “Achieving this prestigious award will go on her school resume and open doors in both education and career opportunities.”

In order to earn Girl Scouts’ Gold Award, a girl must meet many prerequisites including being a registered Girl Scout in grades nine through 12 and finishing specific service projects.

These include either two Girl Scout journeys, or one journey and a Silver Award, the second highest award in Girl Scouts. Each journey or Silver Award entails numerous steps and several months to complete, and ends with a Take Action project that benefits the community.

Since 1916, over one million girls have earned the Gold Award. A Gold Award recipient on average spends one to two years on her Gold Award, from finishing all prerequisites through the completion of her Gold Award Project. Gold Award recipients who join any armed services enter one rank higher than other recruits after completing basic training.

Adding the Gold Award to a college application can be a critical element in the admissions decision process and there are scholarships available to girls who earn the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Noss wishes to acknowledge the tremendous help and support from volunteers of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, her Girl Scout Troop 2012 and students from BASIS Scottsdale, who assisted with organizing, advertising and executing the event. She also gives special thanks to Natalie Case of CNU, Girl Scout Mentor Nita Blose, McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Steward Sue Handke and her Gold Award Project Advisor, Lisa Miller, also of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy.