On June 15, members of Girl Scout Troop 70624 teamed up with the Lancaster County Department of Parks and Recreation to complete a service project at Lancaster County Central Park. The girls collaborated with park naturalist Lisa Sanchez to design and build a platform for turtles in the pond adjacent to the park's environmental center. The troop's members, which includes Junior Scouts from the Penn Manor and Lampeter-Strasburg school districts, earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award for their participation in the project.

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is given to young Scouts who discover an issue in the local community and work as a team to create a solution. Since the members of Troop 70624 have a long history of working with local animal advocacy organizations and wildlife preservations, they wanted to use the Bronze Award project to help an endangered species native to Pennsylvania. The turtle platform project was inspired by an encounter with wild box turtles during one of the troop's camping trips last summer. "When you think about endangered species, you of think of animals in the rainforest and things like that," said Kirsten Ditzler, co-leader for Girl Scout Troop 70624. "We see less and less box turtles on hikes and camping trips, and after doing some research, we learned that they qualify as an endangered species."

After the Scouts decided to help turtles with their project, they contacted the Lancaster County Department of Parks and Recreation to learn more about the reptiles and their habitat. The girls identified the need for a safe habitat in Lancaster County Central Park's pond that would allow wild turtles to bask in the sun; the animals often use rotted logs and other objects that deteriorate easily or float away.

The Scouts and several parent volunteers engineered a structurally sound wooden platform that could withstand the wear and tear of the outdoors as well as the unpredictable water level of the pond, which fluctuates depending on how much rainfall there is. The girls also earned the Engineering badge by completing the project, as it gave hands-on experience working with power tools and taking precise measurements. Supplies for the project were donated by PPL Electric Utilities and GR Mitchell Inc., a hardware store in Willow Street.

In previous years, members of Troop 70624 have completed service projects for the Pet Pantry of Lancaster and the Wolf Sanctuary of PA in Lititz. "My girls have always been interested in animals," Ditzler said. "(Lancaster County Department of Parks and Recreation) has been absolutely amazing, supporting us through education and giving the girls a chance to learn through hands-on experience."