Local Girl Scout one of 10 to receive presidential award

Lexie Morrison, staff writer

This past spring, participants from across the country were invited to the White House to attend the White House Summit on Environmental Education, where they presented their ideas on environmental education and received the President's Environmental Youth Award. Frisco resident Ainsley Campbell was one of those participants.

The 18 year old was invited to the summit for her eco-friendly initiative to decrease the large number of disease-carrying insects at a local park. The initiative, Bringing Bats to Beavers Bend, earned her the Girl Scout Gold Award.

When Campbell was brainstorming ideas for her Girl Scout Gold Award project, she knew she wanted to do something to help the environment and help combat the increasing mosquito problem in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"I have always been interested in biology and environmental science, so when I was brainstorming for my Girl Scout Gold Award, I went to talk to Jeremy Starritt, the environmental services manager for the city of Frisco, about needs that our city had," said Campbell, an alumna of Frisco High School.

After discussing different ideas with Starritt and hearing about the numerous cases of West Nile virus found in the DFW area, Campbell decided to bring bat houses to Frisco's Beavers Bend Park in hopes of reducing the number of insects that can carry diseases such as West Nile virus.

"The bat houses that I built are a form of sustainable insect control," Campbell said. "They reduce the number of pesticides and chemicals used in the environment, which have negative long-term effects. Since bats eat thousands of insects each day, their presence reduces the number of insects like mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus."

By building the bat houses at Beavers Bend Park, Campbell also hoped to increase the bat population in Frisco while reducing the number of disease-carrying insects.

"Bats are generally misunderstood and portrayed as scary or harmful in the media," Campbell said. "A single bat eats thousands of insects each day, and bats are also vital pollinators and seed dispensers for many types of plants. Bat populations are decreasing on an alarming scale throughout the world due to urban development."

Campbell was presented with the Girl Scout Gold Award for her project by Colleen Walker, the CEO of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.

"I could not be more proud of her accomplishments," Walker said. "The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn and I am always amazed at the incredible ways our girls choose to add value to their communities. Her project was proactive, creative and sustainable all while benefitting her entire community."

For her achievement, Campbell was invited to the White House to attend the White House Summit on Environmental Education, where she gave a presentation on her project and was awarded the President's Environmental Youth Award.

"I was extremely thrilled and honored to learn that I was invited to the White House as a winner of the President's Environmental Youth Award," Campbell said. "It was a very inspiring moment to be given my plaque with the Presidential seal and listen to speakers from the top of their fields. Although President Obama was not present, I got to meet Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the EPA, and Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education."

Each year, the President's Environmental Youth Awards program grants 10 regional awards. Campbell won the regional award for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

When Walker learned that Campbell would be representing the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas at the White House for winning the regional award, she was thrilled.

"Not only is this a huge honor for her, but she is demonstrating to other young girls how important science is and that females have a role in becoming tomorrow's scientists, engineers and technicians," Walker said. "She is a true leader, and demonstrates true leadership through her achievements."

The bat houses are still in Beavers Bend Park and seem to be getting much use, Campbell said.

"While it is impossible to know to what degree the bat population at Beavers Bend Park has increased or to what degree the mosquito population has decreased, the boxes appear to be getting plenty of use," she said. "Because the boxes are quite durable, I expect them to provide homes for generations of bats, thus creating a long-term benefit for the bats themselves, the residents of the area adjacent to the park, and the plant and animal ecosystem of the park."

The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas aims to build girls of courage and confidence, and Campbell is a true representation of that, Walker said.

"Ainsley is a remarkable young woman and a true representation of the Girl Scouts mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place," Walker said. "She accomplished everything we hope girls achieve through the Gold Award and she fully embraced the Girl Scout mission to serve others. As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, we are committed to developing the leaders of tomorrow, adding new talent to the pool at a time when it is critically needed."

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