Cape Conservation Corps Donation of Bat Houses To Local CSC Girl Scout Troop

In 2017, Beverly Triton Beach Park officially went online as the new and improved Beverly Triton Nature Park.  With an upgraded playground, boating ramps, and vision for the 340 acres of green space, Beverly Triton Nature Park’s rangers have been working hard to invite the public into their new vision of the park.  While the space has been open to kiteboarding and fishing etc. for decades, the park is now offering hiking trails and educational programs.  The 4^th grade ladies from Troop 55 of the Broadneck Peninsula were ecstatic to explore some new trails in our Anne Arundel backyard.  And as always, these Junior Girl Scouts were happy to leave it better than they found it.

            The troop of 13 girls spent a beautiful, sunny afternoon with Ranger Victor earning their animal habitat badges.  Ranger Victor introduced the girls to local species living at Beverly Triton Nature Park, sharing skins, shells and bone fragments, as well as pointing out occupied animal habitats throughout the park.  The culmination of their exploration of animal habitats in not only Beverly Triton Nature Park, but Maryland as a whole, was an in depth discussion of bats found here in our state.  Ranger Victor discussed the species of bats found here in Maryland and their declining numbers.  As a new park expanding its educational mission and offering new trails, adding bat houses to attract and provide safe shelter for the local bat population has been on the docket for the rangers of Beverly Triton.  While the girls had a blast decorating small bat house kits in vibrant paint colors and glitter, the success rate of habitation and durability of these smaller bat houses is low.  That’s where Cape Conservation Corps stepped up to help some of its youngest residents improve one of our local county parks.  Cape Conservation Corps donated 6 high quality cedar bat houses which the girls stained with the appropriate bat safe, outdoor weather resistant wood stain.  These bat houses were later hung throughout the park in locations the girls discussed with Ranger Victor that would be best suited for bats – high up and along the edge of the tree line, but not obscured by trees.  As Ranger Victor explained to the girls, bats like a clear entry/exit from the bat house along with the protection of the tree line.  A huge thank you to Cape Conservation Corps for helping the girls earn their badge, bring awareness and name recognition to one of Anne Arundel’s newest family friendly green spaces, and most importantly, for encouraging and supporting Maryland’s local fauna.  The Junior girls of Troop 55 cannot wait to work with Cape Conservation Corps in the future right here in Cape St Claire.