A young Girl Scout earned the Silver Award – the highest honor available to a Girl Scout Cadette (sixth, seventh, and eighth grades) – with a project at the League’s Arlington-Fairfax Chapter (Virginia) that was “for the birds.”

Mary Subia’s family joined the Arlington-Fairfax Chapter last year after they moved from Arizona to Virginia. When she decided to put her efforts toward improving her community and earning a Silver Award, Mary immediately thought of doing something on the chapter grounds to benefit wildlife. She chose birdhouses because “they are a small but vital step in creating suitable nesting areas for native bird species” that have lost their habitat due to development – a common problem in the suburb of Washington, DC, where the chapter is located. In addition, the nesting boxes would help “protect smaller song birds against predators such as snakes, rats, and larger birds.”

Mary attended the chapter’s Board of Directors meeting to present her project proposal, which the Board readily approved. The Board gave Mary access to unused lumber stacked up on the chapter grounds, so she was able to complete her project with scrap and reclaimed wood.

With materials donated by the chapter, Mary was able to build 11 individual birdhouses, refurbish 3 small birdhouses already on the chapter property, and build one large birdhouse that could house up to 8 birds. She then installed each house on the chapter property.

Next spring, Arlington-Fairfax Chapter members will hopefully enjoy the sweet sounds of success as song birds make their homes in the new nesting boxes.