Les Cheneaux Girl Scouts (from left) Carissa Sudol, her mother, Linda Sudol, Katie Eberts, Megan Hill, master gardener and volunteer Mary Baker, Karen Landreville, MacKenzie Sudol, and Alicia Landreville hold flats of flowers they planted at the Hessel Marina. The flowers were grown and donated by prisoners at the Chippewa Correctional Facility in Kinross. Clark Township residents and visitors may have noticed the splashes of color at the Hessel Marina, Cedarville Waterfront Park, Hessel Airport, and Les Cheneaux Community Schools. Flowers have appeared at these places, and have been growing in new beds for the past three years, owing to the efforts of Les Cheneaux Girl Scouts, Mary Baker, and the Chippewa Correctional Facility.

Starting in 2004, a group of Girl Scouts sought the assistance of Mrs. Baker, a Cedarville resident and Certified Master Gardener. Master Gardener is a program through Michigan State University Extension that teaches participants up-to-date horticulture information and how to use that knowledge as a volunteer in one's own community.

Working over five years, Mrs. Baker used her knowledge to help seven girls earn badges and Junior Master Gardener certificates through educational sessions, hands-on work, and community plantings. The scouts earned a Silver Award, one of the highest honors a Girl Scout can earn. Several went on to pursue Gold Awards by performing additional community service. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award that a Girl Scout age 14 to age 18 can earn and is on par with an Eagle Scout distinction for boys. Girl Scouts describe the award as "what you really want to be remembered for."

Girl Scouts Katie Eberts, Megan Hill, Alicia and Karen Landreville, Emily Pieri, and Carissa and MacKenzie Sudol all participated in the program, logging more than 30 hours of community service.

"They spent 33 hours on Cedarville Park alone," Mrs. Baker said.

The scouts have also maintained the flower beds in front of Cedarville Foods for the past four to five years.

Their service included weeding and mulching around trees in downtown Cedarville. They weeded and planted flowers and seeds around the Les Cheneaux Community Schools sign at the corner of Beach Street and M-134 in Cedarville, and added improved soil to the bed. They planted flats of flowers at Clark Township's Hessel Marina for the past three years. The flowers have been provided each year by the Chippewa Correctional Facility in Kinross, where prisoners grow flowers and vegetables in the prison greenhouse. Flats of flowers are donated annually through an arrangement between Clark Township and the correctional facility.

Others pitched in to make the scouts' project a better experience. Steve Hicks of the Green Thumb Garden Center in Cedarville donated seeds and bags of soil. Local residents opened their yards and gardens to the girls, who toured the gardens to learn and receive tips and instruction.

"They were fun to work with, and what was really fun for us was that we got to go on all these field trips," Mrs. Baker said.

The girls took a trip to the Clark Township Wastewater Treatment Facility in Cedarville to learn about how wastewater is processed as part of the water quality component of the project. They also learned basic pest control, soil drainage, how to use certain garden tools, garden maintenance, the importance of aeration, how to compost, recycle, and the benefits of gardening with native plants. The project had three general areas of learning, including plant life, "eco-action," and wildlife. Eco-Action covers sustainable activities that do less damage to the environment and incorporate recycling and composting.

The scouts also learned about possible careers in wildlife, natural resources, gardening, science, and plant management.

All the girls are nearing graduation from Cedarville High School, but their work and their flowers will beautify the Cedarville and Hessel communities for years to come.