 |
Coastal Georgia Patch
The following Coastal Georgia Patch requirements are
from the Girl Scout Council of Savannah, Georgia, Inc website (http://test.girlscouting.org).
Coastal Georgia patches may be purchashed at Girl Scout First Headquarters,
we do not sell them. Visit the Savannah Council webisite if you wish to
have a printable copy of the below information.
Sea Kayak Georgia can assist you through our programming
in earning the Coastal Georgia Patch. Our kayak tours allow you to venture
into the habitats that we are learning about. We are travelling under
our own power so we can be very quiet and get up close to observe, birds,
crabs, and if we are very lucky we can see dolphin. The kayaks are designed
to function perfectly in this environment. We can visit the salt marsh,
the beach and actually
The Girl Scout Council of Savannah, GA,
Inc.
Coastal Georgia
The Georgia Coast, where the land of the
state of Georgia meets the Atlantic Ocean, is a wonder to explore. Daily
changes in the tides expose large beaches at low tide and flow into the
marsh grass or dunes at high tide. This constantly changing salt water
level creates a rich habitat for plants and animals living along the shoreline.
Requirements:
Brownie: Complete 6 questions
Junior: Complete 5 questions, including starred
Cadette/Senior: Complete 6 questions, including starred
BROWNIE LEVEL You can
choose to work on the Beach or Marsh section of this badge.
Georgia's Beach
Visit one of Georgia's many beaches. As you enter the beach area, read
the signs listing the rules protecting the beach and the sand dunes. Walk
along the beach and look for signs of wildlife. Watch the water carefully.
You may see a dolphin rising in and out of the water!!
Complete six of the questions on a separate piece of paper.
1. Is the beach sand soft or hard?
2. Can you see the line where the tide is the highest?
3. How can you tell where the high tide ends?
4. Do you see sand dunes with sea oats growing in clumps? Explain why
it is important not to pick the oats or disturb the sand dunes.
5. Look for tide pools. Look for signs of life in the tide pools. What
did you find?
6. Search the shore for EMPTY shells. What is a shell?
7. Collect some EMPTY shells. If there are animals living in the shell,
it is important to put them back into the sea. The State of Georgia has
laws to protect all living sea animals. DO NOT PICK UP JELLY FISH OR ANY
CREATURE YOUR LEADERS FIND TO BE QUESTIONABLE. Why should you not pick
up unknown animals?
8. Look up the shells in a shell field guide and try to identify the animal
that grew that shell as a home. How did the creature in the shell feed
and what did it eat?
9. How did the animal in the shell protect itself?
10. Look along the water line as the waves lap along the sand. Count the
kinds of birds that you see. How many different kinds are there?
11. Watch as the birds on the beach find things to eat. What are they
eating?
12. Watch the birds over or in the water find things to eat. What are
they eating?
13. Mark the plants or animals on the attached sheet that you say on your
trip on the beach.
Georgia’s Marsh
Complete six of the questions, including the starred one.
1. *Visit a Georgia marsh. How is a marsh different from a beach?
2. Periwinkles, crabs, marsh wrens, clapper rails, great blue herons,
osprey, raccoons, deer, and marsh rats all find food in the marsh. Choose
one of these animals and tell what it eats, how it gets its food, and
where near the marsh it lives.
3. Look carefully in the marsh between the clumps of cordgrass. Can you
find the fiddler crabs as they scurry around?
4. How do the crabs move?
5. Where do the crabs go when they disappear?
6. Do the crabs have one claw that is bigger that the other?
7. What other signs of life do you see in the cordgrass?
8. Make a list of delicious foods we eat that are found along the Georgia
Coast. Think of a favorite recipe or dish that is popular in the Low Country.
9. Mark the plants or animals, listed on the attached sheet, that you
saw on your trip to the marsh.
JUNIOR LEVEL
Complete 5 of the questions, including the starred ones.
To assist in your research, write to: Savannah
Coastal Refuges, 1000 Business Center Dr., Suite 10, Savannah, Georgia
31405
1.*Get a map of Georgia and find the sixteen barrier islands that form
a gentle arc along the coast of our state. These islands are important
in protecting the mainland of Georgia. What is meant by barrier island?
Why does the State of Georgia have laws protecting them?
2. Name three barrier islands that are developed into residential area.
Name three that are designated as Coastal Refuges. Name three that can
be visited only by boat. What plants and trees grow in barrier islands?
3. *Salt marshes are found all along the coast of Georgia. These are feeding
stations for both animals and marine life. Define the following words:
Salt marsh, Beaches, Hammock, Tidal Pool, Sand Dunes, Marine Animals,
Sea Oats, Brackish Water.
4. Make a list of five fish-eating birds that feed along the coast and
describe one. Find the difference between a heron and an egret.
5. Visit a Georgia beach, salt marsh, or barrier island. List what marine
life you find and tell how it interacts with the ecology or the food chain
of the area.
6. Research tides and moon phases. How do the tides and the phases of
the moon interact? How does this affect the loggerhead turtles nesting
along the Georgia coast?
7. Find out the name of two organizations dedicated to preserving Georgia's
marshes and beaches. Participate in one activity the group sponsors and
write a brief description.
CADETTE/SENIOR LEVEL
Complete six of the ten questions, including the starred items, on a separate
piece of paper.
1.*Write to the Savannah
Coastal Refuges and request the information folder for the Southeast
Region Refuges at 1000 Business Center Drive, Suite 10, Savannah, GA 31405
or call at (912)652-4415.
2.*Find the meaning of the following terms and tell how each relates to
the Georgia coast estuary, salt marsh, barrier island, low country, beaches,
wildlife refuges, rookery, tidal chart, and marine animals.
3. A chain of sixteen barrier islands form a necklace along the gently
arc of the Georgia coastline. List these islands and tell which are Coastal
Refuges. Tell why these islands are important to Georgia and how they
protect the coastline.
4. Discuss the five general regulations pertaining to the refuges. Each
girl should study and report on one of the refuges and explain why these
refuges are necessary to preserve the islands.
5. Study which of the endangered turtles uses the Georgia shore to lay
its eggs. When do they lay their eggs and how many do they lay? How long
does it take for the eggs to hatch? How is this event tied to the full
moon and high tide? Why are landowners on the shore asked to turn the
lights out at night while the turtle eggs are hatching?
6. Name five shore birds that migrate through this island area. Compare
their beaks and see how the birds are suited for seaside foraging.
7. Clean Coast is a non-profit organization of concerned individuals who
come together to combat Georgia's coastal trash problem. Learn about their
activities. How can you help keep the coast clean?
8. *Visit a local salt marsh. Find two of the following plants in the
marsh: spartina, glasswort, dentritus, smooth cordgrass, or sea oxeye.
Find a periwinkle on the stalk of one of the grasses. Observe the fiddler
crabs scurrying on the muddy marsh. What animals find food in the marsh?
9. Visit a coastal beach. Read the posted rules of the beach. Observe
the high tide lines. Why are the dunes and sea oats important to the shore
and why must they be protected?
10. Find a recipe for a Low Country Boil, Oyster Stew, or Brunswick Stew
and tell why these dishes are popular in the Low Country. Make one of
these recipes for your troop, group, or family.
|
 |
