Mary Lins, a senior at Lehman Catholic High School, has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award. This was no easy feat, as only 6% of Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which requires a minimum of 80 hours of service, 40 hours of leadership, and an individual project that has a sustainable impact on the community. To earn this top award, Lins pursued a project exploring bat populations, habitats, and their effect on the larger ecosystem. “The bat population has decreased due to two major factors – white-nose syndrome, a harmful and often fatal fungus that grows on the noses of bats, and the decrease of natural bat habitats due to humans,” said Lins. “I thought it would be a good idea to increase awareness about all the good that bats do and give bats a safe place to stay.”

To raise and increase awareness of the beneficial aspects of bats, Lins researched the specific needs of the bats of Shelby County and is actively educating others – at school and Bruckner Nature Center – about the bats in our community. Her final step of the project is to install bat houses, beginning in April on Lehman Catholic’s campus.  

Congratulations to Mary Lins on this amazing endeavor and well-deserved Girl Scout Gold Award!