Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Amelia Sexton as a 2025 Gold Award Girl Scout.

Project: Bringing the Eastern Bluebird Back to Sinking Ponds

During COVID, my family set up a bird feeder on our deck. One day several bluebirds visited. It was the first time I had seen an Eastern Bluebird in real life. I remember eagerly watching the feeder, patiently awaiting the arrival of my new favorite bird. Since that sighting, I started watching the bird feeder regularly and noticed that the bluebirds did not visit through the winter and even left for over a year. I researched the Eastern Bluebird population in New York State and learned the population is on an uncertain trend. Populations to the southwest in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky are declining, while populations to the east in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut are improving. There was no significant change to the Eastern Bluebird population in Western New York from 2007 until 2021. Efforts are needed now to prevent the uncertainty from becoming a declining trend in the future. My goal was to improve the local habitat for the Eastern Bluebirds in my area. In doing so, I hoped to have a positive effect on the bluebird population and allow other citizens like me to enjoy seeing the beautiful Eastern Bluebird. To do this, my troop and I built 6 birdhouses, which were placed around Sinking Ponds and at my school, East Aurora High School.

About the Girl Scout Gold Award

The Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work a girl puts into “going for the Gold.” A Girl Scout’s project should be something that a girl can be passionate about—in thought, deed, and action that encompasses organizational, leadership, and networking skills. The project should also fulfill a need within a girl’s community (whether local or global) and create change that has the potential to be on-going or sustainable. Approximately 80 hours of community service are involved in the project. Completion of the Gold Award also qualifies the Girl Scout for special scholarship opportunities and she can enlist in the military at a higher starting pay grade. The Girl Scout Gold Award, the most prestigious award in the world for girls, acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change makers. The Gold Award requires a Girl Scout to identify an issue and investigate it to understand what can be done to address the problem. The girl then forms a team to act as a support system, including a project advisor close to the issue who is not a troop leader or family member, while she leads the project. The Girl Scout creates a plan to ensure they know what steps they must tackle while working on the project. The Girl Scout submits a proposal for her project to her local Girl Scout council. After acceptance, the girl begins to work through the steps of their plan utilizing the assistance of her support team where necessary. Lastly, the project is used to educate and inspire others about the cause they are addressing. For more information on the Gold Award,  click here.