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Vincent "Vince" Zazueta, USDA's urban agriculture adviser, shows Girl Scouts how to grow a beautiful garden during the Girls Scout Outreach Summer Camp at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Imperial on Monday. (JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO / August 7, 2012) |
IMPERIAL — Despite sifting through a mound of soil in search of compost worms, Clarissa Valencia was clearly having a good time.
“I don’t think it’s gross, I think they’re cute,” Valencia, an 8-year-old Imperial resident, said.
Valencia, along with 16 other Girl Scouts, participated in a summer outreach camp here Monday.
“I think (the camp) is really fun,” Lauren Johnston, an 8-year-old Girl Scout said. “We get to play with worms and learn about other stuff.”
The camp is the first of its kind, and troops in Calipatria and Holtville have also participated.
The “Camp Grow Healthy” theme is inspired by the Girl Scouts’ 100th anniversary Take Action Project.
“Basically, they’re learning how to keep themselves and the environment healthy,” Samantha Brown, a Girl Scouts staff member, said.
In addition to creating a compost box for worms, the Girl Scouts also learned about the importance of recycling and how it helps the planet.
“In nature, everything goes in circles,” Vince Zazueta, a garden-based community educator, said to the Girl Scouts.
As a camp’s instructor, Zazueta will also assist the Girl Scouts in creating a community garden.
“We built one in Calipat and one in Holtville too,” Zazueta said. “All the stuff that we work on during the week will be put into the garden. Hopefully they’ll keep it going even after the camp.”
Zazueta said he enjoys teaming up with the Valley’s Girl Scouts because it insures future generations will continue the green movement.
“If we can teach ‘green’ living at an earlier age, it’ll be better for the planet and for our health,” Zazueta said.
Staff Writer Karina Lopez may be reached at klopez@ivpressonline.com
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