State parks partner with Girl Scouts to encourage outdoor engagem [Video]

PENNSYLVANIA, USA — As the weather starts to cool down, state parks are encouraging more community interaction. 

The national initiative, Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend, encourages girls of all ages to get outdoors and interact with their environment. The annual program provides Scouts with activities to complete in their local state parks, plus additional activities hosted by GSHPA. 

Pennsylvania’s state parks have participated in the event since 2019, when it was created. This year, 25 of Pennsylvania’s 124 state parks participated in the event.

The parks offered activities for all age groups, including monarch butterfly tagging, salamander habitat cleanup and trash pickup around the parks. Scouts who completed the activities had the opportunity to earn a badge on the national and local levels. But GSHPA outdoor programs coordinator Natalie Larson said there’s a purpose beyond …