The James B Harrison Foundation sponsored two merit badge workshops at Harrison-Long Point this Spring - Bird Study and Nature. These workshops were open to Scouts active in local area BSA Troops. Held separately, each workshop consisted of instructional topics, an interactive nature hike, and a project component. Instructional topics and nature hikes were led by local area expert volunteers from the Texas Master Naturalist Coastal Prairie Chapter.
The Bird Study Merit Badge Workshop took place on March 14th and welcomed 17 Scouts who learned about various species of birds, how to identify birds by sight and sound, the various parts of the bird, birding tools, bird habitat, and careers in birding. Scouts participated in 3 short bird hikes in various parts of the property, each targeting a different type of habitat - grasslands, ponds and wetlands, and woodlands. During these bird hikes, Scouts were required to identify 20 different species of birds with 5 being documented by sound! The workshop wrapped up with the construction of a bird viewing wall for the project portion of the merit badge.
The Nature Merit Badge Workshop took place on March 16th and welcomed 19 Scouts who learned about various topics of nature including birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians, mammals, and plants. During two interpretive nature hikes, Scouts identified 3 mammals, 8 species of birds, 15 wild plants, and fish native to the area, searched for mammal tracks, and listened for reptiles and amphibians. Hands-on activities included making plaster casts of mammal tracks and creating a plant poster identifying and labeling 12 leaves of plants found in nature. For their project, Nature merit badge Scouts participated in planting native plants in the bird sanctuary, creating a pocket prairie.
