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By Valerie Gordon

    Wildcat Creek recently carried eight GSNI-M Girl Scouts, four of their leaders and adult chaperones and me in canoes on an enjoyable overnight paddle and camp trip.  The scouts, who are scheduled to make a trip in July to the Boundary Waters of upper Minnesota, desired a place to get on the water for a preparatory paddle trip – somewhere they could canoe to a remote location and camp in the wilderness.  Places like these are disappearing and hard to find, so I was contacted and asked to join the leaders in helping to provide this adventure for the girls.  I accepted.  The date was decided upon and had arrived.

    Canoes were loaded with tents, sleeping gear, clothes, cookware and food.  We embarked together on a 24-hour adventure.  The weather and water levels were perfect.  The girls soon learned how river currents make for a different experience than a paddle trip on a lake.  One of our tiny ships tossed its passengers, who took a brief swim. They rested on a nearby island while fearless leaders gathered the ship and baled the Wildcat’s water from inside it.   After re-securing all the gear, we resumed our journey.

    Upon reaching our camp site, supplies were unloaded, the tents – our homes for the night – were set up, and chores commenced.  Some girls were on fire building duty while others cooked.  But all wore smiles and were singing as they worked.

    It was a wonderful evening under the stars by the crackling fire.  Everyone dispersed to their individual tents as the stars flickered above us, to gain the rest they would need to break camp the following morning and paddle the distance out.

    The Wildcat presented many of its treasures to the girls: muskrats, turtles, water snakes, fish, live mussels, great blue herons, cliff swallows, and woodpeckers, to name just a few.  We reached our take-out location and loaded canoes and gear onto our waiting vehicles for the return trip home by mid afternoon. We are very fortunate in Kokomo to have this Indiana treasure running right through our town! 

    If you are interested in paddling on Wildcat Creek please remember the following: Once you step out of your canoe or kayak, you are on private property.  Obtain permission from the landowner prior to stopping or camping.  Always travel with someone who knows the stretch of river where you plan to paddle and let someone know you are going.  Be sure to wear your life jacket and sturdy river shoes.

    Thank you Wildcat Creek and Canoe Too, for providing our shuttle service for this trip.  And thank you Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana – Michiana Girl Scout Troop #30460 for allowing me to show you just a glimpse of our beautiful Wildcat Creek!

Junior Girl Scout Troop #20620 created a beautiful mural for the Lutheran Children’s Hospital. Thank you girls for contributing to your community by combining your creative talents!

On Saturday, June 8^th, 2013, GSNI-M staff members Ashley and Stephanie rolled into New Haven, IN to represent GSNI-M in the Canal Days Parade.  Although we aren’t in the season for the Cookie Program, shouts for cookies could be heard during the entire route along with other exclamations of happiness to see us. The GSNI-M brand vehicles are a big hit every place we drive… people greet us with much enthusiasm!

GSNI-M will be participating in parades all across the council this summer & fall.  Are you a GSNI-M volunteer or  Girl Scout? We would LOVE to have you walk alongside our vehicle with staff and represent GSNI-M!  Check out our Community Presence Parades list to find a parade near you!

After patiently awaiting approval from the State of Indiana, GSNI-M has finally started excavation for the foundation for the NEW Boathouse at Camp Ella J. Logan.  This new pole structure will be  24’ x 66’ x 9’.  A 24’ x 48’ portion of the building will be enclosed, and a 24’ x 18’ portion will be an open pavilion which will provide a covered programming area for the water front.

The location of the NEW Boathouse will be on the opposite site of the beach area than the old Boathouse.  This will allow use of s ome of the beach area in front of the old Boathouse, once it is removed.  In addition to the new boathouse, GSNI-M will also be expanding the horse barn to allow for larger stall areas for the horses. 

While it will not allow for more horses, it will widen each stall to twice the current size and allow girls to enter the stall areas to groom horses. 

Are you on Pinterest?  So is GSNI-M!  Follow us to get great ideas for Daisies to Ambassadors! We also have boards for campfire cooking, recipes that use Girl Scout Cookies, STEM and more!  Keep checking as we develop this tool even more within the new membership year and let’s have some fun with Pinterest!

ATTENTION GSNI-M Volunteers & Girls – - Join GSNI-M this summer & fall to help us make our Girl Scout presence known around our council!  Click Here for details!

Girl Scouts…what are you doing this week to celebrate the Outdoors?  Summer is approaching, and we’re excited about the fun activities!  Tell us about the outdoor fun your troop has planned!

GSNI-M Council                                            GSNI-M ScOutfitters Shops

A new fountain has recently been added to Lake Mary at Camp Soni Springs.  The fountain is part of a three part process to improve the water quality of the lake.  In addition to the fountain, two lake “bubblers” were added to help oxygenate the water in the second process.  The “bubblers” sit on the bottom and air from a shore side compressor is sent through two tubes that “bubble” to the surface.  This system has two benefits; it helps the fish and assists in retarding weed growth.  The third part of the process is the application of weed control chemicals to the water, which are eco-friendly chemicals that are harmless to lake users and fish.