Girl Scouts lead clean-up near Vestavia Hills Elementary Central

Girl Scout Troop 463 in Vestavia Hills led a community clean-up at the Boulder Canyon Nature Trail on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 3.

The effort, which focused on picking up trash, took place along Merry Fox Lane near Vestavia Hills Elementary Central.

Troop 463 organized the effort in collaboration with Keep Vestavia Hills Beautiful and was joined in the effort by volunteers from Girl Scout Troop 172.

As the event begin at 8 a.m., the group hoped that about 30 volunteers would take part in the two-hour clean-up, according to Lynn Holt, the adult co-leader of Troop 463.

The four young women who organized the clean-up as their scouting Silver Award Project were Katelyn Holt, Harper Armstrong, Margaret Patton and Vasi Tsantes.

The organizers now attend Pizitz Middle School but all previously attended VHEC, making it a perfect location for the event, according to Katelyn Holt.

“We remember from when we went to school here, and we would lose playground equipment or trash from snacks and we weren't allowed to go get it because it was in the creek, plus everything washes down from everywhere else, like [Highway] 31,” Katelyn Holt said.

The main goals of the clean-up were to remove trash from the creek and to pick up trash left on the athletic fields on Merry Fox Lane, according to Lynn Holt.

Volunteers also picked up a lot of playground equipment, mainly balls, that had been kicked into the creek.

In doing the clean-up, the organizers want to “help people learn that you need to clean up and not just leave your trash at stadiums or like parks or stuff like that,” Armstrong said.

“We've become more aware of the environment that we’re surrounded by and that we should protect it,” Patton said.

The young women also gained some valuable life experience, according to Lynn Holt.

“As part of Girl Scouts, they are supposed to learn how to take leadership roles in their community and take responsibility for projects,” she said.

“Throughout this project we've learned how to time manage and to be sure to take good notes,” Patton said.

They have also learned how to talk to people, according to Armstrong.

Tsantes was at a dance competition and was unable to attend the cleanup, according to Lynn Holt.

The co-leader of Troop 463 is Anu Brady.