Bringing the Bees

Madison Mitchko’s Gold Award project attracts and protects pollinators.

Girl Scout Madison Mitchko has been working to make a positive difference in the community by attracting more pollinators with her Gold Award project.

The Peachtree Corners resident lives in the Riverfield neighborhood and is a Junior at Rivers Academy in Alpharetta. She has received approval on her project and plans to complete it this fall.

“My Gold Award Project aims to make the world a better place to live in by increasing healthy habitats for pollinators, including bees, butterflies, birds and moths,” Mitchko said. “Native pollinators are very important because they are the most effective pollinators and help plants reproduce and support other species of wildlife.”

Planting, some girls from Madison’s Girl Scout Troop that helped and are working on their own Gold Award Projects (Riley and Evelyn).

She explained that pollinators are responsible for approximately one-third of the food and drink that human beings consume. In fact, it’s estimated that the value of crop pollination is between $18 and $27 billion each year in the U.S.

“There is a worldwide decline of pollinator populations because of habitat fragmentation, pesticide use and climate change,” Mitchko added. That’s what inspired her to take on the project, she noted.

Since last March, Mitchko has been working with the City of Norcross, a certified Bee City USA, to build a pollinator habitat in front of their City Hall. Bee City USA provides a framework for conserving native pollinators through healthy habitats rich in native plants and nest sites and protected from pesticides.

“Another big aspect of my project has been teaching young people in Peachtree Corners about the importance of pollinators,” she said. “I also teach them how to plant native plants that attract pollinators.” Mitchko notes that she has seen an increase of butterflies and bees in her yard after she added native plants there.

She gives a lot of credit for the project to her team, and specifically to one member, Gold Award Coach Jennifer Skurpski. Also a Peachtree Corners resident, Skurpski is the leader of Girl Scout Troop 2427.

Mitchko has reached out to city officials in Peachtree Corners hoping to stir up interest in the city becoming a Bee City and building its own pollinator garden. If it does work out, she plans to be on the front lines, ready to help out.