What is the Gold Award?

In Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., the Gold Award is the highest achievement that a Girl Scout can earn. It is a service based accomplishment, with the goal that the project can continue after the Scout has graduated from Girl Scouts.

Why Saguaros?

I’ve lived in Phoenix, Arizona my whole life, and been a Girl Scout for fifteen years. Everywhere I’ve lived, we had a saguaro cactus in our front yard. Our first saguaro began to tilt, and had to be supported by a post until it straightened itself out. This is a common sight in Phoenix medians, and is a result of a replanted saguaro not having a deep enough root system. Our second saguaro fell over last year, even though it was a young cactus. I wanted to learn more about why saguaros in Metro Phoenix could fall over and die for seemingly no reason.

Sources

https://www.nps.gov/sagu/getinvolved/saguaro-flower-power-project.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/saguaro/saguaro-cactus-care.htm

Homepage

Home

https://www.desertmuseum.org/

Metro Phoenix Ecoflora

https://www.gardenguides.com/12574207-diseases-of-saguaro-cactus.html

Special thanks to: Jeny Davis of EcoFlora, Don Swann, Jason Wiley, and Carissa DeCicco.