Scout Projects

Winthrop University is proud to partner with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to provide opportunities for Boy Scout Eagle Award Projects or Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award Projects. Watch this space for project ideas and see how the projects evolve. 

Projects may be on Winthrop University's main campus (701 Oakland Avenue) or the Recreation and Research Complex (i.e. "the Farm"), located about one mile east of the main campus on Eden Terrace Avenue. The Winthrop Farm has a number of spaces used by Biology students for teaching and learning. They include a wetlands, lake, woods, and succession plots, whereby students can observe changes in the environment.

Available projects are listed below. If you have have an idea of your own, reach out to the contacts for Scout projects, to discuss it.

Scout responsibilities: To help ensure adequate progress and successful completion of the projects, we ask the following of each Scout:

  • Scouts will complete the forms linked at the bottom of this page and collect completed forms for all volunteers before they begin working on your project at Winthrop. Specifically, the Scout is responsible for ensuring all adult volunteers and legal guardians of youth volunteers have completed and signed the photo release, liability waiver, and emergency contact/insurance information forms linked below. The forms must be collected before work starts and the completed forms must be onsite each workday.
  • Scouts will meet with Winthrop personnel to review possible projects. Winthrop employees can provide information about the available resources, university policies and required forms, and project requirements.
  • Scouts who commit to a project at Winthrop should communicate with their Winthrop contacts within six months. At that time the Scout should provide a tentative timeline for project completion.
  • Once the Scout commits to a project, he/she should touch base every three months thereafter. If we don't hear from a Scout at these regular intervals, we will make the Scout's project available to other Scouts.
  • As the project progresses, the Scout will provide all proofs of designs and plans, language for signs, and the like need to her/his Winthrop contact for approval. This will occur prior to submission to the Scout leadership or ordering materials.
  • Sometimes Scouts change their minds and decide to do a project elsewhere. Should this occur, please notify your Winthrop contacts so we can make the project available to other Scouts.
  • On work days, Scouts will recycle waste items whenever possible. 

For more information, e-mail the contacts for Scout projects, Mr. Chris Johnson, Winthrop's Sustainability Coordinator, and Dr. Cheryl Fortner, Professor of Psychology. 

 

Available Projects

Project Name

Description

Estimated Cost

Status

Bee Hotel

Designed to attract pollinating, solitary bees by giving them a place to nest (here is an example https://thelaurelofasheville.com/ outdoors/conservation/uncas-bee-hotel/) 

Depends on materials 

Available

Theme Garden

Do you have a favorite artist, composer, author or naturalist who mentions plants in her/his work? Design a garden in her/his honor.

$500

Available

Restore Tillman Court (#1)

Refurbish a small courtyard that needs some TLC. Design and plan a small garden with decorative plants, seating area, and/or sculpture. Use your creativity to make this a really special place.

Depends upon complexity of project

In Progress

Restore Tillman Court (#2)

Refurbish a second small courtyard near Tillman hall.

Depends upon complexity of project

Available

Tree Guide

Design and write an interpretive tree guide for the main campus

$200

Available
Tree Planting 

Plant trees on main campus or the Farm as part of Winthrop's master tree plan. Limit 10 trees per Scout. Trees must be planted between December and February only.

$500

Available

Covered Information Sign for Woods/Succession Plot Area 

Design a covered information sign near the Winthrop Woods and succession plot area

$500-$1000

Available

Clean Up

Help beautify the Winthrop Farm area by cleaning up and disposing of large debris and recycling as appropriate. This will make the area safe for wildlife and people.

Part 1

Eastern edge of Winthrop Woods (University Avenue side)

$200

Available

Part 2

Winthrop Lake and Wetlands Area

$200

Available

Part 3

Research area (West side of Woods and South of Belk Track)

$200

Available

Campus Recycling

Select at least three campus buildings and conduct a recycling and waste audit over one month. Determine the number of centralized recycling collection stations each building needs. Purchase Winthrop standard bins and work with Winthrop personnel to place bins and add signage. Repeat recycling and waste audit to document change.

$500

Available

Piedmont Wetlands

Biology students use a Piedmont wetlands area at the Farm for teaching, research, and learning. 

 

Wetlands Project 1

 

Repair and alteration of existing platform and walkway.

$500

  

 

Wetlands Project 2

 

Identify invasive species in the Wetlands area and develop a plan for removal; work with troop leaders and university personnel to stage a clean up day.

$100   

On hold

Teaching and Research Shelter

Create an outdoor teaching and learning space for Winthrop faculty and students near the Winthrop Woods, located at the Winthrop Farm. This project includes several sub-projects that are suitable for individual or group scout projects:

Part 1

Design and install storage space

$500

Available

Part 2

Design and install rainwater collection and storage system for the shelter.

$1,000

Available

 


Projects Completed - Thank you to the following Scouts, and their teams, who have made Winthrop a better place by planning and completing the following projects.

 (Robert Michael Powell, Troop 130)
 

Clean-Up Winthrop Lake & Wetlands Area (Alexander Fogle, Troop 31) 

Large Debris Clean Up at Eastern Edge of Winthrop Woods (Evan Asel, Troop 1280)

Diversity & Inclusion Garden (Emily Pilarczyk, Troop 250G)

Rocket Bat Houses at Winthrop Lake (Lewis Merkle, Troop 219)

Flag Retirement Plaza & Fire Pit (Grant Bohnen, Troop 277)

Chimney Swift Tower (Brett Jones, Troop 365)

Chimney Swift Information Sign

Raised Garden Plots at the Community Garden (Pierce Wood, Troop 133)

Carnivorous Plant Garden (Don Barnes, Troop 205) 

Rain Garden (Ryan Certo, Troop 250)

Landscape design with indigenous plants and flowers (Anthony Foos, Troop 133)

Water sampling platforms and covered sign at Winthrop Lake (Levi Ward, Troop 276) 

Bird Houses at Winthrop Farm (Bennett Whitcomb, Troop 109) 

Survey and informational signs at succession plots at Winthrop Farm (David Acre)

Picnic tables at outdoor classroom (Elliot Mackay, Troop 925) 

Nighttime energy audit and educational project (Suzanne Fitzgerald, Troop 319)

Bee Colony and Pollinator Garden (Alex Rempel, Troop 250)

Certified wildflower garden and pollinator colony (Carrie Roth, Troop 177)

Post Property Line at the Winthrop Woods (Tanner Robinson, Troop 276)

Shakespeare garden (Nathan Alexander, Troop 277)

Bat Houses (Girl Scout Troop 1146)

Tree planting #1 (Phillip Hoopingarner, Troop 255)

South Carolina Garden (Raquel Harrison)

Interpretive Campus Trail Guide (William Lewis, Troop 925)

Shelter for picnic tables at the community garden (Coby Wood, Troop 133)

Tree planting #2 (Keegan Weakland, Troop 133)

Tree planting #3 (Charadeep Tatineni, Troop 130)

Instructor's demonstration bench and podium for outdoor classroom. (David Whitcomb, Troop 109)

 

Forms for Scout Projects

Step 1: Read Getting Your Scout Project Underway and complete the attached Project Information Form (pdf - 424 kb)

Step 2: After committing to a project, but before work begins: read, sign, and submit the Scout Responsibilities Statement (pd - 142 kb)

Step 3: Before the Scout and volunteers begin work, collect signed copies of both of the following forms. Every adult and youth volunteer must be covered by signed waivers. For volunteers under the age of 18, the youth's parent or legal guardian must sign the forms (regardless of who transports the youth to the worksite).

     Liability Waiver (pdf- 136 kb) 

     Permissions: Emergency Medical & Photography (pdf - 162 kb)