Scouts led by Lauren Whitely cleared a fallen tree limb and foliage in Santa Monica Canyon.
Eagle Scout candidate Lauren Whiteley chose beautifying Santa Monica Canyon as her community service project. Each Eagle Scout candidate must plan, develop and provide leadership in a service project.
Whiteley led 13 Scouts on March 14 and 15 to tackle three different problem areas in that neighborhood, which is sandwiched between the Huntington Palisades and the Santa Monica bluffs.
A large branch had fallen more than a month ago on the little island, at the intersection of Entrada and Ocean Avenue. A little local library was nestled on the island but had become inaccessible after the limb fell. Numerous calls had been made by residents to the City, but the large branch remain unmoved, and the downed foliage continued to be a fire hazard.
Local resident Sharon Kilbride arrived with an electric saw, and after cutting up the branches, girls spent hours bagging the leaves and debris leaving the area once again accessible to the public.
With the heavy February rains, weeds were overgrowing the sides of the road, and the Scouts, armed with weed whackers, cleared them. They also raked and cut overgrown foliage along the channel.
After weeds were removed, they painted a section of the white fencing along Ocean Avenue Extension. Over the two days, the girls dealt with speeding traffic along the channel, hot weather, but one day were rewarded with a loveliness of ladybugs (the actual term for a group of ladybugs).
Resident Tom Pryor and Vince Imhoff brought freshly made chocolate chip cookies and a container of oat milk as an expression of thanks for all their work.
Scouts, who gave their time and effort under the supervision of Whiteley, were Alicja Moraweic, Agata Morawei, Ella Long, Ella McNown, Grace Smick, Hayden Wagenseller, Jalynn Calderon, Marisol Rawlins, Mary McNown, Milanka Ratcovich, Nola Scott, Olivia Smick and Vendela Harris.
Many of the girls had been relocated after the fire and came from as far away as Manhattan Beach to work on the project. The girls are students at Palisades, Santa Monica, Marymount and Notre Dame High Schools.
Another resident providing supervision Holly Goldeberg Sloan wrote, “a shout out to the Whiteley family who were there to support their daughter, Lauren. And to Mabery resident Christy Lowe, who continues to help facilitate these projects.”
Sloan said, “The motto of the Scouts of America is ‘Do a Good Turn Daily,’ something for every person to consider. “
In addition to weeding, the Scouts also painted.
The girls took a break before moving to another area in the Canyon.