Girl Scouts Love State Parks

Two Girl Scouts doing Junior Ranger activities. Includes superimposed Girl Scouts Love State Parks and Florida State Park logos

Girl Scouts Love State Parks

September 12 &13, 2020

Welcome to your all-access-pass to everything you need for your Girl Scouts Love State Parks Virtual Florida Adventure. We have curated a collection of fun activities, park videos and career inspirations just for you. Enjoy exploring Florida State Parks and get inspired to experience Florida State Parks like a G.I.R.L.  

To Participate:

  1. Watch the Welcome Video with Ranger Scarlett.
  2. Read three stories of Women in the Florida Park Service.
  3. Watch two Women in Parks videos.
  4. Take the Virtual Junior Ranger Pledge.
  5. Complete the GSLSP Virtual Junior Ranger Mini Unit.

There is always more to explore with Florida State Parks! You can check out critter sheets, the rest of Virtual Junior Ranger, Color the Real Florida and Biologists Tell the the Story with the links at the bottom of this page.

Women in the Florida Park Service

There are 630 women in the Florida Park Service. More than 90 of those women participated in Girl Scouts as a child. Select from these 12 stories to discover more about their work and how being a Girl Scout inspired their careers. Click the image to read the more.

Sandy Cook

Sandy started working for Florida State Parks in 1971. She was one of the first women park rangers and managers.
Chanell Guilaume

Chanell finds peace, wonder and discovery while exploring (and working) at Florida’s state parks.
Maya Hoffman

Maya learned about camping and nature as a Girl Scout. Now, she uses that knowledge to give back to the community.
Diana Stinson

Diana’s love of the outdoors led her to the AmeriCorps program before becoming a park ranger in 2006.
Thea Knott

Thea loves her park uniform. She says she feels like she is still wearing a Girl Scout uniform every day.
Lynne Flannery

Lynne says countless hours exploring her childhood neighborhood led to a science degree.
Shannon Kelly

Shannon advises: “Know that you are capable of everything. You are strong enough. You are smart enough.”
Elena Muratori

Elena advises today’s Girl Scouts to “follow your star and do what you love!” along with work hard and have fun. 
Alice Bard

Alice works as a biologist and says believe in yourself as a leader and follow the Girl Scout Law. 
Heather Coleman

Heather learned how to communicate through selling Girl Scout Cookies and teaching skills to younger scouts.
Heather Shuke-Nelson

Heather feels her focus on service, teamwork and leadership are rooted in her scouting experiences.
Gabrielle Bradley

Gabrielle was inspired to become a ranger because she loves being outdoors and protecting resources.

Click here to read more interviews.

Women in Parks

These videos show the many different ways you can become active in parks and at home. You can discover cool places, find fun adventures and learn interesting things.

Amazing Oysters with Ranger Alaina

Ranger Chandler helps repurpose plastics

Aquifer Experiment with Ranger Jane

Sabrina explores Florida's lakes

Brianna wants you to help baby sea turtles

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Explore Blackwater River State Park with Ranger Aimee

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Selah shares hiking tips for your next adventure

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Wildlife Workout with Ranger Kate

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See more videos on our GSLSP Playlist!

Virtual Junior Ranger Pledge

Watch the video and say the pledge along with Ranger JulieAnne. Then, complete your Virtual Junior Ranger Registration.

GSLSP VJR Mini Unit

GSLSP Virtual Junior Ranger Mini Unit

The Virtual Junior Ranger Program is a fun and engaging way to learn about parks and connect to the natural and cultural wonders of Florida. Virtual Junior Rangers can explore parks from anywhere and discover the fun and exciting ways rangers help make Florida State Parks the amazing places they are.

The GSLSP Virtual Junior Ranger Mini Unit  will help you to track your virtual experience. At the end you will get a special digital prize to use on your device and share with your family and friends.

Not a Girl Scout? Not a problem, you can still do these activities.

Want to know more about Girls Scouts? Visit the Girl Scouts Love State Parks page to learn more about the program.

More to explore with Parks from Anywhere

Virtual Junior Ranger Block
Learn

Virtual Junior Ranger

Virtual Junior Rangers can explore parks from anywhere and discover the fun and exciting ways rangers help make Florida State Parks the amazing places they are.
Composite image of Florida species
Program

Critter Sheets

Critter Sheets are fun ways to learn about Florida's plants and animals and how you can help wildlife in your community. Print or use these images on your device with your favorite coloring app.

The coloring book cover
Program

Color the Real Florida

Florida has 84 natural communities that are home to a variety of plants and animals. Explore coloring pages for eight of these communities by discovering the plants and animals in each habitat.

Parks from Anywhere

Discover projects led by Women Biologists

Three juvenile Florida scrub-jays perch in a sand live oak tree.
Learn

Managing Florida Scrub-Jay Habitat

If you build it, they will come. That’s what Biologist Laurie Dolan found with a population of Florida scrub-jays along the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. With Florida Park Service management of a 446-acre parcel of land, the population has grown from 25 birds in 2008 to more than 100 birds in 2019.
A loggerhead turtle nesting during a guided turtle walk.
Learn

Monitoring Sea Turtle Nests in Florida's State Parks

For 2019, most of the sea turtle nests have hatched and the adult turtles are migrating back to their feeding grounds. Here in Florida, park rangers, biologists and volunteers are still telling stories and planning for 2020.
VIDEO: Chimney swifts circle before entering the chimney to roost.
Learn

Counting Chimney Swifts at Wakulla Springs Lodge

Recently, about 70 visitors gathered in the front of the Lodge to learn about the Chimney Swifts and watch their aerial dance as they entered the chimney to roost for the evening.

Field of turtle grass.
Learn

Protecting Seagrass Flats in the Florida Keys

Healthy seagrass communities are the most productive ecosystems the world. Biologist Becky Collins tells the story of how mooring buoys and channel markers help boaters protect the seagrass communities.
This area of the park has been replanted following Hurricane Irma.
Learn

Restoring Long Key State Park Following Hurricane Irma

After the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017, state parks in the Florida Keys started on the road to recovery. The team pulled together at Long Key State Park to assess the damage and develop a plan to help habitat recovery. In this edition of The Biologist Tells the Story, Biologist Janice Duquesnel tells the story of replanting the park.
Mourning warbler in the hand.
Learn

Banding Songbirds at Cape Florida

Since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the biologist at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park has been studying the annual migration of songbirds from the U.S. to Peru. The program provides intriguing data about more than 29,000 birds.

Program Registration

Registration is not required.