My name is Hannah Mayall, and I have been involved in Girl Scouts since kindergarten.  I am now a senior and was challenged with choosing a worthwhile project that betters my community to fulfill my duties as a Gold Award recipient for my final project as a Girl Scout.  

I chose my project to help endangered species, specifically the Tortoise.  I live in Florida where there are many species of turtles and tortoises, all who are now facing an unknown future.  With rapid expansion and encroaching growth and traffic, the Tortoise population is dwindling, and it is our job to sustain or create a new environment for them.  In Florida, the gopher Tortoise is considered a keystone species because its presence is critical to the survival of many other animals.  They live in lowland biomes, which is a large geographical region characterized by a specific climate, vegetation, and animal life and ecosystem and play an important role in keeping their ecosystems healthy.  Tortoises and freshwater turtles are import seed and spore dispersers for many plants, trees and fungi. The gopher tortoise is the only native tortoise species east of the Mississippi River.    

This is where my journey began and is now where your journey can too begin. Get to know the cause and what you can do in YOUR community and how we all can make a difference for our world.