by GSSJC Facilities Director
Bob Spaeth

Girl Scout Camps
Agnes Arnold, Aranna,
Camwood, Casa Mare,
Misty Meadows, Robinwood,
Silver Springs, Whispering Pines

Readers can contact the Facilities Department by calling Director Bob Spaeth at 713-292-0208 or
e-mail bspaeth@sjgs.org.

Grandpa Bob’s Brain Teasers

How is the Portuguese
man-of-war an example of teamwork? Many of us have seen these pretty blue “jellyfish” washed up on a beach at one time or another and not given it much thought – except for mom or dad’s warning not to touch them for fear of being stung by one of the tentacles. They don’t look very complicated out of the water but did you know that they are really made up of more than one animal? The man-of-war is a colony of many modified animals of the same species, perhaps several hundred in number. They live together and divide their work. A lone animal of one type forms a float. Several other animals provide the tentacles for fishing. A third variety digests the food caught by the second and a fourth has the job of reproducing. All of the parts have to work together like a team if they are to be successful. Just like us.

Here’s another question for you: What makes dew appear on grass?

Camp is in bloom
by Henry Steitz, Council Forester

     Spring is really springing forth at GSSJC Camps! I hope you will be able to experience nature’s wonders either as a camper, or visitor sometime this spring. The outdoors is beautiful this time of year.
      If you are able to get to a camp keep your eyes open. Some of what you will see is very small, such as the 1/2" miniature violets growing close to the ground, or very large, like the 10" diameter magnolia blooms in the tops of many specimen magnolia trees we have in our woods and along the trails. The woods are decorated with yellow jasmine vines. Take time to sniff the brilliant blooms and enjoy their delicate aroma. Red bud trees are showy with their masses of red blooms. They’re one of the first trees to bloom in the spring and make a great display. By contrast, the white flowers on the Bradford Pear tree is also a sign of warmer weather to come.
     There are just so many different types of plants to enjoy at camp that they cannot all be listed here. You just have to come out and see them for yourself. But do it soon, before the summer heat arrives and we have to wait for fall to enjoy the next burst of camp colors.
     When you come to camp keep not only your eyes open but your ears too. Early in the morning, while it is still quiet, enjoy the many birds that are singing their own personal anthems. You know, you can identify birds by the type of song they sing. Some birds, like the mocking bird, actually sing many different tunes. If you have a bird book, bring it and see how many varieties there are in camp. You’ll be surprised!
     I look forward to seeing you in camp this spring. Come relax and enjoy the outdoors the way nature intended.

Do you have weeds in your lake?
     Did you know that all bodies of water have weeds of some sort in them? They sometimes get in the way if you want to boat or swim in the water, but they are also necessary for the ponds and lakes to have in order to support aquatic life. Fish have to have a place to lay eggs, hide from bigger fish, and to look for food.
     The problem comes in when people want to use the water for recreation. Since there has to be some weeds in the lakes and ponds the challenge is to balance what we need to maintain a healthy environment but still not have the weeds take over completely.
     There are several categories of weeds. There are submersed weeds, which grow under the water. Floating weeds, which as the name suggests, float on top of the water, and emersed weeds, which have their roots in the water but grow above the surface. Then there is a category known as algae. These usually look like green slime or sometimes called scum floating in the water.
     Girl Scout camps have some of each just like everybody else. Just some of the “emersed” plants that you will readily notice at camp are cattails, water pennywort, water chestnut, reed grass, smartweed, and some water primrose. In the “submersed” category you have probably seen, or gotten tangled in your toes some hydrilla, coontail, milfoil, floating-leaf pondweed, and bladderwort. The floating ones are easier to see and may include water shield, duckweed and maybe even a white water lily. The algae generally look like fur on tree trunks that are under the water and floating mats of bright green or green carpet on the bottom of the shallow areas of the lake or pond.
     All these plants make it possible for life to thrive in the water by providing food and habitat for other aquatic animals. If it sounds like we are sharing our ponds and lakes with other living things that is exactly right. If we want the water clarity of a swimming pool then we need to be in one of the Council’s pools. If we want to boat, fish, or even swim in a pond or lake then we need to understand that the type of water we see will be different from the clear, sterile swimming pool water we admire. This kind of water supports life and will always be more dynamic and in harmony with the requirements of nature, not just humans.

Do you have an interesting tidbit or piece of information that might be of interest to our readers? If so, send it to me and I’ll share it in the Around Camp Column. I’ll be sure to mention your name too.