HOLMES BEACH – Intended to reduce beach debris and assist sea turtle hatchlings, the new “beach toy borrow box” at the 68th Street beach access is the work of 16-year-old Girl Scout, Lakewood Ranch resident and frequent Holmes Beach visitor Zoe Lander.
When embarking on the Gold Award project that earned her the prestigious Gold Award Girl Scout status on Aug. 5, Lander’s goal was to help prevent discarded beach toys from polluting the beach and making it more difficult for sea turtle hatchlings to make their way to the Gulf waters, while also providing beach toys for beachgoers to use, share and return to their proper place.
A visit to the beach toy borrow box on Aug. 7 revealed it was filled with flotation devices, an inflation pump, a wakeboard, pails, shovels and other beach items and toys. Speaking by phone earlier that day, Lander discussed her Gold Award project with The Sun.
Lander is a member of Girl Scout Troop #574, which is part of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. Lander said she joined the Girl Scouts when she was in kindergarten (making her a “daisy”) and she remains a scout as she heads into her junior year at Lakewood Ranch High School on Aug. 11 as a Gold Award Girl Scout at the “ambassador” grade level…