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The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Meadowside Nature Center – Scouts

Boy Scouts

Meadowside Nature Center provides an environment which is conducive to both learning and having fun. Our staff of Park Naturalists, with over 30 years of combined experience, will take your scouts to new heights, from learning about migratory birds for the Bird Study merit badge to running ecological experiments and collecting data while earning your Environmental Science merit badge. To achieve our goal of maximizing advancement opportunities we offer an array of merit badges.

Eagle Scout Projects

Each year we work with Eagle Scout candidates in designing, coordinating, and completing a pre-approved project at our center. Past projects include wildlife observation areas, retaining walls, a brick walkway (for visitors to view our raptors), bluebird trails, gardens, and more.

Girl Scouts and Brownies

Earn your Girl Scout badges at Meadowside Nature Center with real-life, hands-on field experiences and fun! These programs meet badge requirements, but Meadowside does not provide the actual badges.

Daisies –

Meadowside offers hour-long programs that focus on the requirements of the Clover (Use Resources Wisely) and Rosie (Make the World a Better Place) petals of the Between Earth and Sky journey. Programs include a short hike with a naturalist and a craft or activity that model the petal goals. $7 per hour per Scout; there is no charge for adults.

Brownies –

Meadowside offers programs supporting the Letterboxer, Hiker, Bugs and the Senses badges. (Because we have birds of prey on-site, the Senses Badge is covered using bird-themed activities.) Generally, all requirements for the badges are covered during the 1.5 hour programs.  $10 per Scout; there is no charge for adults.

Juniors –

Junior Scouts can work towards (and often earn) their Gardener, Geocacher, and the Animal Habitat badges at Meadowside. The fee for Gardener and Animal Habitats (1.5 hour programs) is $10 per Scout. The Geocacher badge requires 2 hours and the fee is $12 per Scout.

We are happy to discuss any other field trip type adventures for your Scouts — longer hikes, animal programs, bird of prey programs, etc.