Saving Stonewall’s creek

KEENE, NH – Occasionally, people can love a natural spot to death, and at Stonewall Farm in Keene, a creek bed that people love to swim and play in was eroding. Girl Scout Leah Frost organized a project to stabilize the shoreline of the creek, educated the public on the issue, and provided a sand box for children to play in rather than the sand at the creek walls. Her project, Restoring the Stonewall Farm Creek, Preventing Erosion, has earned her the highest honor in Girl Scouting for a high school student, the Girl Scout Gold Award.
Frost, 18, of Keene, said the creek suffered from erosion due to people playing in the sand, so she planted blueberry bushes along the creek and built a sandbox for children to play in near the water rather than digging in the creek walls.
"Restoring the creek bank was actually a project we had been hoping to tackle for some time," said Sam Healey, Leah's project advisor and School and Community Education Manager at Stonewall Farm, "and Leah's initiative made it possible! This area of the farm is especially popular with families because it's right near our educational animal herd and playground. Visitors love splashing in the creek and digging in the sandy bank, but these activities have contributed to erosion over time."
Healy said Leah also taught summer campers about the restoration project and why it's important, and created signage to discourage further digging in the creek bank. "We're hopeful that these efforts will help prevent further erosion while allowing families to continue enjoying this special part of the farm."
Leah worked with many people from Stonewall Farm and reached out to a wetlands specialist to choose the appropriate action. The work was accomplished with the help of summer campers and their counselors, helping them to understand why the work was taking place.
"The director of summer camp and leader of a lot of the environmental aspects of the farm have been amazing in helping me achieve my goal," Leah wrote in her report on the project. "She explained to me the impacted humans have made in our world and different way to help. I got insight on how just this project will impact more than we can see. We are inspiring youth to take action and carry on this project everywhere we go and encouraging them to educated everyone around them."
Healy said they are grateful for Leah's work and thoughtfulness she brought to the project.
"It's wonderful to see young people take the initiative to address a real need in their community," she said, "and we're so appreciative of the Girl Scouts for creating opportunities for them to do so. Leah's project has made a meaningful contribution to our farm, and we hope its impact will continue for years to come!"
Leah gained confidence and leadership skills and learned about how to help the environment through her Gold Award project. She has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, completing all 13 years of the program. She said she loved selling Girl Scout Cookies, traveling, doing community service, and camping, not to mention making lifelong friends.
Having graduated from Keene High School last spring, Leah is currently a freshman at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where she is studying to be a speech-language pathologist. She is also minoring in music performance and plays the double bass.
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Gold Award Girl Scouts don't just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1912, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. They earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities.
Leah Frost has answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change, and her Gold Award is a testament to her remarkable dedication to improving her community and the world.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
• Gold Award Girl Scouts on average spend one to two years on their project.
• A Gold Award project must be sustainable after the girl's involvement ends.
• The average age of Gold Award Girl Scouts is 17.
• Since 1916, more than 1 million girls have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent.
• Gold Award Girl Scouts are entitled to enlist at a higher pay grade when they join the military.
• University research indicates that noting you are a Gold Award Girl Scout on a college application is influential in the admissions decision-making process.
• Fourteen young women from New Hampshire and Vermont earned their Gold Award so far in the 2025-2026 membership year as part of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains.
• The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable.
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We are Girl Scouts of the USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building girls of courage, confidence, and character.
Girl Scouts discover who they are, tap into the power inside them, and build the confidence to let it shine. Through programs from coast to coast and overseas, girls of all backgrounds and abilities come as they are to explore their passions, meet new challenges, and develop hands-on skills. They find their strengths in science labs and on hiking trails, at cookie booths and in front of city councils. Backed by millions of alums and a network of dedicated adult volunteers and mentors, Girl Scouts drive change to make the world a better place. Along the way, they uncover the tools they need to lead with joy, on their own terms. Join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.

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