Horsham Girl Scouts Complete Costa Rica Program

HORSHAM, PA — A pair of Girl Scouts from Horsham, who happen to be sisters, recently completed a 10-day education and service adventure in Costa Rica.

Grace Raskay, 16, and her sister Kathryn, 15, recently took part in the Girl Scouts Destinations Sea Turtle Retreat course with Outward Bound Costa Rica. Along with Girl Scouts from all over the country, they visited Playa Ostional to learn about the ecology of the region and help with projects to protect its endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle population.

While there, they got to witness an "arribada," a unique biological phenomenon when thousands of sea turtles lay their eggs, which hatch in the beaches white sands. Their group participated in a multi-day project to help leatherback sea turtles, releasing hatchlings and performing day and night patrols to protect mother turtles as they lay their eggs.

Grace, Kathryn and their fellow Girl Scouts also took part in a major beach cleanup project, painted a new mural and helped implement a new recycling project, refurbishing old barrels to be used in the local community.

On their way back to Outward Bound's rain-forest base, their group stopped in Cartago to visit the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, learning about an important piece of Costa Rican history. After returning to base, they hiked Costa Rica's highest active volcano, Irazu.

On their last day, the sisters headed out for a rainforest canopy tour where they and other Girl Scouts zip-lined through treetops from platform to platform. They then explored San Jose's artisan market, shopping for souvenirs and experiencing a bit of city life.

"Outward Bound Costa Rica’s programs, like the one Grace and Kathryn participated in, create environments that allow for personal and leadership development through challenges, group effort and cross-cultural understanding," said Jim Rowe, executive director of Outward Bound Costa Rica.

Since 2006, Outward Bound Costa Rica has been partnered with Girl Scouts of the USA to offer winter and summer Girl Scouts destinations trips in Costa Rica and Panama. These trips provide girls the opportunity to see the world, meet fellow Girl Scouts from across the nation and challenge themselves through adventure activities in unfamiliar settings.

For more information, visit www.OutwardBoundCostaRica.org.

Photos courtesy Outward Bound Costa Rica