When Katie Fuller, a girl scout with the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council was pursuing her Girl Scout Gold Award, she developed the 146 Project as a method to support nature and biodiversity through the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award in Girl Scouting, which recognizes leadership through creating projects that have a lasting impact on the community. Girl Scouts in grades 9th through 12th are eligible to earn the award by choosing an issue, doing research to tackle that issue, then creating a team and a plan to implement it.

In 2022, Fuller, a 19-year-old Riverside resident, reached out to the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority to explore opportunities to collaborate and inspire youth to learn more about  native species and the preserved lands that protect their habitats. She suggested implementing a “fun patch” program that rewards the exploration, discovery, and research of local wildlife species and habitats. The fun patch would commemorate their adventure.

The Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority protects 146 plant and animal species protected by the Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, or MSHCP, and is one of the largest such plans in the country. The MSHCP was created in 2004 to balance the rapid growth of Riverside County with open space by setting aside 500,000 acres for preservation from the 1.26 million acres covered by the plan. The MSHCP also streamlines the environmental permitting process required for transportation, housing, and other infrastructure projects.

“As the region continues to grow, this reserve system will be our catalogue and a visual representation of the rich biodiversity of our region,” said Aaron Gabbe, regional conservation director of the Regional Conservation Authority at the Riverside County Transportation Commission. “It will provide the habitats necessary to preserve and maintain this biodiversity while providing open spaces for people who want to escape the roar of traffic, get out into nature, and feel the sun on their faces.”

Fuller wanted students to learn more about the MSHCP, the 146 endangered and sensitive species it protects, and its eight public nature preserves. She created the 146 Project to guide this exploration and discovery. The project offers two tracts with age-appropriate activities available for Kindergarten through fourth grades and fifth through eighth grades. Participants get the opportunity to visit one of the recreational areas and complete a short quiz with an activity. Once these are complete, students can submit their projects through the website and receive their free fun patch in the mail.

Several students have completed the program and shared their experiences by creating art of wildlife like the Bell’s sage sparrow and writing stories about exploring regional parks. Gabbe hopes that more families will learn about this program and more students will participate, discovering the species and habitats in their own backyards.

“Teaching our young people about the MSHCP’s investment in open spaces will hopefully give them some ownership. Hopefully they will preserve this investment in the future, not just for the wildlife species but for their families.” Gabbe said. “It’s hard to protect what you don’t know exists. Being on the land and learning about it first-hand opens a whole new world to people that they may not realize they can access.”

Fuller received her Girl Scout Gold Award in June 2025 for the 146 Project and its encouragement for future environmental stewards, and her efforts to continue inspiring young adventurers.

The Project is open to all young people in grades K-eighth, and participants do not have to be part of a scout program. Teachers, parents, and mentors who want to learn more and encourage the young people in their life to participate can visit 146Project.org.

Rivers & Lands Conservancy connects our community to natural, wild, and open spaces of Southern California through land conservation, stewardship, and education.

Rebecca K. O’Connor is the Co-Executive Director of Rivers & Lands Conservancy, has an MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts from UC Riverside and is the author of several books on the natural world.