Girl Guides as young as age 4 have been engaged in a turtle conservation and awareness project.

The members of the First Smith’s and First Devonshire Rainbow and Brownies enjoyed a visit from Gaëlle Roth, the co-director of the Bermuda Turtle Project, who gave a presentation to the girls on Thursday.

The group has been working on turtle posters that are intended for a public visual display at a venue yet to be confirmed.

The Girl Guides also took part in a trash clean-up at Coney Island in September as part of the project.

Julie Allen, the Brownies leader for the group, said: “The girls are very excited about creating the poster and being able to express themselves about this specific project.

“We are looking to display the posters and colouring-in projects, and we are planning to include a statement about the girls’ vision.

“Projects like these are important to our group, as Bermuda has such a delicate environmental system, and there has been progress in little changes to preserve the ecology.

“If we can spark a little interest, it can lead to bigger conservation and protection efforts in the future.”

Ms Allen said that Dr Roth’s presentation included information about the turtles in Bermuda and the threats they face.

“They had questions about the different types of turtles and as they would describe them, Dr Roth would try to identify the turtle they were describing. She gave out turtle conservation stickers, and it seems like they all had a really good time.”

Dr Roth assessed the girls’ posters, and there will be awards and prizes for their efforts. The guides will also have earned some badge awards for their work.

Cathy Bassett, leader of the group, said that the Girl Guides have been involved in turtle conservation for about three years, donating $300 to the Bermuda Turtle Project in 2024.

The project is a collaborative effort of the Sea Turtle Conservancy and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.