Monmouth County Teen Works to Save
22 JUNE 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY LORI DRAZ
Rumson's parks offer information and free milkweed seeds via a
permanent brochure post. It was also featured in a special section next to
To learn more about Volk’s Gold Award Project, follow @Mission-
Milkweed on Instagram.
Reagan Volk moved to Rumson from New York City when
the Girl Scouts. She’s now a sophomore at Rumson-Fair
Haven Regional High School and she is currently working on
her Gold Award Project, the highest honor a Girl Scout can
achieve. It’s earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts,
and only 5.4 percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn
this coveted honor.
On May 12, Volk took an important step in completing
her project “Mission Milkweed,” which is featured in Meadow
Ridge, Riverside Park and Victory Park. The Mission Milkweed
objective is to create a life-giving environment to protect and
is currently on the endangered species list. It exists only in
partnership with milkweeds, where it hatches, feeds and
transforms into a Monarch. It is the only plant the Monarch
can live on, and the availability of milkweed has been severely
diminished over the years due to over development, pesticides
and ornamental landscaping.
The passionate Volk explained, “Because there are so
many species on the endangered list, the Monarch population
will not receive additional government help. As a
result, many conservation groups are calling for local communities
to plant milkweed to save the monarchs. According
to National Geographic, America's eastern population
of monarchs has dropped by 80 percent over the last 40
years. I’m working to educate the community on the importance
of planting milkweed.”
Elementary School when third grade teacher Sue Schoenfeld
gave the class milkweed seeds to plant. “One year after plant-
in our backyard,” she said. “Mrs. Schoenfeld is still teaching
my Gold Project advisor!”
As part of her project, Volk has created a post with free
the Oceanic Free Library. “I've distributed hundreds of seeds
which equals thousands and thousands of actual milkweed
plants.” Her project also included a beautiful Mission Milk-
Rumson's Riverside Park. Volk painted it herself. “I love to
sketch and paint,” she said. “I even sell my artwork on an Etsy
page to help fund my Mission Milkweed project.”
Advisors and the CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore.
Borough council members also attended along with her special guest
and project advisor, Schoenfeld. “I even received a proclamation from the
mayor! It has been so rewarding to see people plant the milkweed and
hear that they are attracting Monarchs.”
/TheJournalNJ.com