Walking to a new patch

With plants on each side of the dusty pathway and the water of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands to their right, a troop of Brownies traipsed along the trail looking for signs of wildlife, while making sure to avoid the shiny black stink bugs skittering around on their long, spindly legs.

Abbie Ledterman, 8, made extra sure to avoid the black bugs jumping around them as she walked the trails with her troop. The bugs were “freaky” she said.

“I don’t like any kind of bugs that stink,” Abbie said.

The troop of second-grade Brownies from Seal Beach went on a guided tour of the wetlands April 15 to earn their Watching Wildlife Try-It patch.

The Bolsa Chica Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

Before the hike began, the girls learned to stay on the path, not touch the animals and never pick up rocks or shells.

Joanne Buzza, one of the troop leaders, said she wants the tour to reinforce what the girls have been learning about protecting the environment and increase their appreciation of it.

“We want them to be aware that not everything has to be built on,” Buzza said.

The girls learned about different animal homes and ways animals signal to each other as part of their Try-It patch, said Diana Ortiz, education coordinator for the conservancy. During the hike, Ortiz wanted the girls to learn to look at track marks, holes, plants and even beetles with a fresh perspective.

“I think the main thing is getting them to look differently at signs of nature,” Ortiz said.

The troop was one of the many tours Ortiz does a week. Before the tour, the girls learned about a two-spotted octopus the conservancy has and got to touch a rosy boa snake.

The conservancy does educational tours for kindergartners to college students and private tours for anyone. The tours cost money, but the conservancy holds a free guided tour every second Saturday of the month. For more information on the Bolsa Chica Conservancy, go to www.bolsachica.org.