Scout gives community a place to relax

By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — There are new places to relax at Independence Oaks County park after Eva Bousho installed hammock stands there for her Girl Scouts Gold Award Project.
Bousho, a 2024 graduate of Clarkston was drawn to the project based on how often she spent time on her own hammock during the pandemic in 2020.
“After spending time in my hammock and outdoors I always felt rejuvenated, and I realized being outside gave me a sense of balance,” she shared. “That’s when I started looking into actual benefits of being outside.”
She added she started to realize many people stay inside most of the day because of work and school.
“This routine results in tired bodies that lack the benefits of being outdoors,” Bousho said. “Simply being outside can improve your mood by relieving stress and boosting your serotonin. It also provides you with Vitamin D, and has been proven to support your immune system as a whole.”
She found hammocks have specifically been proven to reduce heart rates and promote deeper and better quality sleep.
“These benefits can be enjoyed by anyone who uses a hammock, as it will help relax and restore their body and mind after a long day,” Bousho said.
The hammocks were installed on the trail that wraps around Crooked Lake at Independence Oaks County Park. There are two separate locations, one by the playground near the lake, and one up the hill from that, towards the boat launch.
“I worked with the park supervisor, Jeremy Brown, to ensure that the hammocks would be placed in a location where they were maximizing user benefit,” Bousho said. “Jeremy ended up becoming my project advisor and worked with me throughout the entire process. Being installed along the lake provides the hammock users with beautiful and peaceful scenery as well.”
The Gold Award Project aims to encourage girls to find a solution to a community issue which they care about.
“Dealing with the stress of a pandemic and struggling to find peace and balance was the first thing that came to mind when I was thinking of project ideas,” Bousho said. “It was a cause that was personal to me. Not only was this personal to me, but it addressed a national/global link which is another requirement of the Gold Award Project. Earning the award requires you to put 80 hours towards the project, but I ended in putting almost 100 hours in by the time I was done. Working towards this project got me outdoors more as well, and I felt empowered knowing what I was doing had the ability to impact so many people. My intent with completing this award is to give people the opportunity to relax and find the same sense of serenity I once discovered on my own years ago during the pandemic.”