(REXFORD, NY) She may be only 19 years old, but Girl Scout Emily Strife is on a mission to change the world. With mosquitoes on the rise and bat populations dwindling, she’s building bat houses and bee hotels for local hiking trails.

“I get a lot of questions,” she says. “They’re actually not as difficult to make as people think. I even created a website where I show people how to make them.”

Emily’s project earned her the Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive. This year, the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York presented 13 Gold Awards to Girl Scouts for a variety of projects that benefit their communities.

“All of the projects are very different in scope,” says Karla Gareau, GSNENY’s marketing director. “It’s always great to see a Girl Scout take something she cares about and put it to good use in her community.”

Emily makes the bee hotels and bat houses herself. Both resemble wooden birdhouses and can be made from materials available at craft stores.

“I want people to see her and think, ‘Oh, that’s really cool. I think I can do that.’ And I want people to know that they can do it,” Emily says.

Emily not only wants to provide a safe place for bats and mason bees to live and reproduce, but also to inspire others to make a positive impact on their environment.

“They may seem like a nuisance to us, but in these large ecosystems everything works in harmony,” she says. “I think people forget that although we are human, the environment needs us as much as we need it.”