The Grass Lake Cubscout Pack 4236 Wolves completed the construction and staging of five nest boxes in April.  Jackson Audubon supported this project and provided funding for the purchase of materials.  This project was right in line with our mission “… to instill in the people of Jackson County an interest, knowledge, and appreciation of birds and other wildlife.”

Pack 4236, led by Kimberly Rapert, built the boxes and then staged them at the Grass Lake Warrior Trails and Nature Park.  She reported, “We had a wonderful experience.  First, the boys got to work closely with their parents and learn simple construction.  Second, the boys learned about bluebirds, why they need special protection, and learned where to put such houses.  In addition to our Earth Day trail clean-up and tree planting event, the boys took an active role in positioning the houses, finding east with a compass (to face them), locating water, nesting materials, and close food for the houses, and worked on putting in the poles and predator defense baffles.  Each of the five houses has a boy's initials on it.”

JAS stressed the importance of both proper placement and management of the houses. Too often these projects provide housing for invasive species, such as House Sparrow, and end up conflicting with the intent of promoting native species like Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow.  We are confident this will be a successful project.  Rapert said, “I feel confident the boys felt a genuine investment in caring for nature.”