Supporting Students Redevelop a Trail in Guernsey State Park, WY

We receive the occasional inquiry about building the ideal nest box for Mountain Bluebirds and are always happy to help as best as we can. So far this year we have supported three classroom projects, including one in Wyoming for a trail redevelopment at Guernsey State Park!

Jackie Hauptman recently completed the Wyoming Naturalist Program where participants contribute to conservation projects throughout the state. There were existing nest boxes at the Guernsey State Park that are cleaned annually but no one systematically monitored them other than observing Mountain Bluebirds and competing Tree Swallows.

The old nest boxes were small and made of a composite material and were not in the best placement. Jackie wanted to change that with her project! She contacted our Trail Master in early March with questions; he went above and beyond by sending pieces for a sample MBTCS nest box by the end of the month.

Here is a short newsletter clipping and photos we received in June about the project:

“Guernsey State Park had several boxes. I went to clean them in February and decided that they needed to be upgraded. The old boxes were small, unable to open when occupied and not well placed.

I contacted the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society of Canada and received a lot of great advice and a “model box” that we were able to use as a guide. I asked the Industrial Arts teacher, Troy Reichert, at Guernsey-Sunrise Schools if his class would build the boxes. The High School students cut the material and Daphne Malcom’s sixth grade class assembled the boxes.

I gave a presentation to the class to introduce them to Mountain Bluebirds (all Bluebirds) and the challenges they face. The students liked the project, and I hope to involve them after this breeding season when the boxes are mounted.”

- Jackie Hauptman, Wyoming Naturalist Program participant

Guernsey School Students are proud to show off the finished nest boxes - the sixth grade class assembled the box pieces cut by the high school class. The joint effort provided cross-curricular experiential learning opportunities for students and their families. The students used a model MBTCS nest box and blueprints to build their own for mounting in the Guernsey State Park.

6th grade students at Guernsey School with assembled nest boxes

Guernsey State Park is good habitat for bluebirds as it has native grasses and Ponderosa pine, which burned 10 years ago. By involving students in the construction and monitoring of the nest box trail redevelopment there will be more people involved in the citizen science habitat project.

The plan is to get the completed boxes up after this breeding season and hopefully arrange with the school to follow up with this class for future field trips to monitor the nest boxes. Students will be able to visit the sites with their families in the years ahead to see how their efforts had an impact on the local bluebird population.

“I am so glad to see the grade 6 class involved in bluebird nesting habitat maintenance. This is the third grade 6 class this year that I am involved with that has such an interest in box building. Wonderful!” - Steven Shumborski, MBTCS Trail Master

When asked how they could support the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society (MBTCS) for the guidance provided, we advised there are three different ways of donating online: Canada Helps, ATB Cares and our Endowment Fund. Shortly thereafter we received a generous donation from Jackie as thanks for helping with their classroom conservation project!

“I should add that Steven was very helpful beyond the call of duty, really. Your website is very beautiful and inspiring.” - Jackie Hauptman

“Thank you for initiating this project with the children. It is so important for our younger generation to learn about the world around us and what they can do to help make it a better place.” - Kathy Koenig, MBTCS Treasurer

We look forward to seeing how this project develops and hope to hear about how students are involved with Mountain Bluebirds into the future. Thank you to all educators involved in connecting students with learning opportunities like this!