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Wednesday, May 19, 2004
The Girl Scouts of Troop 448 made 45 birdhouses for mountain bluebirds. Courtesy photo
Six scouts win Bronze Awards
Troop 448 builds 45 birdhouses for bluebird trail
By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff WriterGirl Scout Troop 448 began a project in the fall of 2002 that would eventually earn each of the Ketchum and Sun Valley girls a Bronze Award. This is the highest award a junior scout may earn.
At a ceremony on Monday, May 24, the girls will receive their awards at a Girl Scout Court Awards Ceremony. To qualify, scouts must complete requirements relating to leadership skills, earn a Girl Scout Sign, two badges related to the project, and spend at least 15 hours in planning and implementing the project.
The girls—Bria Gillespie, Julianna Lamb, Kelsey Player, Tori Poole, Leah Smith and Emily Williams—created birdhouses for mountain bluebirds in the Wood River Valley.
Emily Williams and Kelsey Player work on constructing nest boxes. Courtesy photo
Working with Vanessa Crossgrove of the Environmental Resource Center and local birder Poo Wright-Pulliam, the girls created a bluebird trail in the valley. They placed the 45 homemade birdhouses along the Big Wood Golf Course, in Atkinson Park and at The Community School’s Sagewillow Campus. Mountain bluebirds live at elevations above 5,000 feet.
It wasn’t always easy, the girls all agreed. There were power tools to contend with, and they did construction in the snow. But the effort paid off.
"I learned more about myself, how to use power tools, and that development can take away homes from animals," Kelsey Player said.
Material for the houses was donated by Backstrom, Houston Lumber and Webb Landscaping.
Idaho Public Television’s ZOOM TV program filmed the troop building and installing some of the houses last December.
The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.