The Bear Den of Cub Scout Pack 700, located at Dorchester Presbyterian Church, completed its project of building and installing 10 bluebird boxes at the new Dorchester Heritage Center site outside of Ridgeville this month.
The Bears spent a den meeting building bird boxes. Then, some of them helped Dorchester Heritage Center’s Edsel Taylor, a member of the Master Naturalist Association, install the boxes around the property and learn more about why it was important for the birds in the area. Like most tree cavity-nesting birds, bluebirds have lost much of their natural nesting habitat due to industrial development and the clearing of woods and forests. The boxes help protect baby bluebirds from predators such as snakes, cats and raccoons. Bluebird nesting activity creates interest and attracts visitors to parks and greenspace areas. “By building and properly installing bluebird boxes, you can boost the bluebird population in the local area,” Taylor said.
Bluebirds feed mainly on insects and, therefore, are essential to farmers and gardeners who need less harmful pesticides to protect crops from invasive insects.
The project was managed so that the Scouts could see it through from start to finish. The project is a step in the “Baloo the Builder” and “Paws for Action” (citizenship) adventures to complete their Bear rank and to participate in the World Organization of Scouting Movement’s (WOSM) Messengers of Peace program.
