Woodworking for Wildlife Stewardship Members at the Stone Shop preparing bird boxes for woodworking for wildlife
The Stone Shop in Toledo is the focal point for many of the LG Stewardship Council's projects. Dwayne Struthers and Garnet Baker have spent countless hours there designing and constructing nest boxes and platforms, signs, and wildlife viewing platforms.
Leeds-Grenville Stewardship Council volunteers actively support the teachers who are instructing using the Species at Risk (SAR) Curriculum (see Species at Risk projects). They provide both in-class and in-field learning opportunities that illustrate SAR concepts and other wildlife habitat conservation issues to children. Woodworking for Wildlife is one of our most popular programs with teachers and students. The program starts early in the winter as Garnet Baker, Dwayne Struthers and their many helpers convert their supply of Ottawa Valley white pine lumber into hundreds of pre-sawn and drilled bird box kits. Then they go to the classrooms. After listening to a short presentation, each child in the class gets the opportunity to construct and take home a blue bird box. Council members and the teacher are always near at hand to offer advice, but the children do the work. In 2011 LGSC volunteers carried out eight “Woodworking for Wildlife” workshops, helping children to construct 220 nest boxes. Our last workshop was carried out cooperatively with the Lanark Stewardship Council members in Montague Township, who are now embarking on a similar project in Lanark County. For more information contact: Garnet Baker or Dwayne Struthers |  Class with completed Blue Bird boxes.  |
