Not Just for the Birds
Teen project at BLGC helps build character
It appears that some birds of a feather don’t always flock together.
Take bluebirds. They won’t nest within 1,000 feet of each other and will fight for their territory against other bluebirds.
So in these troubled economic times, it’s reassuring to know that housing starts for bluebirds (and wood ducks, for that matter) soared this summer at the UAW’s Black Lake Golf Club.
With construction of 16 bluebird houses and two for wood ducks, our feathered friends at the Walter and May Reuther UAW Family Education Center in northern Michigan are movin’ on up.
The building boom is part of the union’s ongoing efforts with Audubon International (AI) to create an environmentally friendly habitat for wildlife on and around the golf course and to reach out to the local community. In April, BLGC Superintendent Doug Kendziorski invited eight teen-agers from Boysville, a nearby residential group home for delinquent boys, to help with the project.
Since 1948, the nonprofit youth treatment program, affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, has helped troubled young men ages 12-17. The Onaway Boysville facility, known as Russell House, houses 15 boys and addresses many adolescent issues in a structured environment.
“These are not bad kids. They’ve just made some poor choices,” said Ruth Textor, division manager at Russell House. “This project was so good for them. They received a lot of praise and really enjoyed their time at Black Lake.”
For privacy purposes, the boys’ faces weren’t
photographed, and they couldn’t be interviewed.
After completing the nine- to 12-month program, most boys
return to the foster care system, Textor said.
Bluebird houses now adorn Holes 1, 12 and 16; the par-3 Little Course; and the driving range. High-rise wood duck houses sit next to ponds on Holes 6, 8 and 10.
AI’s staff ecologist Peter Bronski explained that since birds compete for nesting space, bluebird houses must always be paired and placed about 20 feet from houses for other birds.
“They’ll defend their nest against the same species but not different ones,” he added. “But they get along very well and won’t attack each other.”
Space, togetherness and tolerance.
What a valuable lesson for the Boysville teens, who will return to Black Lake after nesting season to monitor their handiwork — and perhaps do a little fall cleaning.
For more information on Audubon International, visit their
Web site at www.audubonintl.org,
or email audubon@audubonintl.org
