A handful of representatives from the 1st Mount Pearl Lions Scouting Group proudly presented a number of birdhouses to the City earlier this month. The Scout group, one of the largest in the province, constructed more than 40 birdhouses for distribution throughout Mount Pearl. In the back, from left, are Logan Thistle, Owen Dalton, Colin McAllister, and Daniel Whalen. In the front row, from left, are Ella Barnes, Julia Price, Jack Doyle, Charli Barnes, Katelyn Whalen, and Ethan Tobin. See story page 9. Submitted photo
By Mark Squibb
While you’re out and about in Mount Pearl in the coming weeks, you may notice a number of new bird houses.
They come courtesy of the 1st Mount Pearl Lions Scouting Group.
“We approached the City and asked, ‘Is there anything you can think of that you would like made?’” said volunteer Toby Barnes, who holds a number of positions within the troop. “And they said, ‘We’d like you to make some birdhouses.’ And we said, ‘Okay, sure.’ So, we checked with an ornithologist, and their recommendation was (design them for) Tree Swallows, which are in desperate need of aid and conservation efforts.”
And with that, the Scouts got to building birdhouses. Lots of them.
“The City probably thought they were making a handful of birdhouses, and we ended up making over 40 birdhouses,” said Barnes, laughing.
Scouts across all levels and ages of the troop made birdhouses, but the degree of difficulty was tailored to each group.
“So, the Beavers assembled pieces that were pre-cut and pre-drilled,” said Barnes. “With the Cubs, everything was pre-cut, but they had to learn how to use the saws and drill holes into the wood. And the Scouts were given a plank of wood and the plans and told, ‘Go make a birdhouse.’”
Within the birdhouses are grooves. Once the baby chicks are old enough, they can climb these ‘stairs’ and fly free.
All told, the Scout group boasts some 200 youths and 45 adult volunteers.
Young people can join at any time by registering online at scouts.ca, but Barnes said there are some waitlists, particularly for the Beavers age group, and that more adult volunteers are needed to help run the program.
“We need more volunteers to help take these youth on more Scouting adventures,” said Barnes.
“We will help guide them through the process and give them some training. We have plenty of other Scouters around to help support them as well so they’re not going to get overwhelmed or asked to lead a Beaver colony or anything, but we need additional volunteers to help us maintain ratios so the youth can have safe scouting adventures… We’re one of the biggest scouting groups in the province and we keep on growing as long as we can keep on recruiting volunteers to help us.”
Barnes said the club, which has been meeting in local schools, is also in desperate need of a permanent indoor meeting space.
“We’re very thankful for the schools for opening up that community space, but it’s not a permanent home,” said Barnes, who added that activities have had to be cancelled because indoor space was not available.
The Scouters have also collected a great deal of camping equipment and other materials over the years and are in desperate need of a place to store that equipment.
Barnes, whose wife Keri-Lynn Power and daughters Charli and Ella Barnes are also involved in the program, said Scouting teaches young people skills they may not learn otherwise, and help prepare them to deal with challenges down the road.
Adults interested in volunteering can apply online at scouts.ca.
