You Are Invited to a FREE Event Organized by Ben Winkler! Part 1 of Event: “All About Bluebirds…And More!” presented online by John Rogers
Who: ALL are Welcome to Attend!
When: September 22, 2021 at 7:00pm (online presentation)
Where: online via Zoom
Part 2 of Event: A Bluebird nest box distribution for Wayne County residents
Who: The first 50 Wayne County residents to register and participate in the online presentation are eligible to receive a free Bluebird nest box
When: September 25, 2021 from 9:00 to 11:00 AM (Nest box pick up/deliveries)
Where: The Cornell Cooperative Extension-Wayne County 1581 Route 88 North, Newark, New York 14513
Registration required! Click here to reserve your spot!
My name is Ben Winkler. I am 15 years old and live in Newark, New York. I am a boy scout in Troop 122 and have been involved in scouting since first grade. I have organized the “All About Bluebirds…And More!” online presentation and bluebird nest box distribution for my Eagle Scout project. The goal of my project is to educate the community about bluebirds and provide nesting opportunities for them by building and distributing nest boxes in my community. The first part of my project was to organize an educational online event about bluebirds and reach as many people as possible. While trying to gain more knowledge about bluebirds for my project, I was introduced to John Rogers, the cofounder of the New York State Bluebird society and life member of the North American Bluebird Society. He agreed to present his power point “All About Bluebirds…And More!” for my project. His power point presentation is filled with lots of interesting information, sounds, and photographs about the life history of the Eastern Bluebird, other birds that nest in bluebird boxes, and nest box management. While the focus of the presentation is on bluebirds, he also presents on butterflies, wildflowers, and other birds. Mr. Rogers has won many awards for his conservation work and public education programs. He has maintained a bluebird nest box trail for over 4 decades, maintains hundreds of nest boxes, and has fledged more than 13,000 bluebirds. He has a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to share. He is passionate about bluebirds and nature and it shows in his enthusiastic presentation style. I am so grateful for all of the support he has given me and his willingness to be a part of my Eagle scout project. The second part of my project is building and distributing bluebird nest boxes. The nest boxes are made from Larch trees that were harvested from my grandparents’ 110 acre forest in a little town called Andes in the Catskill Mountains. They were planted about 50 years ago by my grandparents while they were dating. The trees have grown and matured over the years and had become overcrowded. Their forest is a registered tree farm. Maintaining the forest and keeping it as healthy as possible is very important. Sometimes it is necessary to harvest certain trees to promote the health of surrounding