Joan Merriman writes: On Saturday, February 27th The Chapman Sanctuary and Visny Woods invited Cub Scout Pack 369 from Moultonborough to join Sanctuary Coordinator Sarah Norton in the cleaning and preparing of several bird houses located on the sanctuary property in anticipation of the upcoming migration. What was initially supposed to be a snowshoe turned out to be more of a hike due to the lack of snow. This did not, however, dull these scouts’ spirits. It turned out to be a beautiful day, filled with exciting educational experiences. The scouts took delight in discovering nests from the previous year, examining the different materials the birds from the previous year used to build them.
Each scout and some of the parents took turns cleaning each bird house and spraying the poles down with ammonia to prevent any hungry and curious critters from trying to build their homes or make a meal of the new occupants. The scouts were excited to discover that in a few of the houses mice had built nests, and were amazed that they could climb the poles to get in the houses. The boys also enjoyed reading several of the information boards that are located along the trails and learned about things such as what a logging brow and a stone culvert were. All in all, it was a great day. The scouts earned their community service badges had a great time on the trails with their friends and families, and even learned a few things along the way. We look forward to sharing many more outdoor experiences with these young adventurers.