Scouts create safe sanctuaries for the Orillia bird population

Cubs and Scouts in Orillia took part in a workshop at the Bird House Nature Company.

In December, 40 kids between the ages of eight and 15 helped construct birdhouses while discussing the importance of birds to our ecosystem.

“The focus was on ways to strengthen the local bird population,” said Patricia Cousineau, owner of the Bird House Nature Company in Orillia.

The kids determined the birds’ habitats are being depleted with the construction of new homes and businesses in the area, she said.

The Bird House Nature Company received a $10,000 grant from the My Main Street Local Business Accelerator program, funded by the government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

“The $10,000 non-repayable contribution helped us put this activity with the Scouts and Cubs together to educate them and strengthen our local bird population,” Cousineau said.

Cousineau ordered easy-to-assemble birdhouses, and each child was sent home with a birdhouse and bird seed, she said.