One of the great things about living in Salmon Arm, is experiencing the city’s sense of togetherness. This community has a way of coming together for a shared goal. The birdhouse replacement project along the foreshore trail in the Salmon Arm Bay area is an example of such a project.

The birdhouse replacement project

About three years ago, Dianne Wittner, retired biologist and member of the Shuswap Naturalists, noticed many of the birdhouses along the trail weren’t set up for bird survival. The birdhouses hadn’t been maintained and many were in a state of disrepair, and detrimental to their inhabitants. Wittner, with permission from the Naturalists Club, took it upon herself to clean and salvage the old birdhouses, leaving only about a dozen that were in a safe condition for bird use.

During 2017, birds competed fiercely for the available houses. As the result of a desperate need, more boxes were added in 2018. Upon learning of this need, Patrick Shea, a volunteer at the Shuswap Makerspace, stepped up to lead the design and build of additional bird houses for the foreshore in conjunction with local youth and the Shuswap Naturalists.

Community involvement

Earlier this year, students from Ceren Caner’s class at the South Canoe Elementary Outdoor School got involved by attending the Shuswap Makerspace woodworking shop to build birdhouses and learn about the birds that would be living in them. Students learned about woodworking safety as well as birds from across B.C. As a result, 50 new boxes were placed along the foreshore trail and and in Peter Jannick Park his past April, with support from local businesses including Rona and Warner Rentals. Though the use of technology and knowledge of Shuswap Makerspace volunteers, data is now being collected and bird house use is being monitored to improve the efficiency of the program in future years

This multi-generational project included youth to seniors and everyone in-between crossing disciplines of biology, woodworking and high-technology. Salmon Arm is a small city with big ideas! This collaborative effort is one more example volunteerism, knowledge sharing, innovation, focus on environment, and problem solving that the City prides itself on. Next time you're taking in the beauty of the foreshore trail, be sure to watch for the many birds nesting there. If you'd like to get involved in the birdhouse project, contact the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society to learn more.