Luke Huang, Reporter
@Lukehcourant
More than 40 members of the Service League of Boys lined trails with logs, spreading wood chips and planting ferns in addition to cleaning at Bristow Bird Sanctuary on Saturday, November 6th. “We’re making a spot for people to sit and enjoy nature. There’s ferns for people to look at and a pond nearby,” SLOBs’ co-president and senior Charlie Corcoran said.
Nestled near Mead Park, Bristow Bird Sanctuary has been a special place in New Canaan since it was founded in 1924. “This is really great for the bird-watching community in an area where there aren’t many places to enjoy the diversity of bird species,” Charlie said. In the spring and the summer, the Eastern Wood-Pewees whistle and Magnolia Warblers fly through understories of trees. Winter marks the presence of a Cooper’s Hawk, waiting for its prey.
Forty volunteers worked two hour shifts to plant ferns and spread woodchips along the trails.
At its height, Bristow Bird Sanctuary drew in over 15,000 visitors from across the nation. Recently, Bristow Park has been slowly declining despite efforts from the Garden Club and The Friends of Bristow. The trails need to be cleaned and widened, walkways along wetlands need replacement, and bird feeders need to be refilled.
The park is celebrated for a century of aiding avians. “This a huge achievement for bird watchers across the country and a monument to the determination of bird watchers in New Canaan. It’s a home for lots of endangered birds, that’s why we’re here to help,” Charlie said.
It’s the first step towards restoring the sanctuary because it is helping birds living in the sanctuary. And SLOBs’ impact goes beyond the physical confines of the park. “More people will be interested in the sanctuary and be able to enjoy it. More people are going to be inclined to support the Bird Sanctuary through donations,” Charlie said. With SLOBs’ aid, Bristow Park will be on its way to restoration.
Bird aficionados of all ages worked alongside volunteers from SLOBs.
SLOBs provides various opportunities for students that want to give back to the community. According to their website, they’ll be fighting child hunger, setting up a luncheon at the library, and supporting pancreatic cancer patients from November 15th to 19th.
Jack Marshall, senior and head of philanthropy, said “It provides a lot of opportunities to give back to the community. Also, students are getting leadership skills, especially those that take up liaisons and board positions. I came in not knowing what to do but now I’ve figured it out and it’s definitely thanks to SLOBs. If you have the time, I highly recommend putting in the hours. You learn a lot and you get a lot out of it.”
