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Habitat and Wildlife Keepers – a local chapter of the N.C. Wildlife Federation known by the acronym HAWK – recently left its home turf in Matthews to build a wildlife habitat at Thomasboro Elementary School off Freedom Drive.
A wildlife habitat must include four ingredients: food, water, shelter and a place to raise young.
“We saw a need and wanted to give the students an opportunity to make a connection with nature. We tried to place the habitats where they were visible to the greatest number of classrooms,” said HAWK vice president Debbie Foster.
To create the wildlife habitats, HAWK members cleared two 10-foot circles backing up to the woods at the back of the school. Then they erected poles set in concrete and installed four feeders, four houses and a birdbath in each of the circles. They topped it all off with hardware cloth and several layers of mulch. Then they lined each circle with pavers.
The safflower feeder will attract cardinals; the thistle feeder, goldfinches. The millet feeder will attract a variety of smaller birds and the mixed seed feeder, a wide variety of birds that prefer shelled food. The nesting boxes can be used by any small bird.
Thomasboro principal Catherine Hammond says she's thrilled with the new addition to her school.
“For our kids, this is going to be so exciting. Most of them don't have a lot of outside opportunities in their neighborhoods. This new area is just beautiful and will give us an opportunity to use our grounds as a teaching tool,” said Hammond.
The project cost about $1,000. It was funded by a grant from Wachovia Evergreen Investments and HAWK, with in-kind donations from Wild Birds Unlimited and Backyard Wild.
E-mail Melinda at mynews@charlotteobserver.com.
