Project School Directory: Backus Elementary School

Site: 16 acres on the shore of Pine Mountain Lake	Coordinator: Diane Norlin, 5th grade teacher dnorlin@prbackus.k12.mn.us
Projects: Nesting and feeding structures
Description: Backus Elementary School lies just one block from Pine Mountain Lake. A sixteen acre park on the lake shore has potential to become a high quality outdoor classroom for the school. The community realizes this and has undertaken a Waterfront Revitalization Project, which promotes expanding the teaching potential of the park for the elementary school. The fifth graders at Backus Elementary have done a unit on birds which sparked student interest in feeding them. Four bird feeders were made, using designs in from resources including Woodworking for Wildlife, Making Birdhouses & Feeders, Birdfeeders-Shelters & Baths, and Landscaping for Wildlife. A parent volunteer from the DNR helped place the feeders, which were filled with sunflower seeds in the park. As we all know, nature knows best and the original planting site was flooded due to a rainy spring. Thus the site was changed to a more elevated site which now will attract butterflies as well as birds. Bird feeders were placed in the site and sitings of chickadees, nuthatches, grosbeaks, red wing blackbirds, redpoles and woodpeckers have been recorded. Success at last! Congratulations Backus!
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