Youth Involvement

Youth Involvement

Ohio Young Birders Club

Looking to foster a love of bluebirds in the children in your life? Encourage them to participate in the Ohio Young Birders Club!  The Ohio Young Birders Club is a program developed by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) in 2006 to encourage, educate, and empower youth conservation leaders. Each month student members can participate in field trips to exciting places in Ohio. In addition to field trips and outings, members participate in service projects focused on habitat restoration and conservation projects including monitoring Bluebird trails.

“Chicks and Wasps Galore”

Darlene Sillick (OBS Board Member and co-advisor for central Ohio Young Birders Club) provides some background on Katelyn’s story:

“This past spring, Katelyn Shelton decided she wanted a trail of 6 boxes to monitor for the season. She built and installed the boxes with her family and she set the bar high to record the data on Cornell Nestwatch and take photos and write about her wonderful experience. At age 14, her article was picked up by Robyn Bailey, director of Cornell Nestwatch and it was in their eNews letter in early May. This summer a writer for National Audubon asked Katelyn to write about her full trail experience.”

Click here to read Katelyn’s article on the Audubon website.