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Getting Volunteers to Help with Your Bluebird TrailDate: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 10:22:49 EDT From: RWil2654"at"aol.com To: dputman"at"syix.com, BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu Subject: Re: opinion on bluebirding In a Message dated 04/23/2000 11:37:35 PM Mountain Daylight Time, dputman"at"syix.com writes: How did you get your volunteers? Maybe others have something to add. Hi Kevin and ALL How did I get so many volunteers well I think it is because I ask for them. The Division of Wildlife has been a big help with their publication listing volunteer opportunities. Then I have made a display ( it's free standing) with pictures of bluebirds, information about getting started with bluebirds from NABS web page and one of my PVC boxes with a nest and wooden eggs. I take it out often and leave it as long as possible at bird stores and feed stores where they sell bird food. The last time it was up for two weeks and I received about ten calls from interested people and got one volunteer. I also wear a light jacket with a MOBL and Colorado Bluebird Project on the front. It pay to advertise and it keeps me warm too. I'll try to post a picture of the display for those who are interested in seeing it. I will have to take one first and that may take a day or two. The next question Kevin asked was in response to my post. (Bob Wilson wrote) It is annoying to read an answer REPLY TO ALL when we don't know what the original question was. Sometimes an answer come to ALL that is impossible to figure out what the question was. We are all here to learn so lets use more cut and paste at least the main part of the question. Yes I know where the DELETE key is and I do use it a lot but maybe I miss something that will help the bluebirds that live in my nesting boxes. Bob Wilson
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 14:45:14 -0700 From: Maynard R Sumner m-r-sumner"at"juno.com To: Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu Cc: birders"at"umich.edu Subject: Re: opinion on bluebirding On Sun, 23 Apr 2000 22:37:49 -0700 "dputman" dputman"at"syix.com writes: Kevin Putman, Yuba City, CA Easter was a very beautiful Kevin, I am with you on this volunteers thing. I have tired to get something going in Michigan, but no one will help get it going. I have people who monitor their own boxes in their yards. N 43* 04.511 W 083* 36.447 Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.Galatian 6:7
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 22:55:31 -0500 From: "R_C Walshaw" walshaw"at"gte.net To: "Bluebird Listserve" BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu Subject: Trail Volunteers Several comments about volunteers. There are many schools of thought on this. I spend a lot of time giving speeches, writing articles, and giving individual instruction. On my trail I am selfish enough to want a lot of quiet space for field glassing and learning more about birds and other wildlife. I guess that's why they make chocolate and strawberry. Bluebird Bob, NE OK.
From: "paul kilduff" plkldf"at"hotmail.com
This is Paul Kilduff, Baltimore MD USA My goal is for each volunteer (or pair of volunteers -- it's
a good way for parent/child or two spouses to spend some time
together) to offer one day every three weekends, and it should
take about two hours to monitor the trail. Oregon Ridge State Park bluebird trail
From: "paul kilduff" plkldf"at"hotmail.com Paul Kilduff, Baltimore MD Dear bluebird-L: I want to send an email to friends and acquaintances
as I need a couple of volunteers for our trail at Oregon Ridge
Park, Cockeysville -----------------draft--------------- Re: Volunteer Naturalist Opportunity “Many are called, but few are . . .?” “Chosen?” I’ve always thought that that should be “few are expected to respond.” Anyway, I’m sorry to intrude and I do not expect you to respond, but I am making you aware of a volunteer opportunity. If you’re not interested, please forgive, stop reading, and delete this Message.... Maybe you know that I coordinate a bluebird trail at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville. I am looking for a few volunteers to monitor nestboxes. SOME BENEFITS are: 1) a nice “excuse” to connect with the world of nature. 2) a way for friends or partners/spouses to spend time with each other, and for parents to spend time with their kids, doing something worthwhile. 3) a chance to see, close-up, the process of nestbuilding-egglaying-hatching-fledging of eastern bluebirds and tree swallows, and to know that you helped it to happen. 4) if you are a transient Baltimorean, a way to create a link with the local community. THE BASIC IDEA is that eastern bluebirds have been endangered as a species, primarily because of the introduction into North America of the house sparrow and European starling, and secondarily because of the changing nature of the landscape, from a shortage of rotting trees and old woodpecker nests, to a change from wood fence posts to vinyl. The more aggressive invasive species have tended to take over nesting locations necessary for the survival of the bluebird. In response, people around the U.S. and Canada have put small numbers of individual nestboxes on their property and “trails” of nestboxes on public land. By monitoring the boxes we improve the chances that the bluebirds (and compatible native species, notably the tree swallow) will successfully nest and that their young will fledge, bringing the delightful little bright blue critter back into the lives of North Americans. And it’s working. Bluebird populations are up, and the species is recovering. There is lots of basic information at: http://birds.cornell.edu/bluebirds/ Even *more* information is available at: http://bluebird.htmlplanet.com/ THE BASIC TASK IS TO: 1) go to an orientation workshop (I’m looking at about 2:30 p.m. on one of these Saturdays: Feb 16, 23, Mar 2, 9), where you’ll see a slide show and learn from experts all you need to know to monitor the nestbox trail and 2) every third weekend (with flexibility whenever needed) from late March through early September, spend at most three hours walking a trail of nestboxes, recording activity and helping the birds to survive until the young are fledged. Most folks will need a car. I do have one person who wants to volunteer, and who has a car, but who doesn’t want to do it alone, so I’m looking to pair her up with someone who would like to get involved but doesn’t have a car. Please forgive my intrusion. And ignore this if you’re not interested. As I say, “Many are called, but few are expected to respond.” !BUT! if you !ARE! interested: please let me know at plkldf"at"hotmail.com,
or 410-366-5109. I would appreciate knowing all of the weekends
listed above thank you, :o) Paul From: "Phil Berry" mrtony8"at"home.com Paul Kilduff, Baltimore MD Dear bluebird-L: I want to send an email to friends and acquaintances as I need a couple of volunteers for our trail at Oregon Ridge Park, Cockeysville MD. I'd be grateful for criticism of the facts as well as the language used, as well as any ways that have helped you in finding potential volunteers. Good luck to you Paul. I belong to our local Aucubon Society, am an active birder, have lots of "friends" (or so I thought before starting a trail), and have been lucky enough to rope in ONE volunteer, Bill Davis, whom some of you know, to back me up on my monitoring duties. Last spring Bill took over for me while I spent a month in Alaska, in May. Usually when I am out birding with folks I know, when I mention "volunteer....bluebird trail" or some combination of the above words, I am met with total silence. It is a good way to learn who your friends really are. If you get any volunteers, let us all know the tricks you used. Phil Berry From: "Bobby Wilson" bluebirdbob1"at"bresnan.net Paul and others on Volunteers I have more volunteers at time than I can use. Most of them come for slide show and talks I do about bluebirds. The remainder come when I invite someone as a guest to help me monitor one of my trails. Once a person holds a baby blue in their hands they are hooked. At time I am a little reluctant to give up the pleasure of monitoring the trails myself to a volunteer. If you want to keep them interested you have to share the duties often. I have two volunteers who have started their own trail as a result of helping me with mine. Advertising and announcements have not been productive for me. 39* 06.21N -108*33.61 W To: bluebird-l"at"cornell.edu (BLUEBIRD-L) Hi all, I too have asked for help monitoring trails and do not get much help. I have had some school kids help, but as soon as the kids get into dating it is over. I keep trying. Maybe with us having a Michigan Bluebird Society now we will get some kids to help out. Phil Berry, are you very far from Bradenton, Florida? When I have been in Bradenton, I have looked for Bluebirders. Bruce Burdett, I received one of your packets and it was a big help. If I did not thank you I am sorry and am doing so now. Maynard R Sumner Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. From: Debra Steinhausser"at" [DebraSteinhausser"at"fuhs.fairfield-union.k12.oh.us] Paul, If you are really desparate for volunteers, you might try nearby
high schools that have Key Club orgainizations. I am the
advisor of a Key Club, the whole point of which is to
do community service. Each student is expected to do 50
hours of community service each year. Key Club members
From: "paul kilduff" plkldf"at"hotmail.com Paul Kilduff, Baltimore MD US Earlier, I asked for criticism of my email to friends/acquaintances, inviting them to volunteer. To follow up, I include below my final appeal, which was based on the welcome criticism I received on this list, as well as conversations, especially with David Magness and Karen Lippy. The good news is that I got all the volunteers I was looking for (two had actually signed up from an earlier appeal to this list), and got five commitments as a direct result of my appeal! Not bad! Thank you for your input. Here's what I sent out. A lot of my recipients are university folk, and that's why I put in the "transient Baltimoreans" aspect. I also sent a version to a homeschool list, emphasizing the biology credit -- sent to over 180 people and not one response from homeschooling.... The whole "Let's talk bluebirds" part is directly from David Magness's promotional info which he sent to me. ---------QUOTE-------------- This is Paul Kilduff. You may know that I’m coordinating a bluebird nestbox trail at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville. I’m looking for volunteers, and I don’t know whom to ask, so I’m asking as many people as I can think of, hoping it will appeal to one or two. If you *are* interested in volunteering about two hours every three weeks, please let me know, as there are only a limited number of spaces available. If you are *not* interested in volunteering, no problem -- you can still come to the presentation if you like -- it’s free. If you’re not interested at *all*, please accept my heartfelt apology and delete this Message! :o) Please feel free to forward the Message. 1) FUN LEARNING OPPORTUNITY: Let's Talk Bluebirds At Oregon Ridge Saturday, March 2, 2002, 2:30-4:30 P.M. - Oregon Ridge Park, Shawan Road and Beaver Dam Road, Cockeysville, Maryland. Join us for a North American Bluebird Society slide show presentation and discussion of bluebirds and other cavity-nesting songbirds. David A. Magness, a local bluebird enthusiast and educator for the North American Bluebird Society will discuss the importance of proper bluebird nesting box construction and placement. Discussions will also include ways a bluebird enthusiast can increase their possibilities of a successful bluebird nesting experience and learn how to feed bluebirds. David has been a key contributor in providing nest boxes and bluebird feeders across the country through his business, Jenna Bird and is currently on the Board of Directors for the North American Bluebird Society. A brief hike will follow the presentation to evaluate and upgrade the existing bluebird trail at Oregon Ridge with the installation of some additional nesting boxes. Come join us. Ages: 12 - Adult 2) FUN VOLUNTEER NATURALIST OPPORTUNITY: This is a chance to monitor bluebird nestboxes from late March through early September, 2002. Christa and Mary monitored the Oregon Ridge bluebird trail together from 1996 to last year, and it was great homeschooling biology credit and they learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Time commitment is pretty minimal: it takes about two hours once every three weeks. Some BENEFITS are: 1) getting to watch, close-up, as birds raise their young. 2) a nice “excuse” to connect with the natural world. 3) a way for friends or partners/spouses to spend time with each other, and for parents to spend time with their kids, doing something worthwhile. 4) the feeling of satisfaction that comes from knowing that there are now more bluebirds in the world than there were before BECAUSE OF YOU. 5) a great way for transient Baltimoreans to get involved in
a local activity. The BASIC IDEA of bluebird monitoring is that eastern bluebirds have been endangered as a species, primarily because of the introduction into North America of the house sparrow and European starling, and secondarily because of the changing nature of the landscape, for example a shortage of rotting trees and old woodpecker holes. The more aggressive invasive species (sparrow and starling) have tended to take over nesting locations necessary for the survival of the bluebird. In response, people around the U.S. and Canada have put small numbers of individual nestboxes on their property and “trails” of nestboxes on public land (such as the one at Oregon Ridge Park). It’s working. Bluebird populations are up, and the species is recovering. Basic information is available at: http://birds.cornell.edu/bluebirds/ Even *more* information is available at: http://bluebird.htmlplanet.com/ WHAT TRAIL MONITORS WILL DO: 1) go to an orientation workshop at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2002, to learn from experts all you need to know to monitor the nestbox trail and 2) every third weekend (with flexibility) from late March through
early September, spend about two hours visiting a trail of nestboxes,
recording activity and helping the birds to survive until the
young are fledged. If you are not interested, no problem. “Many are called, but few are expected to respond.” best, From: "Keith & Sandy Kridler" kridler"at"1starnet.com Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas If you are not interested, no problem. “Many are called, but few are expected to respond.” What about something like: If you are not interested, no problem. If you only need or want information about your birds, Great, come join us! “Many are called, but few are expected to respond.” I helped Kate Oschwald and Judy Brummet (park manager) yesterday
put on their 6th annual "Bluebird Day" at the Maxey
House State park. At the end of the programs we had a lady approach
us and say that she wished she had brought her Grand daughter
age 7 but did not know if we would want children there at the
meeting that young!!! Education is the key to saving our birds! Try to line up a "bluebird expert" in your area and put on one of these "Bluebird Days". We had two "experts" show up in the group that helped with all kinds of question/answers! KK From: "Karen Louise Lippy" brdbrain"at"superpa.net I see posts on the list occasionally about people becoming
discouraged that they can't find any volunteers to help them
with box monitoring. Join birding/gardening/hunting/Audubon clubs, or at least attend a few meetings. Bring up the topic of bluebirds. You may even want to present a program. These clubs are always seeking speakers. See who shows an interest. Share your vision of a bluebird trail with them and see if any are interested in helping you get started. Some may be willing to make boxes and help erect them, but not monitor. Bluebird trails are always attractive projects for scouts and 4-H groups, but keep control over the materials used and box style selected, or you may wind up with junk boxes that will quickly deteiorate. Some may want to monitor, but don't have the abilities to erect boxes or make repairs. Take the help they offer and search for the right person for the right job. As the instigator of this thought, you should have made some
preparations. Find a place for the trail, discuss with the
owners/managers of the property your vision for the project.
Listen to their input and suggestions. Make special notes
about requests of places NOT to put boxes and other suggested
rules. Write these down, check with the manager to see
if he agrees that you have noted all suggestions. Any
long-term monitor should get a copy of these rules and
you should have them sign a copy for your records. This will
eliminate bad feelings between monitors and owners down
the line. This book should be the property of the "Trail Organization"
and should be returned if the monitor quits. Make sure
that is in their rules. An assisting orgainzation such as the Audubon or a sportsmens organization may help you defray copying expenses. Each monitor should have your phone number and your promise that you will be there to help them if they need it. Give them the skills they need to do the job. Show them a video such as the Stokes Bluebird tape or one of equal quality. Don't over manage. Let them learn at their own pace. You may want to hold a spring meeting to kick off the season or a fall one to discuss successes and failures. Collect each monitor's results at the end of the season and compile a record of results for the site. Give each monitor a copy along with a letter of commendation for their help. The manager/owner and assisting organization should also recieva a copy. Send your results to NABS! ALWAYS GIVE CREDIT TO ALL WHO HELP MAKE YOUR EFFORT A SUCCESS!!!!!! No matter how hard you try, eventually human ego will get in the way, and someone's feelings will be hurt and they will get angry and quit. Sometimes they may even say hurtful things about you to others and try to tear down what you have accomplished. If you sincerely believe you have done your best to accomodate that person within the framework of the rules established, hold your head up, say nothing in return and let them do what they will. If you feel there is some merit in their complaint, go to them and try to make ammends. Do these things, and bluebirds (and other cavity nesting species) will rise up and call you blessed. |
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