Asheville, NC: Boy Scouts in Troop 91 Build 22 Nest Boxes

On August 8, 2014, Boy Scouts of Troop 91 worked to build 22 nest boxes for nuthatches in Western North Carolina. This project is part of a larger effort, by Eagle Scout Bennett David, to raise awareness and enlist the help of the public about the declining population of brown-headed nuthatches. Bennett's project includes the aforementioned demonstration project and the construction of a website to raise awareness about this issue. He is working with the NC Audubon Society to reach their goal of 10,000 new nest boxes in North Carolina by 2015.


The boxes built by Troop 91 will be mounted in two different locations. Thirteen boxes will be mounted across the North Carolina Arboretum, and the remaining boxes will be mounted in a Western North Carolina Golf Course. The Arboretum boxes will serve as an example for other scout troops and the golf course boxes will serve as an example for other golf courses to participate in the rehabilitation of the nuthatch population. In the past, both the Boy Scouts of America and golf courses have been instrumental in the successful rehabilitation of the eastern bluebird population. Click here to see a stop-motion documentation of the demonstration project.