Viking Sportsmen give habitat a head start

When most people hear “tweet,” they think Twitter these days. Not the Viking Sportsmen; they’re getting ready for the chipper tweets of birds this spring. A sea of teal T-shirts flooded the Viking Plaza mall last Saturday. Jefferson High School’s Junior Viking Sportsmen Club set up temporary wood shops in the halls to host Habitat Day. The Viking Sportsmen sponsored the event.

By: Crystal Dey, Alexandria Echo Press

Helping

Malaya Peterson, 4-years-old, helped one of the sportsmen construct a bluebird house. Photo by Crystal Dey.

Suet ball

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When most people hear “tweet,” they think Twitter these days. Not the Viking Sportsmen; they’re getting ready for the chipper tweets of birds this spring.

A sea of teal T-shirts flooded the Viking Plaza mall last Saturday. Jefferson High School’s Junior Viking Sportsmen Club set up temporary wood shops in the halls to host Habitat Day. The Viking Sportsmen sponsored the event.

Drills whirred as curious kids assisted Junior Vikings and Sportsmen in building wood duck and bluebird houses. The sportsmen were equipped with enough supplies to build 400 wood duck houses and 300 bluebird houses, said Mark Anderson, high school advisor to the Junior Sportsmen.

“Habitat Day is a fun way to get kids and adults out and interested in the environment,” Anderson said.

There are more than 40 students participating in the Junior Sportsmen program this year – four of whom are girls. Anderson said the sportsmen encourage female participation.

The Douglas County Master Gardeners set up a table where kids could make their own suet balls. Steps away, youngsters created bird feeders out of soda bottles at the Luther Crest Bible Camp booth.

Next to the suet ball stand outside the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store were plates of paint and T-shirts provided by the Junior Viking Sportsmen. Wooden dies were dipped in the paint and applied to the shirts to create one-of-a-kind designs.

“Just to spice things up and let the kids get dirty,” Anderson said.

Duck conservation nests were also on display. The Pioneer Heritage Conservation Trust creates and distributes the nests out of Evansville.

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Viking Sportsmen give habitat a head start

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