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A COMMUNITY PITCHES IN June 27, 2003 UPDATED August 7, 2003 Early on a spectacular June morning, a parade of trucks, cars and vans converged on Saving Birds Thru Habitat's three acres of land at the corner of Tatch and Putnam Roads in Leelanau County. There, where a concrete slab floor had been poured only days earlier, seventeen men and women began working on a collective effort to build our Habitat Discovery Center. The work was planned and carried out after the style of an old-fashioned barn raising. Under the able direction of general contractor Jim May, of Salisbury and May Construction Co. (who generously donated all of his efforts), these men and women worked from 8:00 in the morning until nearly 6:00 in the evening. Meantime, more than a dozen additional men and women, baked, chopped fruit and veggies, cooked, stewed and otherwise prepared the food and drink that kept the working crew well fueled and hydrated. There were homemade breakfast breads, fruit, cookies, coffee, lemonade and iced tea for morning break; chicken-vegetable soup, sandwiches, roll-ups, potato salad, chips and dip and more cookies for lunch; and beef bourguignonne, French bread and fresh garden salad topped off with three kinds of pies, ice cream and a chocolate-sour cream pound cake for dinner. While the morning was warm and pleasant, the temperature climbed as the sun rose. It was nearly ninety degrees before noon, and it stayed that way for the rest of the day. In spite of the average age of our volunteers - which was 67 years - those who had no conflicts stayed the course. By the end of the day, the framing was finished and the exterior sheathing was on the walls. During the following weeks, our volunteer crew, headed up by members Jim Charter and Ralph Kalchik, continued to work on the building. Within two weeks, the roof was sheathed, papered and shingled. Another two weeks saw installation of doors and windows. Volunteers Dusty McDonald and Walt Gaudette spent several days completing rough wiring and Bob Wilcox, an SBTH member from Grand Junction, CO, has begun plumbing. Groundwork for a wetland has been laid by damming off a swale near the building. Clay was spread behind the dam to provide water retention; as soon as the water is deep enough, cattails, willows and red osier dogwoods will be added to provide habitat for rails and wetland-loving warblers. Check again in a few weeks, when we expect our construction work to be completed. And in the meantime, kudos and a thousand thanks to our dedicated volunteers. |
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Marlin Bussey, President, Saving Birds Thru Habitat |
