The Garden Project: Osprey Project

The green team began this year by fundraising to adopt an Osprey and build its' nest in Avalon Bay, New Jersey through the New Jersey wildlife foundations adopt a species program. The goal was to raise an overall total of $250, $125 through a coin drive in which we raised $175 and the rest we raised face painting at our annual fall book fair.

Our next project was to build the nest and install it in Avalon, but first we attended an assembly given by the New Jersey Wildlife Foundations educational director.

Our resident 4th grade green team writer for the month Samantha interviews Chloe about the process:

S: Chloe what did you learn about Osprey at the assembly?

C: I learned about how the osprey are an endangered species because they ingested a life threatening pesticide from eating contaminated fish which caused their eggshells to be weak. This means that less of the Osprey babies were born each year.

S: What did green team do to try and help this situation?

C: We raised money to adopt an Osprey and build an Osprey nest?

S: What was involved in building the nest?

C: The materials to build the nest were donated by a local construction company where one of our green team students' parents works. The design came from the New Jersey Wildlife's website and most of the green team parents and children worked together one Saturday morning to build it.

Parents help building

Building the platform

The children sign the platform

We just finished building the osprey nest.

S: After the nest was built where did you go to install it?

C: A small group of us drove an hour and a half away to Avalon Bay, put on our rain boots, life jackets and boarded a boat to get across the bay to the marsh where it was installed?

S: How did you get the platform in the ground?

C: First the old Osprey nest needed to be taken down with brute force, then we dug deep a hole with shovels and hoisted it up with ropes on either sides.

S: Did anyone go back to see if the platform was in use?

C: There is a woman called a banter that band's the talon of each Osprey inhabiting the new platforms and she emailed the green team to let us know that our platform was a home to a male and female Osprey. Mission accomplished. We hope to go back to visit.