An old section of an elementary school in Indiana is to be torn down this summer, a section that includes a chimney long used by Chimney Swifts for nesting. One might now expect to read how the evil school district tore down the chimney in the dark of night to hide the act from enraged environmentalists, but, in fact, nothing of the sort happened. In fact:
SAS [Sassafras Audubon Society] had a meeting with the school and decided the best solution would be to screen the old structure before the swifts returned and erect another hollow structure where they could nest during the summer months.
Dodd said he was surprised by how supportive Fairview was of the project.
‘The school has really embraced the idea,’ he said. ‘The children have learned the history of the swifts and the kids have even drawn them in art class. It’s really been a bit of an educational tool.’
Wait, so harm to the swifts was reduced (if not prevented altogether) and kids (and adults) had their level of awareness raised? Now that is a positive story with a happy ending for a Monday morning! Way to go Fairview Elementary School and Sassafras Audubon Society!
Good stuff. Swifts seem to love school chimneys. There’s a roost in Bergen County at a school with several thousand birds.
When developers rennovated the old tobacco packing factories in downtown Durham, NC, they kept many of the old factory smokestacks which are now used by thousands of Chimney Swifts. It’s really cool to see them swirling into the stacks on summer evenings.
Yay! Loving a story about schools not being evil! Hurrah!
Thanks for the pick-me-up. There’s so many stories of destruction – important to share of course, but it can get a bit depressing!