ACE Academy

May 5th, 2011

Brooklyn, New York, NY

Danielle Fridstrom of ACE Academy wrote us:

We want our Environmental Studies students at the Academy of Conservation and Environment to take a leadership role in addressing local issues.

Students will build birdhouses in their environmental studies classes prior to the tree planting. This hands-on activity will allow students to be creative while learning about the different requirements of different bird species. Once completed, students will bring their creations to Seaview Park and locate suitable areas for their nesting boxes. Students will be planting trees during the event as part of MillionTreesNYC’s efforts to improve urban forests. The urban oasis in the city provides important habitat for birds, and students will learn about the importance of suitable habitat for the success of a species. After planting trees, students will disperse to different areas of the park. Students will use paper tally sheets to collect data on the birds they count. Upon returning to class, students will enter the data into the online system. After the bird count, students will locate areas in the park suitable for setting up birdhouses. Students will explain the reasons for their choice and set up their boxes. These nests can be monitored during future visits to the park to evaluate the success of the students’ designs and placement choices.