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Students pave the way for wood ducks

July 8, 2009

By Laura Geggel

 

By Laura Geggel
If wood ducks could quack their thanks, Jenn Clarke and Julie King just might be surrounded by a chorus of happy birds. 
As part of their AP environmental science final project, Clarke and King put a nesting box for wood ducks behind Snoqualmie Middle School.
Clarke and King, both part of the Mount Si High School graduating class of 2009, worked together for the final project. King first encountered duck boxes when her family led an Indian Princess workshop on the matter. Since then, her father Craig and sister Kirstin have placed several duck boxes around Snoqualmie Valley.
“They like small waterways with a lot of brush around them,” Craig said of the iconic green-headed male duck. He noticed a few wood ducks when driving past Snoqualmie Middle School on his way to work on Snoqualmie Ridge. 
The King family make their duck boxes out of cedar because it lasts longer in outdoor weather. Clarke and King plan to visit the duck box once a year to clean it and replace the sawdust the ducks use to form nests.
“You have to go and clean them out every year, otherwise they won’t re-nest in them,” King said.
Wood ducks nest in tree cavities, above the reaches of many predators. King and Clarke placed their duck box on top of PCP piping and away from trees where crafty raccoons could plan an attack. 
Mount Si science teacher Ryan Hill created a scavenger-hunt-like final project for his AP environmental science students. After his students took the Advanced Placement test in May, he asked them to take the skills they had learned from his class and to apply it to the real world. 
“It’s anything, from taking polls of future family size from their peers, to making a home compost bin, to organizing a food drive,” Hill said. 
He commended the girls for carrying out their duck box project.
“Essentially, it’s creating more habitat for local wildlife that may have been taken away by development or encroachment in the area,” Hill said. 
Clarke, who is attending the University of Washington, plans to take a conservation class her first quarter of college. King is unsure yet what major she will pursue at Washington State University, but said she enjoyed environmental science. 
Through their education in Snoqualmie Valley schools, King and Clarke have already completed several local hands-on projects, including researching the native and invasive plant species near Mount Si and Snoqualmie Middle School. 
Now, after graduating, they’ll have left a positive mark for water fowl.
“I just hope it does some good for the environment,” King said. 
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.

 

If wood ducks could quack their thanks, Jenn Clarke and Julie King just might be surrounded by a chorus of happy birds. 

As part of their AP environmental science final project, Clarke and King put a nesting box for wood ducks behind Snoqualmie Middle School.

Clarke and King, both part of the Mount Si High School graduating class of 2009, worked together for the final project. King first encountered duck boxes when her family led an Indian Princess workshop on the matter. Since then, her father Craig and sister Kirstin have placed several duck boxes around Snoqualmie Valley.

“They like small waterways with a lot of brush around them,” Craig said of the iconic green-headed male duck. He noticed a few wood ducks when driving past Snoqualmie Middle School on his way to work on Snoqualmie Ridge. 

The King family make their duck boxes out of cedar because it lasts longer in outdoor weather. Clarke and King plan to visit the duck box once a year to clean it and replace the sawdust the ducks use to form nests.

 

Mount Si High School 2009 graduates Jenn Clarke, left, and Julie King stand near the duck box they placed by Snoqualmie Middle School.

Mount Si High School 2009 graduates Jenn Clarke, left, and Julie King stand near the duck box they placed by Snoqualmie Middle School.

 

“You have to go and clean them out every year, otherwise they won’t re-nest in them,” King said.

Wood ducks nest in tree cavities, above the reaches of many predators. King and Clarke placed their duck box on top of PCP piping and away from trees where crafty raccoons could plan an attack. 

Mount Si science teacher Ryan Hill created a scavenger-hunt-like final project for his AP environmental science students. After his students took the Advanced Placement test in May, he asked them to take the skills they had learned from his class and to apply it to the real world. 

“It’s anything, from taking polls of future family size from their peers, to making a home compost bin, to organizing a food drive,” Hill said. 

He commended the girls for carrying out their duck box project.

“Essentially, it’s creating more habitat for local wildlife that may have been taken away by development or encroachment in the area,” Hill said. 

Clarke, who is attending the University of Washington, plans to take a conservation class her first quarter of college. King is unsure yet what major she will pursue at Washington State University, but said she enjoyed environmental science. 

Through their education in Snoqualmie Valley schools, King and Clarke have already completed several local hands-on projects, including researching the native and invasive plant species near Mount Si and Snoqualmie Middle School. 

Now, after graduating, they’ll have left a positive mark for water fowl.

“I just hope it does some good for the environment,” King said. 

 

 

Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.

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Written by Laura Geggel · Filed Under Schools 

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