Zane Middle School songbird refuge: Difference between revisions

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Abstract

As a rehabilitation effort to restore songbird activity in the migratory bird corridor behind Zane Middle School in Eureka, The Songbird Refuge was commissioned. This project created songbird boxes, some traditional, some experimental, to add preexisting housing for migratory birds as well as supplement a new bird oriented curriculum in the school’s science classes. The Refuge was designed by The Applicateers, four Humboldt State University students who took ENGR 215 Intro to Design during their Spring 2014 semester: Cavie Carter, Christian Cota, Ben Voelz, and Jennie Warmack. By working with Steve Wartburg, a biologist and science teacher at Zane Middle School, The Songbird Refuge was tailored to meet the needs of the school and community.

Background

The Songbird Refuge was created when Zane Middle School, a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) middle school in Eureka, teamed up with Humboldt State University students who took ENGR 215, Intro to Design, during spring 2014. To create additional classroom curriculum and community participation, Zane commissioned four songbird boxes to be placed near a new community trail that winds through the adjacent migratory bird corridor located in the forest behind the school. This corridor is a section of the Pacific Flyway and serves as a temporary seasonal home to hundreds of thousands of birds as well as a permanent home to the nonmigratory species. Of the four songbird boxes commissioned, two are traditional wooden boxes with one tailored to the dimensional needs of wood ducks and one tailored towards smaller birds such as nuthatches and chickadees. The remaining two boxes are experimental to add educational value for the students and community members. The areas of experimentation include materials and an element of community living: four individual dwellings in close proximity to each other. After extensive research regarding the songbird species that would possibly be utilizing the boxes, criteria and specifications were created to decide the best designs and dimensions. Renewable sources and upcycling are both themes that are seen throughout all of the songbird boxes, which not only served to reduce the amount of materials in the Humboldt county waste stream, but also to reduce the overall cost of production.

Problem statement and criteria

Problem Statement

The objective of The Songbird Refuge was to attract a higher number of migratory songbirds traveling through the Pacific Flyway, create more housing opportunities for these birds as well as native nonmigratory species, and add educational opportunities for Zane Middle School students and community members.

Criteria

By working with Steve Wartburg, The Applicateers developed the following criteria as a means of deciding the best designs to be included in the Songbird Refuge.

Description of final project

The final four designs decided upon were the Chickadee Cottage, Wood Duck Inn, Bird Bungalow, and Don't Draw-Pot (pronounced "don't drop it"). Both the Chickadee Cottage and Wood Duck Inn are based off of traditional wooden bird boxes with dimensions proven to support habitation by the targeted bird species. The Bird Bungalow and Don't Draw-Pot are the two experimental boxes. The Bird Bungalow is our experimental communal design, accommodating up to four nests. The "bungalow" is made up of four used cans mounted on the base of an electrical wire spool and covered by a thin piece of stainless steel. This birdhouse is mounted on a 10’ plastic pole. The Bird Bungalow is designed to accommodate birds such as nuthatches, bushtits, and chickadees. Don’t Draw-pot consists of a teapot nestled in a natural wood stained drawer to add aesthetic value as well as reducing the chance of breakage. The drawer is directly mounted to a tree. The teapot hangs from its handle off of a drawer handle positioned inside of the drawer and the base of the teapot is attached to the drawer to prevent swinging and breakage. The lid is removed to act as an entrance and the spout is left open and pointing down to allow for drainage in case rain blows into the nesting area.

Costs

Testing Results

The Chickadee Cottage and Wood Duck Inn: These boxes did not require a large amount of testing, as these designs have been tested and proven through years of use. However, after the application of caulking, the seams were tested for water-tightness.
Bird Bungalow: The Bird Bungalow was vigorously shaken to ensure durability during wind storms and bird impact. The roof was also proven to make bird dwellings water tight by leaving the Bungalow in the elements without any water accumulation.
Don't Draw-Pot: This house was tested for durability with a shake test to ensure the teapot will not detach from the drawer.

How to build

Chickadee Cottage: TBW

Wood Duck Inn: TBW

Bird Bungalow:
Necessary Materials:
1. 4 Aluminum Cans
2. Large Wooden Wire Spool w/ 16” diameter
3. Sheet metal
4. 4"x10' PVC Pole
5. 1-4’ length 1” dowel
6. 3 Roofing Screws
For Base:
Step 1: Separate spool into two wooden circles and plastic tube
Step 2: Draw out placement of cans on wooden base ( 12” square containing 4 4” diameter circles)
Step 3: Cut wood piece to cover hole in middle of wooden base
Step 4: Use pre-existing holes to bolt wood cover on under-side of base
Step 5: Measure height from top of hole cover in base to desire roof height (specific to house/materials)
Step 6: Cut 1 inch dowel to desired length
Step 7: Fasten with screw from bottom up to wood hole cover
Step 8: Cut desired entry holes in cans
Step 9: Use silicon caulking/adhesive to adhere cans to previously drawn in locations
For Roof:
Step 1: Drill pilot holes in metal/top of wooden dowel
Step 2: Use 1” roofing screw to fasten sheet metal to dowel
Step 3: Bend sheet metal down until it touches the sides of the base
Step 4: Drill pilot holes in metal/side of wooden base
Step 5: Use half inch roofing screws on each side to fasten roof to base

Don't Draw-Pot:
Necessary Materials:
1. Teapot with lid removed
2. Drawer
3. Drawer Handle
4. Super Glue
Terminology for Assembly:
Inner Drawer Face -The inside face of what you would see if the drawer were still in the desk
For Assembly:
Step 1: Locate center of inner drawer face and lightly mark both vertical and horizontal position, creating a cross
Step 2: Place teapot with handle facing the inner drawer face,centering handle on vertical mark from step 1
Step 3: Without shifting teapot horizontally, place drawer handle through teapot handle, centered on vertical mark from step 1 and parallel to horizontal mark from step 1
Step 4: Mark position of drawer handle on inner drawer face
Step 5: Without shifting drawer handle at all, slowly shift teapot away from inner drawer face to the point where the two handles are touching without pressure
Step 5: Mark position of teapot base on bottom of drawer
Step 6: With drawer handle through teapot handle, attach drawer handle to inner drawer face
Step 7: Lift teapot to reveal traced marking from step 5
Step 8: Carefully apply superglue to inner half inch of marking from step 5 and return teapot to its intended position
Use Template:How_to

Discussion and next steps

These four songbird boxes are just the beginning of the rehabilitation of the migratory bird corridor and included nature area behind Zane Middle School. A large part of the developing curriculum is the engineering and construction of these boxes. As students continue to construct these nesting boxes and the total count continues to increase, more and more songbirds will be attracted towards the school, thus furthering the educational opportunities associated.

References

To be inputted
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