(Click on Photo Above for Larger View)

MWDI hosted a youth box building event as part of Maryland DNR’s National Hunting & Fishing Day in Bridgeton, Md. on September 26, 2009.

More than 35 boys and girls of all ages participated in assembling 20 wood duck nesting boxes for use on various public sites across Maryland. Kids were lined up before we even got the booth set up and one girl indicated it was the only reason she wanted to come to the event with her Dad!!

Frequently, brothers and sisters assisted each other assembling and then “autographing” the cypress boxes with some pretty creative color schemes. A few younger participants simply wanted to color them.

MWDI Advisory Directors and volunteers John Chew and Jerry McCarty once again helped supervise the event with Cliff Brown. The opportunity to discuss various aspects of wood ducks and their nesting habits was provided while the kids learned a bit about hammering and using an electric drill.

MWDI hosts 3-4 box assembly events each year depending on the supply of lumber for kits typically provided by the sponsoring entity. It is always a very popular “draw”. More than 500 kids have participated in these events since 2005.

The next event is October 17th in conjunction with the Chestertown Wildlife Exhibition & Sale.

For those who may be interested in having MWDI come to your exhibition, lumber will be ordered in late December 2009 for the 2010 building season so contact Cliff Brown at cliftonabrown@aol.com as soon as possible for more details.