Summer Work

When asked what they did over the summer, the young people who worked at Wildlife West Nature Park can simply point at the big gazebo.

Led by the park’s founder, Roger Alink, a group of teenagers were out learning how and where to attach bolts to keep the gazebo from falling apart, how to cut a birdsmouth joint into a piece of wood and many more useful skills. Not only did they see the project through from start to finish, but they were paid to do it.

Each year, the nature park receives a grant from the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) to employ a group of young people. And each year, something new is built to enhance the zoo.

To mark the completion of the project, the nature park held a ribbon cutting for the gazebo on June 7. YCC members told attendees just how the gazebo was built and even cooked a few burgers and hotdogs to mark the occasion. Falconer Tom Smylie was also on hand and gave a short, informative talk about raptors and a flight demonstration.