This year’s event was held at the Canada Game Centre on Saturday, May 13th between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. We ran our event much later than usual, as the ice was not off the rink for our usual time in April. We also had to compete with a community size garage sale in the rink beside us and a spectacular hot, sunny camping weekend.
In spite of the competition, activity was steady and brisk throughout the day that actually started with a line-up at the door. My first aid kit was not opened for any child or assisting parent and no ice packs were requested. This says a lot, considering the number of nails, active hammers, thumbs and forefingers involved! There will be new and more Audubon mountain blue bird houses; bird feeders; chickadee, nuthatch, tree swallow houses; and bat boxes throughout the Yukon. Final result – happy kids, birds and bats!
I would like to thank KIlrich Building Supply Centre for their very generous donation. I would also like to specifically thank Christian Tessier, Val Mather and Patrick Mole for their help in the carpenter shop, as well as loading, unloading the YFGA trailer and assisting with the children’s assembly of the boxes. Also, thanks to James MacKrell for all the laser engraving, and Aaron Florian and Steve Hossack with onsite assistance. Richard Cherepak helped with the sorting, counting, and loading the trailer. Walter Huberschwerlan and his daughter Rose Sellers manned the YFGA table and helped with the kids. As always, we greatly appreciate our office manager, Saxon Ritchie, for her invaluable part in organizing, securing the venue, advertising and tying up many loose ends. And thank you to the other YFGA volunteers who worked behind the scenes with additional assistance.
Be sure to keep your eyes open when you travel through the Yukon, as you will undoubtedly notice some of the thousands of bird and bat boxes that have been built and hung over the last three decades. It was yet another successful environmental project.
