It was a busy morning at the Ponoka Fish and Game workshop at Lake Pofianga as close to two dozen kids, helped and guided by their parents, operated electrical saws and drills, used hammers and nails to build birdhouses to protect various kinds of birds as part of their environmental education.
Organizers were happy with the turnout at the annual event which had seen a noticeable drop in attendance over the last two years.
“This year we had triple the attendance as last year,” said Evelyne Huseby of the Ponoka Fish and Game.
She attributed the previous years’ decline to the popularity of a similar event in Wetaskiwin. With the Wetaskiwin event off this year, the Pofianga workshop seems to have returned to its previous popularity.
Besides learning how to build birdhouses, the environment-loving youngsters also had the opportunity to hear some great tips and learn a lot about birds from a top expert in the field.
Myrna Pearman, author of several books on birds and their habitat and a wildlife photographer, made a presentation during the event to brief particpating children on what kinds of birds they should refrain from feeding, how birds build their nests and lay their eggs and help their newborn.
She also made a presentation of the pictures she took during her research.