St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Minnetonka is taking care of "all creatures great and small" — with the help an Eagle Scout candidate and members of Audubon Minnesota.
The group has built a 14-foot-high white obelisk on church grounds that will be home to chimney swifts, a small type of bird whose population has declined by more than 50 percent in the last 40 years. The towering home for the birds will be dedicated this Sunday following the 10:30 a.m. church service.
Audubon Minnesota partnered with Ka Her, a member of Minneapolis Boy Scout Troop 100 (who is doing the project as part of qualifying for Eagle Scout), other members of the troop and St. Luke volunteers to construct the tower, according to a released statement from the church.
The effort is part of Audubon's Chimney Swift Conservation Project to encourage the growth of chimney swift populations and create greater awareness about bird conservation. A total of 72 towers have been built throughout Minnesota – almost half by Boy Scouts.
The birds typically nest or roost in hollow trees but have adapted to nesting inside masonry chimneys and towers, such as the one at St. Luke's.
