Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Spencer Burke, a St. Mark’s rising junior and a member of Boy Scout Troop 577 chartered at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, led 19 Scouts in a conservation service project to address the declining solitary bee population.
Aided by a grant from the Karma for Cara Foundation, Spencer led a team of volunteers to construct 100 solitary bee nesting boxes. The constructed houses simulate the protective housing for the solitary bees, and consist of various sized holes drilled into wood. These bee houses will be placed in parks and trails all over the City of Dallas, as well as private nature conserves including Twelve Hills Nature Center and the Connemara Conservancy.
When the Scouts arrived at the work site, Spencer took their temperature and asked a series of specially-designed coronavirus health questions before allowing them to proceed with the project. Participants wore masks and work gloves and practiced socially distancing as much as possible.
In the past, Spencer led a conservation project to remove invasive species and plant Texas native grasses and wildflowers in a designated area at the Twelve Hills Nature Center. Spencer also conducted an activity where volunteers made wildflower seed balls and then threw them in various plots along the newly-developed Northaven Trail.
