What good are woodwork projects? Well, they can be good for many things, but one which I would not first consider is environmental preservation. According to an article entitled Workshops aid phascogales from the online version of the Southwest Australian newspaper The Wagin Argus, a woodwork project is being used to build nestboxes for the endangered phascogales, a marsupial native to the region. This easy woodworking project has aided the endangered animals and helped preserve the environment.
The project involves building simple wooden boxes which the phascogales use as nests. Workshops on how to build the nestboxes were given in the area by local woodworker Arthur Kershaw, who is also interested in helping the phascogale. He designed the boxes to be constructed almost entirely out of recycled materials and simple enough to be done in anyone’s woodshed using mainly handheld tools. Blueprints for the boxes have been made with the possibility of future workshops if there is demand for them. The need for them has arisen out of trapping and a lack of old eucalypt hollows in which the phascogales can nest.
The red-tailed phascogale, which is the species that this woodwork project is helping, is a small marsupial native to Western Australia. They are tree-dwelling, nocturnal, and only weigh one to two and a half ounces. In addition to habitat loss due to agricultural development, another possible reason for their endangerment is predation by cats and foxes.
I think this is a great example of how woodwork projects can be used to preserve the environment. The extinction of any species is a tragedy and this simple action is helping to avoid that for the red-tailed phascogale. It also shows the beauty of working in an organic medium such as wood — it fits in perfectly with the environment with no adverse effects. These nestboxes are helping to ensure a strong population of phascogales in the region for future generations.
A simple, low tech woodwork project has proven to be a great help to preserving an endangered species in Western Australia. This is just one more reason to get involved in the exciting and noble craft.
While building the nesting boxes has certainly served its purpose, commercial nesting logs are available at many local gardening outlets nowadays. I have used these successfully for especially barbets found in our area.
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