The Rice Soil and Water Conservation District has selected Larry Alderks of Dundas as the 2024 Wildlife Enhancement Award winner for Rice County.
The Wildlife Enhancement Award recognizes individuals or organizations who do an exemplary job implementing conservation practices that benefit Rice County wildlife. Larry received the award at the Best of the Best Agricultural Award this past July during the Rice County Fair.
In 2011, Larry began volunteering with the Rice County Bluebird Recovery Program. For several years he would put up bluebird nest boxes; first at his house, then at his neighbor’s homes, and finally at a cemetery and church nearby. Today he maintains around twenty bluebird nest boxes.
Bluebirds began to decline in the 1920s with the introduction of European House Sparrows and Starlings. Their decline continued through the 1970s due to the loss of nesting habitat. The Bluebird Recovery Program of Minnesota began in 1979 through the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis. Since then, it has grown to monitor over 4,000 nests, including over 700 sites in Rice County. Last year, Rice County led the state in fledging bluebirds with 2,614 baby birds leaving the next.
As a Bluebird Recovery Program volunteer, each week Larry inspects his nest boxes and removes non-bluebird species- wren/sparrow nests, mice, or wasps if they are found nesting in the box. He also counts the eggs or fledglings and removes any babies that have passed away. Finally, he cleans out the nest boxes in between broods to prevent parasites from infecting the nest.
Larry has also served as a past president of the Rice County Chapter of the Bluebird Recovery Program.
In 2018, Larry started volunteering with the Red Headed Woodpecker Recovery Project. He began improving the habitat in his backyard for the Red Headed Woodpecker. While his large yard is filled with old-growth oaks, he has also left several dead trees standing, which provides crucial nesting habitat, roosting space, and food storage for the unique woodpecker.
“The dead trees are called ‘snags’ and they are helpful to the birds because they hollow them out and build their nest in them,” Larry explains. “The red-headed woodpecker and other bird species will also feed on the many insects that live within the dead tree,” he added. Larry also supplements food for the woodpeckers by providing suet cakes in different areas around his property.
Larry also maintains two wood duck boxes on his property. He approached his neighbor who has property on Heath Creek and installed four nest boxes on their property which he maintains. The wood duck boxes were constructed by the Kenyon Sportsmen’s Club, of which Larry is the president.
Finally, this past year, Larry started volunteering for the University of Minnesota’s Ceder Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve near East Bethel, Minnesota. At the reserve, Larry worked with other researchers to help monitor the populations of different birds by surveying the reserve.
Three times during the summer, Larry drove through the reserve and stopped at various spots determined by GPS. During a five-minute period, he used a bird call identification app called Merlin, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to identify the birds, determine their location, and how many are present. The research conducted on the reserve helps to determine the health of the ecosystem and influences the management of species with special concerns.
“I deeply appreciate all the beautiful things in nature. I just love to watch the birds and other wildlife in the yard and it has such a calming effect on our lives,” said Larry. “I believe it’s important to help wildlife out.”
The result of Larry’s efforts is a healthy habitat for bluebirds and other migratory bird species. The Rice SWCD thanks Larry for his commitment to improving wildlife habitat in Rice County. He makes an outstanding choice for the 2024 Wildlife Enhancement Award.
Local News
Comments / 0