FOR THE BIRDS

The Kern River Preserve keeps the environment safe for the plants and animals that live there, but some parts of the preserve are being destroyed or lost.

The kids in Cassie Wingender’s class at Woodrow Wallace Elementary School came up with a plan to help restore, or return, part of the preserve to its natural state.

The mountain bluebird likes to move into empty woodpecker nests in trees. As trees get old, they fall or have to be cut down. The birds have suffered because their nests are destroyed or lost.

The students in Cassie Wingender’s class built 21 birdhouses that are designed to attract bluebirds and keep out other animals.

Southwestern willow flycatchers had nowhere to lay their eggs and protect them, so the students planted 50 cottonwood trees.

Cottonwood trees

The students plan to do more. They want to preserve the forest, or keep it safe, so that it will be there in the future, for their own children to enjoy.

PRESERVE preserve: ( pre-serve ) noun A piece of land set aside to keep the environment safe for plants and animals. The school donated land to create a preserve for the endangered bluebird.

PRESERVE preserve: ( pre-serve ) verb To keep from changing; to protect The teacher was able to preserve the first edition books by placing them in a special room.

RAINFALL rainfall: ( rain-fall ) noun The amount of rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls on an area in a certain amount of time. The annual rainfall for the town was the highest it had ever been.

RESTORE restore: ( re-store ) verb To bring back; to establish again The children wanted to restore the playground so the neighborhood kids could use it again.

SUFFERED suffered: ( suf-fered ) verb Felt pain or distress. The boy suffered from loneliness the first time his brother went off to college.