The ACU Wildlife Society will host a birdhouse-building contest to raise money for additions to the Parker Hill Nature Trail.

The trail is located just off of campus and will be an educational feature for the university and the Abilene community. The Wildlife Society has contributed in the preparation of the trail by planting native plants along the trails. The birdhouse-building contest will be one way for students to get involved.

“We wanted to provide a way for students to get involved with topics related to wildlife,” said Eric Dolezik, senior environmental science major from Ennis and Wildlife Society president . 

Dolezik said the birdhouses will be built from scratch, but participants will have access to examples built by the MakerLab as a reference for guidelines. Some participants may be rewarded with gift cards to local businesses.

No more than 10 people can participate because of a limited amount of space in the Maker Lab. The Wildlife Society will do a drawing on April 7 to decide who of the registered students can participate in the contest.

“The Maker Lab will provide all tools and equipment and Lowe’s has donated some wood fence pickets,” said Dolezik. “So the students just need to bring their creativity and competitiveness to participate in the contest.”

Contestants are required to go through a training process to understand the equipment and the proper way to use it prior to the event. The contest will begin April 17, the first day of Earth Week, and will end April 21. 

After the contest in over and the winner is announced, the birdhouses will be placed at the trail’s grand opening on Earth Day, April 22.

To participate, email wildlife.society@acu.edu or attend a club meeting Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in Hardin Administration room 128.