In the foothills just west of Wilsonville lies a piece of property that has been the center of controversy for several years. An abandoned mental hospital rests in the middle of vast acres of grasslands on a site that Governor Kitzhaber originally selected for the state’s next medium-security prison. After a brutal political battle, the prison was sited elsewhere. The Dammasch property is now home to seven pairs of bluebirds who are carefully watched over by Georgie Nelson, a state employee.
In May 1999, Georgie found a dead breeding female near two old nestboxes that a previous employee had put up on the property. Later in the summer, her mate found another female, and the pair produced 6 young. Excited about the possibilities, Georgie and I put up more nestboxes.
This year, Georgie had 7 of 9 nestboxes used by bluebirds and fledged 35 young. Several clutches were lost due to harassment by western scrub-jays attracted to the mealworms placed on the top of the nestboxes. Georgie solved this problem with the help of Dan Brown. Now every nestbox has a mealworm feeder on the top of it. This is a great success story and a wonderful example of what one dedicated volunteer can do!