The youth group of Glossbrenner United Methodist Church (GUMC) in Mount Joy provided service to the Southeast Region Pennsylvania Game Commission's Food & Cover Division (PGC F&C) on Sept. 28. The PGC F&C Division's main task is to provide and maintain habitat on state game lands.

GUMC youths painted 14 wood duck habitat structures and 15 small bird habitat structures. Certain winged species use cavities to nest in, often in natural holes in trees or wooden fence posts. Manmade habitat structures, or boxes, simulate natural cavity dwellings. The smaller boxes are conducive to small bird species, such as the Eastern bluebird, black-capped chickadee and Carolina wren. The larger boxes are intended for the wood duck, but occasionally an Eastern screech owl will inhabit them.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission's Howard Nursery Facility, located in Centre County, constructs the pine boxes, but each region's F&C division personnel are tasked with painting or staining the structures to help them to last longer. The PGC Southeast F&C personnel include three full-time employees who provide the overall management of state game lands in Pennsylvania. Game lands maintenance supervisor Tyler Hudock explained that the youths' contribution helped to ease these employees' workload. "The time they spent painting these boxes allows our crew to spend time on other habitat projects," he said.

The members of the GUMC youth who participated in the PGC F&C service project were Austin Bowers, Darnell Davis, Ally Gantz, Cameron Nauman, Bella Nissley, Patrick Shepherd, Eddy Whitcraft and Desire'e Whitcraft. The GUMC youth director, Jessica Rockey, and her husband, Brandon Rockey, also attended.

"Getting my youth involved in helping the PA State Game Commission preserve our precious wildlife was not only a lot of fun, but purposeful; it was great to see our youth of today excited to be a part of this," Jessica said. Desire'e added, "Helping our wildlife community while having fun is my idea of having a good time."

Hudock conveyed his gratitude to the GUMC youths, stating, "I would like to express my appreciation for the dedication this youth organization has put forth into bettering wildlife habitat."

The GUMC youth group meets on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Glossbrenner United Methodist Church, 713 Church St., Mount Joy.