Submitted Photo SUNY Fredonia students Evan Horn and Julianna Hollister volunteered recently at the Greystone Nature Preserve.

Late autumn marks the time in Chautauqua County to do a little outdoor house cleaning. Two students from SUNY Fredonia took on this chore as volunteers. Evan Horn and Julianna Hollister are both juniors majoring in exercise science. They found time from their busy college schedules to help at Greystone Nature Preserve.

Each fall, the 22 bird houses along the John and Beverly Ruska Blue Bird Trail need to have old nesting materials removed. Data is collected to give an idea of the successful hatchings. This year, in addition to the treasured blue bird, house wren and song sparrow nests were discovered along with the invasive English sparrow. The cleaned boxes will be ready for next spring when the migrating bird population will return once again. They will offer safe havens for laying eggs, brooding them and raising chicks until they fledge.

Greystone Nature Preserve is a not-for-profit organization which is preserving 70 acres of the escarpment overlooking Lake Erie. Educational programs are experiential, inviting folks of all ages and ability levels to connect with nature. For more information, call Diane Clark, director, at 792-7899.