Introducing The Soaky Nest Project
We’re thrilled to share some exciting news — Soaky Mountain Waterpark is launching a brand-new conservation initiative: The Soaky Nest Project!
This meaningful project is all about creating safe, bird-friendly zones across our beautiful 50-acre park. It’s a big step forward in Soaky’s growing commitment to support our local feathered friends — including Cardinals, Bluebirds, Tufted Titmice, Sparrows, Finches, and Doves — while maintaining a fun and relaxing space for our guests.
Thanks to some generous birdhouse donations from Lowe’s as well some purchases our team has made, our amazing maintenance team will be building around 50 birdhouses in various sizes. These will then be carefully placed in quiet, low-traffic areas to encourage nesting and roosting — giving local birds a safe place to call home.
“This initiative is about more than just birdhouses,” said Joelle Kedzic, our Director of Operations at Soaky Mountain Waterpark. “It’s about creating harmony between our park and the natural world around us. By setting up nesting zones, we’re not only protecting our native birds — we’re also adding to the park’s beauty and inspiring our community to take small steps in wildlife conservation.”
Join the Fun — Get Involved!
Each Wednesday in August at 2 pm, Boomer’s Kids’ Club will host a special hands-on activity where kids can make a pinecone feeder to be installed and enjoyed by our local birds that call Soaky home.
What’s Next?
We’re aiming to have all birdhouses installed in our first designated nesting zone behind Blue Mountain Mayhem and along the forest line —safely away from busy guest areas —by Monday August 11th. We anticipate the rest of the zones will be completed by September 6th. This will help ensure the birds can settle in peacefully and reduce the need for nest relocations next spring.
In addition to the birdhouses, we’ll be placing the pinecone feeders our clubhouse kids make and additional feeders stocked with wild bird seed and suet in each nesting zone to help support the birds year-round.
Take The Mission Home
Can’t make it to our Kid’s Club? We’d love for you to get involved in this initiative beyond at our waterpark! Consider adding a birdhouse to your own backyard, or try this fun DIY project to make your own bird feeder at home:
View Pinecone Bird Feeder from the Gateway Science Museum
Together, let’s make a difference — one birdhouse or feeder at a time!