Encouraging biodiversity means to support a multitude of species of plants, animals, microbes, and more and their interactions in the environment of focus. The SAP has a beautiful location that can hold and sustain a variety of organisms already, such as native birds. The agriculture fields are great habitats for Sparrows, Hawks, Blue Jays, Crows, Cowbirds, Swallows, and more; and these birds do a lot for the natural processes in their ecosystems. We would like to provide housing support and encourage healthy lifestyles for these native bird species in order to ensure they have the means to house and provide for their young. This will hopefully support future generations of birds that will be visiting the SAP and in turn benefit the agricultural processes through biodiversity and species richness. A program for building the bird houses will provide educational and volunteer opportunities for those who want to be involved at the SAP and even an opportunity to take home a bird house that can attract cavity-nesting species in their own homes. This encourages rich education at the SAP that can be applied off-campus in one's everyday life, which will impact our community for the better.

Listed below are some native bird species that are known to use man-made gourd bird houses. These birds are cavity nesters, which means they don't build the typical twig & grass bird nest in between tree branches; they find cavities and holes to lay their eggs and raise young in. Each species brings something unique to the environment they inhabit, which is why it is critical that we support a variety of native bird species which in turn supports greater biodiversity at the SAP.

All of the birds listed below have diets that consist of insects and berries. This is great for the SAP because it will provide natural insect and pest control for the crops instead of using synthetic pesticides which hurt biodiversity. Birds are notorious for aiding in the spreading of seeds of fruiting and flowering plants through their droppings, so providing housing at the SAP will increase the probability of seed spreading in the agriculture fields and native flower/shrub gardens we are proposing.