KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — While other 13-year-olds play video games, Jonah Wood is working on helping birds survive.
Over the last couple of years, Wood has been working on a grant from the East Tennessee Foundation Wildlife Preservation Endowment. The grant is allowing him to help his favorite animals and supports Seven Islands State Birding Park.
Regardless of what his peers are doing, Wood is following his own path.
"The new generation isn't going to know as much about animals and generally how to protect them if people don't know as much about them," Wood said.
For the last couple of years, he worked on replacing the old bird boxes in Knox County with new recycled plastic boxes.
"I want to help them like not hurt themselves and have like, boxes that are like better, more protected with the weather so they don't fall over and like hurt the birds inside," Wood said.
It all started with applying for a grant.
"This was not a grant that was really designed for a child to apply for. he just took the initiative and found this," Clare Dattilo, seasonal interpretive recreator of Seven Islands State Birding Park said
The seasonal interpretive recreator at Seven Islands State Park said Wood's action was a pleasant surprise
"I just never imagined that he would get his $5,000 to replace all of our nest boxes, which we really needed," Dattilo said.
Over the years, woodpeckers, fires and weather had worn out the nest boxes. By replacing them, birds now could be safer.
Wood said he will continue to protect birds even after the installation is completed
"My favorite thing is how they're free and they can fly," he said.
Jonah Wood's installation is helping Seven Islands replace more than half of their bird boxes this year. Seven Islands said they also plan to replace at least 20 more next year.
Any money left over, they're going to keep working on other projects that will help preserve wildlife.