Colorado Burial Preserve is founded on the belief that a cemetery should be an open-space resource for families and wildlife alike. The Native Prairie Restoration program enhances habitat and feeding opportunities for the wildlife that share our Colorado home. The open space of our prairie environment is ideal for several threatened bird species including the American Kestrel and the three species of Bluebird. One of the biggest challenges these birds are facing is a lack of suitable nesting sites, caused in part by human development of natural spaces. Selecting a bluebird nest box as a memorial marker provides a crucial resource in support of our habitat restoration, and it can be fully personalized to make it meaningful for your family.
Our nest boxes are handmade in Colorado from untreated cedar wood and and wood-burned with any custom text and images. They can be personalized on three sides and the roof. We use the recommended design and dimensions for bluebird habitat, which means the box can be opened on one side to monitor the nest and refresh the bedding during the off-season. (Boxes are maintained in late autumn after the nesting season, during our annual seeding and coverage survey.)
Ideal spacing for bluebird nesting sites is 100-200 yards apart from each other. Therefore, CBP can only install a limited number of memorial box posts within the cemetery boundaries. As always, we work with the family to determine the best layout of the burial site, considering the surroundings, slope, and existing vegetation. (It can be beneficial to face a nest box towards a bush or shrub to give baby birds on their first flight a landing perch!) Installation of a nest box on your family plot is a unique way to make a lasting difference to our native bird population. Native prairie restoration through green burial begins with the soil and grasses, but the positive impacts of your environmental choices can take wing for generations to come.
