When 9-year-old Sam Stone stumbled upon a Killdeer nest in the grass at Surrey Downs Park he knew he wanted to find a way to protect the birds.

Sam, a third grader at Enatai Elementary in Bellevue, was concerned that whoever mowed the grass would ruin the nest. He wanted to do something to protect the nest so the eggs could hatch.

His mother, Ellen Stone, was touched by her young son’s concern for the birds.

“We thought if we could talk to the grounds people, we could have them avoid mowing this area. So, I went to the courthouse at Surrey Downs to ask permission for Sam to mark the area so the mower wouldn’t accidentally run over it,” Ellen explained. “Everyone was fantastic!”

The mother and son pair set off on a mission to save the bird nest.

They were first greeted by a policeman who went out of his way to call the courthouse administrator. The administrator spoke with the Stones personally and contacted the Probation Office located next door to the courthouse. Roger Ledbetter, a Bellevue probation manager, e-mailed four people in charge of city maintenance.

“All of them empowered my boy to save the bird’s nest. They were not only kind, but immediately responsive,” Ellen added.

With the city employees permission, Sam marked off the area with yellow caution tape and the bird’s eggs have remained safe thus far.