PROTECTING NEW JERSEY’S BREEDING BEACH SITES
By Todd Pover, Beach Nesting Bird Project Manager
Piping plovers and American oystercatchers have already begun to return to New Jersey to breed. Least terns and black skimmers will follow in another couple of weeks. This is a busy time for the Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s (CWF) Beach Nesting Bird Project – our program to protect these birds, some of the state’s most at-risk species, kicks into high gear as the birds arrive.
Employees from the Edison, NJ and Philadelphia, PA offices of CDM Smith who helped put up fence and signs at the Belmar Shark River Inlet nesting area.
The first major task at hand is to protect the habitat where the birds nest from human disturbance associated with intensive recreational use of our beaches. Working closely with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, CWF typically helps fence off and post 20-25 beach sites annually.
And we couldn’t complete this massive job without the assistance of volunteers. This year we have gotten volunteer help from a diverse group of organizations, ranging from the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association to Wetland Institute to Manasquan High School Environmental Club. A huge THANKS to all those groups and individuals that pitched in to help!
Click here to learn more information about our Beach Nesting Bird Program.
http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/protecting/projects/beachnestingbird/
Click here to learn how you can adopt a Piping Plover (or other species) to help fund our ongoing conservation projects. http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/store/adopt/
Tags: american oystercatcher, beach nesting bird project, black skimmer, least tern, piping plover