Volunteers needed to help nesting birds on the old causeway

The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve and Audubon Florida are partnering on a large project coming up on the old St. George Island bridge Causeway.

The causeway is one of the most important nesting sites in the Panhandle for a number of protected bird species like terns, skimmers and oystercatchers as well as more populous birds like laughing gulls.

The two groups plan to remove vegetation (mostly grass) to keep the gulls from encroaching on the nesting terns, and they will be putting up chick fencing to keep the chicks from falling from the seawalls into the water.

The first stage of the project will be done on March 16^th by Estuarine research reserve staff.

They will use a tractor to remove much of the vegetation. 

Then, during the first week of April, they will need volunteers to help remove the vegetation where the tractor couldn’t reach and to put up the chick fencing. 

It will be a one day commitment sometime between April 2^nd and 6^th, depending on weather and the availability of boat transportation and staff assistance.

But before any of the work can be done, they need people to help to survey the causeway for nesting American Oystercatchers and to mark the nests so they are not disturbed during the project.

That needs to be done before March 16^th.

If you would like to help survey for the oystercatcher nests or help on any of the project contact Alan Knothe the Northwest Florida Coastal Bird Conservation Coordinator at 850-200-6279.

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