Can you spare an hour or two of your time to save the life of a baby bird like the one in the photo on the right?
Memorial Day Weekend is a wonderful holiday. It is a time to remember those that have given so much in the service of our great nation. It is a time to be with family and friends, to relax and to enjoy a picnic on our beautiful beaches. It is also a time when many shorebirds are nesting on our beaches, and they need your protection. Tens of thousands of people descend on our beaches this weekend. Many of these people are totally ignorant to the fact these endangered birds are nesting there. They don’t understand that disturbing the birds and flushing parents off the nest has dire consequences for the chicks and eggs. That is why the birds need your help. They need just a few moments of your time to be on the beaches near their nesting sites where you can talk to beachgoers and steer them away from the nesting site. There are many opportunities to help. Many of these do NOT require any special training as you can go out with one of our expert stewards or a biologist to assist them with stewarding. Please take a moment to read over the opportunities below and see if you can help.
Audubon and the birds thank you for your consideration.
Alan
Stewarding at Gulf Islands National Seashore:
The National Seashore is the largest nesting area in the Panhandle for least terns, black skimmers and snowy plovers. There are three areas in the National Seashore that are stewarding sites.
Opal Beach: Opal Beach is in the Santa Rosa Section of the National Seashore, and it is located just west of Navarre Beach. I am going to be out there this Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm CENTRAL TIME. Please consider signing up for a 2-hour shift on either day. You don’t need to be trained as I will be there. This is your chance to view the nesting birds while learning about their biology and shorebird stewardship. Shifts start at 10:00 am and every 2 hours there after. If you cannot stay 2 hours, that’s fine also. If you have been through stewardship training and don’t mind being out without me, shifts are also available on Monday. To signup for a shift at Opal Beach please send an e-mail toaknothe@audubon.org, Karen.Norris@Parallon.net AND roball@rlrvm.com.
Ft. Pickens Gate: There is a very large nesting colony just inside the gate at the Ft. Pickens area of the National Seashore. Stewards wishing to work at this colony park just outside the gate at the county park and walk a short distance down the beach to the colony. If you are a trained steward, please consider taking a shift at this location anytime this Saturday, Sunday or Monday. To signup for a shift at the Ft. Pickens Gate please send an e-mail to aknothe@audubon.org, Karen.Norris@Parallon.net ANDroball@rlrvm.com.
Ft. Pickens Parking Lot #21: Lot # 21 is the first gulf-side parking area west of the Ft. Pickens main gate. Rebecca Carruth and/or Toby Stapleton with the National Park Service will be to doing stewarding there on Saturday 8:00 – 9:00 am AND 12:00 – 1:00 pm. You can signup for a shift during those times if you would like to work with someone from the National Park Service, or if you are a trained volunteer, you can sign up anytime this weekend. To signup for a shift at the Ft. Pickens Lot #21 please send an e-mail toaknothe@audubon.org, Karen.Norris@Parallon.net AND roball@rlrvm.com.
Stewarding at Navarre Beach County Park:
This park is located on Navarre Beach just east of the fishing pier. The park hosts nesting least terns, snowy plovers and Wilson’s plovers. If you are a trained steward and would like to signup for a shift at the park, please send an e-mail to aknothe@audubon.org AND kkbntn@yahoo.com.
Stewarding at Deer Lake and Grayton Beach State Parks:
These parks are located in South Walton County. They host nesting least terns and snowy plovers. If you are a trained steward and would like to signup for a shift at one of these parks, please send an e-mail toaknothe@audubon.org AND alannah625@gmail.com.
Stewarding at Shell Island:
This is a special opportunity for one or two lucky stewards. Raya Pruner with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will be spending the day on Shell Island both Saturday and Sunday. Raya is one of the leading shorebird experts in our area. She can take on steward with her each day. You will learn much about the birds and stewarding, and you will get to visit a wilderness area that has limited access. Stewards wishing to partake in this opportunity would need to make a full day’s commitment. If you are interested in going to Shell Island, you need to contact Raya for details at 352-214-3262 or Raya.Pruner@dep.state.fl.us. This opportunity will be at a first come first serve basis.
Stewarding at St. Joe Peninsula State Park:
This is another special opportunity for one or two lucky stewards. Tyler Brown with the American Bird Conservancy will be spending all day in the wilderness area of the park. He has room on his ATV for 1 – 2 stewards. You will learn much about the birds and stewarding, and you will get to visit a wilderness area that has limited access. Stewards wishing to partake in this opportunity would need to make a full day’s commitment. If you are interested in going to the wilderness area of St. Joe Peninsula State Park, you need to contact Tyler for details at 765-661-6739 or ta_brown27@hotmail.com. This opportunity will be at a first come first serve basis.
Stewarding at St. George Island State Park:
This park is located in Franklin County just south of Eastpoint on St. George Island. Pam Stevens, one of my best stewarding volunteers, is going to be at the East End are of the park on Sunday from 8:00 am – 2:00 pm EASTERN TIME. Pam is a great volunteer and knows a lot about the shorebird and the challenges they face. This is a great opportunity to learn a lot about shorebirds and stewarding. You can sign up for a 2- hour shift with Pam or if you are a trained steward, you can signup anytime this weekend. To signup for a shift at St. George Island State Park please send an e-mail to aknothe@audubon.org, pamstevens08@comcast.net AND northbaysunset@comcast.net. Note: to visit the East End of SGI State Park you will nee a special pass. When you enter the park, be sure to inquire at the entrance station about visiting the East End.
NW Florida Coastal Bird Conservation Coordinator
Audubon Florida
Office: 850-710-6331 Cell: 850-200-6279 aknothe@audubon.org
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