The St George Island causeway is now off limits to people until
august 15th.
This
is the time of year shorebirds use the causeway for nesting, so the state says
no people or pets are allowed on the sites.
A
number of protected bird species nest on the island, including 4 species of
terns, as well as black skimmers, brown pelicans, and American oystercatchers.
All
of the different species are protected and some are listed as threatened
species or species of special concern.
When
people walk through the nesting area, they not only tend to step on eggs, but
they also scare off the birds, exposing the chicks to direct sunlight and
predator birds.
And
because of coastal development, the birds are running out of safe places to
nest, so please try to find others sites to fish from until nesting season ends
in mid-August.
The
bird island off the Apalachicola bridge, which is another popular nesting site,
will close on April the 1st.
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