Somebody please tell Boss Gentz[1] not to oil these eggs!
PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management
announces that in order to provide protection for endangered piping plovers,
public access to the East Beach/Ninigret Conservation Area Sand Trail will be
restricted to pedestrian traffic only from Tuesday, June 2 until a tentative
date of June 25. The piping plover is a small shorebird that is listed as
threatened on both Federal and State endangered species lists.Hurricane Sandy changed the face of the Rhode Island coastline and beaches for the public as well as for piping plovers. On East Beach there are many over-wash areas that provide access for young birds, and piping plover chicks have been feeding and taking refuge along the sand trail. US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) staff and volunteers monitor the plover nests and broods on a daily basis.
The sand trail will be reopened and
the protective roping will be removed once the young piping plover chicks are
able to fly. Throughout this summer and into the fall DEM, USFWS and the
Coastal Resources Management Council will work together to plan restoration of
these dunes in order to restore vegetation between the beach and the sand
trail. Restoration of the dunes is expected to reduce the likelihood of plovers
utilizing the sand trail.
"With the changes in beach habitat and populations, we especially need the help of beachgoers to protect piping plovers and respect sand trail closures," said DEM Director Janet Coit. "We are confident that the ongoing monitoring will enable us to reopen the sand trail to vehicles as soon as possible."
The temporary closure will prohibit all vehicles from accessing areas beyond the main parking area. However, the resident pedestrian beach and parking lot will remain open to permitted vehicles. DEM and USFWS staff reviewed options in order to avoid closing the area to vehicular traffic, but had no alternative but to close the sand trail in order to avoid further conflicts between wildlife and off-road vehicles.
Sections of the East Beach off-road vehicle corridor may be reopened on or about June 25, if not sooner. The entire East Beach is monitored on a daily basis and will be reopened, either in part or in whole, to recreational uses and off road "permitted" vehicular traffic as soon as possible. As partial beach access is granted, restrictions may be in place that impact off-road vehicle limits.
"With the changes in beach habitat and populations, we especially need the help of beachgoers to protect piping plovers and respect sand trail closures," said DEM Director Janet Coit. "We are confident that the ongoing monitoring will enable us to reopen the sand trail to vehicles as soon as possible."
The temporary closure will prohibit all vehicles from accessing areas beyond the main parking area. However, the resident pedestrian beach and parking lot will remain open to permitted vehicles. DEM and USFWS staff reviewed options in order to avoid closing the area to vehicular traffic, but had no alternative but to close the sand trail in order to avoid further conflicts between wildlife and off-road vehicles.
Sections of the East Beach off-road vehicle corridor may be reopened on or about June 25, if not sooner. The entire East Beach is monitored on a daily basis and will be reopened, either in part or in whole, to recreational uses and off road "permitted" vehicular traffic as soon as possible. As partial beach access is granted, restrictions may be in place that impact off-road vehicle limits.
[1] One
of the few “environmental” causes, other than open space, that seems to excite
Charlestown Citizens Alliance leader and Town Council Boss Tom Gentz is an
extermination program aimed at Canada Geese who occasionally land in our salt
ponds as they migrate. Some stick around to mate and that’s not allowed under
the CCA Party’s population control policies that apply not just to humans, but
to sea birds. Each year, Gentz tries to drum up volunteers to go out and oil
the goose eggs to keep the embryos from turning into baby geese. I’d hate to
see him get carried away and do this to plover eggs.