Author: USER

These cute little birds breed all along the coast of New Jersey, the Navesink River, and Sandy Hook Areas, in spring and summer, migrating to warmer areas in winter and fall. Unfortunately, human activity has led to a decrease in their population: crushing their nests (built in depressions in the sand); scaring them from their nests with kites or dogs; or destroying their nesting environment by development, dune destruction, or structures.

Piping Plovers
Charadrius melodus

Light Pollution
Light is especially harmful near coastal areas, where animals depend on moonlight for navigation and natural cycles. Excessive light at night confuses many species, and can trap birds in cities where there is little food and shelter. This confuses migrating birds and insects. Increased light also leads to increased predation and an imbalanced food web. The light can also stop many amphibians from performing mating calls and can lure newborn sea turtles away from the ocean.

Horseshoe Crabs Limulus polyphemus
Though they look odd, these little creatures are necessary for the New Jersey coastal ecosystem. The species has not changed in 350 million years! They spawn on our beaches from spring to summer, their small, green eggs feeding ruddy turnstones, plovers, red knots, and other shore birds. Sadly, human development makes laying these eggs confusing and sometimes impossible for the horseshoe crabs!

Red Knot Calidris canutus rufa
Red Knots, despite their small size, have one of the largest migrations of any animal. Some travel from the southern tip of South America to Arctic Canada to breed. New Jersey beaches are a vital stop for them on that journey. Here they must regain enough energy for the rest of their long flight. Many will double their weight eating invertebrates and horseshoe crab eggs. If they fail to find enough food, they can die of exhaustion.

What You can do to Help! —
· Do not disrupt or ruin dunes
· Never go near or disturb wildlife or eggs
· Respect signs asking you to stay off the beaches, especially in mating season
· Minimize light use and spillage after sundown
· Keep beaches dark during spawning season
· Call local helplines for lost and distressed wildlife
· Never bring an unleashed pet to the beach
· Do not fly kites during posted dates on the beach
· Do not support development near sensitive ecosystems
· Do not support industries harmful to horseshoe crab populations, such as conch and eel fisheries
· Educate yourself on the effects of hard structures
· When you have the opportunity, speak up!

Hard Structures prevent beach erosion
This includes jetties or groins, which are perpendicular to beaches, and seawalls, which are parallel. The Government builds these structures to prevent a natural process called longshore drift in which currents move sand along the shoreline, slowly changing the shape of the beach. These structures disrupt the natural environment of many coastal creatures, including invertebrates and bird species.

Design Developed by the MAST class of 2019