STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF PIPING PLOVER HABITAT The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is about to embark on a well-intentioned but misguided project that will imperil rare nesting habitats for the threatened Piping Plover in New York.
Work on this project, which violates federal law, was slated to begin imminently. On September 12, Audubon New York filed suit to stop the construction project from beginning and was granted a Temporary Restraining Order to protect this critical plover habitat.[1] It's not too late for the Corps to change their minds and modify their plan in order to bring it in compliance with the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. ***TAKE ACTION*** Please send an urgent letter to the Corps today. Tell them that minor changes to their plan will protect Piping Plovers and their critical Long Island habitat: http://www.audubonaction.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction Audubon New York supporters have been pressing for these changes for months. The Corps has ignored us and government scientists who recommended that the project be revised to mimic natural formations to make the areas more resilient and sustainable. The US Army Corp of Engineers has a responsibility to make sure this project is done right from the start. The process that resulted in the present plan was deeply flawed and cannot serve as a model for future coastal protection projects. Our concerns center around work planned at Smith Point County Park and Fire Island Lighthouse Beach on Long Island. These areas provide rare nesting and foraging plover habitat. The current project will destroy that habitat and further diminish the plover population, which has been declining in recent years. Fewer than 7,000 Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers survive today, with 20 percent of them relying on the shores of New York for nesting and breeding. Plovers have been the subject of intensive conservation efforts. Yet the species continues to struggle, in large part because of destruction and development of coastal areas that these beach-nesting birds require to survive. Now more than ever, we need you to help be the voice for Piping Plovers on Long Island. ***TAKE ACTION*** Please send your letter today! http://www.audubonaction.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1751 On behalf of the plovers, thank you. Sincerely, David Yarnold President & CEO, National Audubon Society REFERENCES [1] Gralla, Joan, "Piping plover suit prompts judge to suspend Fire Island dune project," Newsday, September 12, 2014, http://ny.audubon.org/newsroom/press-rooms/piping-plover-suit-prompts-judge-suspend-fire-island-dune-project ========================================================== SHARE THIS ALERT ~Share on Facebook~ http://on.fb.me/YejZhn ~Share on Twitter~ http://bit.ly/1puKu8C ~Forward to a Friend~ http://www.audubonaction.org/site/TellAFriend ========================================================== Audubon 1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20036 audubonact...@audubon.org<mailto:audubonact...@audubon.org> ========================================================== -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
