Volunteers needed

Letter from Eric Draper, Audubon of Florida:

Dear Friends,

While waiting for official guidance from emergency response teams you can help by educating others not to harm wildlife while pre-cleaning beaches. Realizing that we would all like to be out there forming a human chain against the slicks of oil, right now our beaches and marshes are still nurseries for birds and sea turtles. We don’t want to see trampled what we are trying to protect.

Our staff are in touch with BP and the federal and state governments. They have agreed to allow us to forward your name and that of others for the national registry.

With regard to the beach nesting birds, Audubon has sent an alert to the media and some stories have appeared—yet we are alarmed to hear reports of and see images of well-meaning people surging into nesting bird habitats near the beaches. We do not have the resources to personally contact all media outlets.


Oil Spill Alert: Cleaning Beaches in Advance of Oil Spills May Harm Wild Birds

Well-motivated but not well informed volunteers sent out to clean debris from beaches may be disturbing nesting and other shorebirds. Volunteers—eager to move beach litter above the high water line to make it easier to clean up oil that may com e ashore—are putting beach and marsh nesting shorebirds at risk.

The media needs to help educate volunteers that it is nesting season for terns and plovers on Florida ’s beaches. Beach nesting birds camouflage their nest and are hard to spot. Volunteers wandering into the areas above the high water line may step on eggs or chicks and may chase away parent birds leaving chicks and eggs unprotected from the sun and predators such as crows.

Some people are moving beach debris such as driftwood from the beach onto high-water areas. This is harmful as beach wildlife use naturally occurring beach debris near the water line and may be harmed when debris is piled in upland areas. Traffic in dune areas can also harm vegetation.

Safe Tips for Cleaning Litter off Beaches:

For those who want to clean litter from the beaches in anticipation of oil com ing ashore, Audubon recommends the following:

Use approved access points and avoid walking or hiking through marshes or seagrass beds.

Stay below the tidal line.

Leave natural debris in place because it provides nesting benefits to shorebirds and other wildlife.

Only remove man-made litter.

Do not place litter in the dunes or above the high water line.

Don’t use equipment such as rakes, shovels or tractors.

Do not bring ATVs or other motorized vehicles onto the beach.

Do not bring dogs onto the beach (dogs are a primary sources of beach bird disturbance and mortality.)

Help spread the word by calling your local media and urging them to tell this story. Also, share these tips with your friends and family.

Finally, Audubon is encouraging willing volunteers to add their name to our volunteer registry so we can connect folks with appropriate activities when they are made available. To find out more about the registry, visit our blog here: http://audubonoffloridanews.org/?p=4419

If you are not inundated with information you may find these sites helpful:

DEP's "Deepwater Horizon" news and information site

FWC's "Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico" information site

USF Marine Science Dept. predicted trajectory maps

Thank you for caring about Florida ’s beautiful places and wildlife


Eric Draper
Audubon OF FLORIDA