Better Yet: Help Protect All CT Seabirds and Shorebirds
HB 6813
By Robert LaFrance
Policy Director Audubon Connecticut
Piping Plovers have begun hatching chicks along our coast, which we refer to as “tiny cotton balls on sticks.” Because these tiny chicks begin foraging along the beach almost immediately, they are some of our most vulnerable species.
Unfortunately, beachgoers may not realize that in getting too close, they could cause an adult to abandon their babies or worse, cause chick mortality. These birds need stronger protections, and you can help them – now.
House Bill No. 6813- An Act Authorizing the Establishment of a Seabird and Shorebird Protection Program – has passed the House and now depends on a vote in the Senate. It offers an opportunity to better protect shorebirds and seabirds by making it an infraction for any person to enter a properly identified seabird and shorebird protection area. It would also be an infraction to allow any animal under a person’s control, or any vehicle or bicycle, to get too close.
June 7th is the last day HB 6813 could be called and passed. Urge your Senator to act fast!
At most nesting sites, rules about pets and vehicles are already in place. The challenge is that there is not currently an easy way to enforce these regulations, but an infraction is a simple and straightforward law enforcement tool preferred by EnCon and other police officers.
Stratford’s State Senator Kevin Kelly can be reached by:
Phone: 1-800-842-1421
Email: Kevin.Kelly@cga.ct.gov.
Thank you for taking action to protect our birds.
All that can be done to protect the inhabitants of the environment and the environment must be done for those who are living and those who are yet to come.