Today was the first day of training for our Crew Leaders in the 2016 Bridgeport WildLife Guards! We are happy to have a great new Crew Leader, Kari Lickey, and a terrific returning Crew Leader from last summer, Emily Allen.
This week will focus on planning for the seven-week season with 10 high school students from Bridgeport, Connecticut as they join us at Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport beginning next Tuesday. They will be on duty at the shore monitoring endangered waterbirds and educating visitors, families, and friends about Pleasure Beach and its ecosystem every Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30AM to 4:30PM. Well over 10,000 or possibly 20,000 beachgoers, including many young children, will come through and see our WildLife Guards throughout July and August. RTPI is a partner in this tremendous Audubon Connecticut program that is overseen by Audubon Connecticut Important Bird Area Program Coordinator Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe.
These photos show Corrie, Emily, and Kari walking to Pleasure Beach after exiting the water taxi, using binoculars to look down the shore for Piping Plovers – we have one pair and one hatchling on the beach – and discussing the many plant species found here including invasives and endangered species.
We will have much more to come all summer as we work to mentor and train then teach and reach the next generation of environmentalists. We hope you can visit us, too!
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
