This…no one needs this! This was not an accident, and the “NO DOGS” sign on many of Connecticut’s beaches are often vandalized. This was the remains of one that had been split at Bluff Point State Park in Groton. For the most part dogs are not allowed on state and municipal beaches as a public health and safety hazard – in other words, it has nothing to do with birds. However, these signs are posted by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to remind people who are otherwise disobeying the law that unleashed and even leashed dogs are seen as a threat by bird parents even if the dogs are on their best behavior. They can be responsible for the direct or indirect loss of chicks each spring and summer. I love dogs, and my dog would certainly have a 0% chance of ever harming a bird intentionally, but he would frighten a Piping Plover family and flush a Least Tern off its nest like any “predator” would. But back to my original point – what do people think ripping up the signs or stealing them will accomplish? The State simply has to buy more then. This is why we spend thousands of hours of time educating beachgoers each year, reaching children in the classroom and on the shore, and conducting outreach like this across all of our collective social media platforms. The teaching never ends!
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
