Disturbing resting and feedings birds might look fun but it causes significant stress that can make it much more difficult for individuals to survive. Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission
Beach stewards play a critical role in helping protect coastal beach birds from human disturbance, a primary threat to shorebirds on Northeastern U.S. beaches. Human disturbance occurs when individual birds or groups of birds are forced to alter their normal behavior due to human activity, leading to energetic costs, decreased reproductive success, and even mortality.
Why Do We Need Stewards?
All along the Atlantic coast, people love going to the beach. The sun, the surf, and the memories we create with our friends and families make the beach a special place. We fish, play, fly kites, walk our dogs, and relax while some of our most imperiled wildlife attempt to feed, rest, and raise their young nearby. For shorebirds, the beach is home. Every year, as we flock to our favorite beach destination, shorebirds and seabirds are migrating to and from their wintering and nesting areas to eat, rest, mate, and raise their young on the beach. When they are disturbed, they are kept from the food they need to survive.
Beach Stewards are critical to protecting shorebirds. Audubon
What Do Stewards Do?
Stewards are often the first line of defense between birds and people. The play a critical role in beach bird protection by providing information and education; boundary, bird and people monitoring; and community engagement. Stewards are often the first people beach goers engage with that explain why coastal birds are important and why they need our help to thrive. Take a deeper dive into all of the potential stewardship activities!
Stewards gather before they hit the beach. USFWS
I Want to Be A Beach Steward! Now What?
If you are interested in being a steward the best thing you can bring to the table is a positive attitude, a willingness to learn about the birds at your beach, and the ability to engage with the public. It’s important for stewards to appropriately represent the agency or organization the are working for and avoid hostile interactions. The stewardship training modules will help jump start your learning on bird identification and behavior, how to run a program, and how to safely engage with the public. Access the training here.