50% of Sandy Point to be shut April-Sept. to protect shorebirds

Stonington - Approximately half of Sandy Point will be closed from April through the end of September as a way to protect nesting shorebirds, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service official who will oversee the island.

Richard Potvin, the manager of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, said Thursday all activities that have been allowed on the island will continue under fish and game oversight such as swimming, sunbathing and even cooking with charcoal. The agency will determine where the activities can occur and, Potvin said, the island's many summer visitors will not be able to go into the closed areas.

He said his agency would also enforce the island's current rules, which include bans on dogs and overnight camping. The fish and wildlife officers, who will monitor the island with agency staff members, have full police powers and can make arrests.

In the past, rules have been loosely enforced because the Stonington Community Center, which manages the island for its owner, the Avalonia Land Conservancy, did not have the resources to do so.

"There are two primary purposes for Sandy Point - to ensure a sustainable habitat for shorebirds and to offer quality recreational activities," Potvin said. "We believe we can have both but we have to manage it differently than in the past."

He said the primary reason of having fish and wildlife employees on the island will be to educate people about the birds and how to protect their nests, which are often right on the beach and hard to see. He said educational signs will also be put up.

"We don't want this to be a surprise to people," he said.

Potvin added that by increasing people's understanding of the island, the agency hopes to foster an appreciation for the birds and their habitat.

Sandy Point will now become part of the McKinney refuge, which stretches along the Connecticut coastline. Potvin said some of the other locations in the refuge allow visitors.

He said the agency's goal is not to shut off access to protected areas such as Sandy Point but to allow wildlife-dependent activities.

Sandy Point is home to endangered and threatened species such as American oystercatchers, piping plovers and least terns along with gulls and sandpipers, all of which nest on the island.

The nesting and fledgling of the baby birds takes place during the spring and summer. On summer weekends, large numbers of boats anchor just off Sandy Point and people wade ashore to barbecue on the beach. People and dogs have sometimes damaged the fragile nests and scared off birds.

The closures are the result of a decision by Avalonia to turn over management of the mile-long ribbon of sand in Little Narragansett Bay to the fish and wildlife service. For years the Stonington Community Center sold seasonal and daily passes to people who wanted to use the beach that encircles it. That is expected to continue.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a meeting to explain the changes to the public and listen to public comment on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Stonington Community Center.

j.wojtas@theday.com