Whether you are a birder, or someone who simply enjoys Connecticut’s coastline and the nature of our shores, Judy Benson’s recent article in The Day (“Deaths of Three Plovers, Crushed Egg Prompt Federal Investigation,” June 8) was very unsettling. For Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society, the death of these birds at Bluff Point State Park in Groton and Griswold Point in Old Lyme should be a moment for renewing our Connecticut tradition of sharing our shores with birds and other wildlife, and observing a few simple rules that enable us to do so.

There are approximately 4,000 breeding pairs of Piping Plovers left in the world. It was only recently that the Audubon scientists helped identify their winter habitat in the Bahamas. Fortunately, thanks to a cooperative effort between Audubon, the Bahamas National Trust and others, the Bahamian government has done its part to protect some of the most important winter Piping Plover habitat in the country with the creation of the Joulter Cays National Park, 113,920 acres near Andros, along with other protected areas in 2015.

With such great news on the wintering grounds it is unfortunate that Piping Plovers have been killed here in Connecticut, presumably by people rather than predators. Especially since one of the birds lost may have been a bird that was banded with an identifying flag on its leg placed there by Audubon scientists and partners in the Bahamas who are attempting to track the year to year movements of these birds.

Signs are prominently posted at nesting sites, clearly stating that endangered birds are nesting and need some space. String fencing indicates the sensitive areas to be avoided. Thousands of Connecticut residents realize how important it is to respect these signs and they enjoy seeing these imperiled birds succeed in our state. This incident is a vivid reminder of what can happen when people ignore the signs, thoughtlessly walking through the protected area or letting their dog off leash. These actions diminish the shoreline experience and threaten to reduce access to the shoreline for all.

The good news is that for over 30 years the majority of Connecticut residents have learned to share our shores, and know that we can do so while enjoying the beach as we have always done. By observing a few simple rules we can do our part to protect the wildlife that is part of our natural heritage, one reason we enjoy coming to the beach in the first place.

Audubon Connecticut and our partner in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, have invested heavily in shorebird protection. The Alliance works at dozens of sites from Stonington to Greenwich to protect species like Piping Plovers, and other coastal species that depend on our beaches just to survive. We all know that birds are an essential part of being at the beach, and that’s why hundreds of volunteers join us each year to protect these incredible animals in one of Connecticut’s largest citizen science bird conservation efforts. It’s why teenagers in Audubon programs like the Bridgeport WildLife Guard program at Pleasure Beach take the time to educate beachgoers. And it’s why so many of us here in Connecticut can and do observe the rules that help ensure that these birds continue to enrich the quality of life for Connecticut residents and visitors.

We don’t know where the federal investigation into these deaths will lead and it is unfortunate to the piping plover population that these breeding adults and nests were lost, but what we do know at Audubon Connecticut is this — shorebirds are an essential part of what makes the Connecticut coastline special; it’s up to us to preserve this natural heritage for current and future generations; and we are aware of and immensely grateful for the thousands of Connecticut beachgoers who join us each year and do their part to share our shores.

Patrick Comins is director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Connecticut. You can reach him at pcomins@audubon.org.