AAfCW and Fourth of July Weekend

Good afternoon all,

Please be aware that the parking lot at Milford Point is closed today at 4pm through Monday morning. Also, Sandy/Morse Points parking lot will be closed on Friday and Saturday evening by West Haven. If you were going to monitor at these locations in these time frames, please instead stay home. West Haven is said to be sending out parking passes soon. The remainder of CT DEEP paperwork and badges have been now sent out this week.

CT DEEP and AAfCW staff will be keeping an eye on all at Milford Point and every other one of our beaches and more across Connecticut. Closing the Milford lot is done annually for the holiday, and it really helps to keep down disturbances of all sorts on a very busy beach weekend.

Keep your safety in mind at all times this summer! This includes:

-Staying home from monitoring if rain or thunderstorms are occurring or in the forecast for your time

-Staying home from monitoring if the temperature or heat index gets into the 90s or higher

-Staying home from monitoring if you feel at all sick or unwell, and maintaining appropriate mask protocols and social distancing with people at all times

Also always do the basics such as bringing water, a snack, covering for the sun and using sunblock, etc. The above precautions also keep our birds and their nests and young safe, too, during difficult weather. 

If you happen to find a dead chick that did not die from seemingly natural causes...

Step 1. DON'T DISTURB THE SITE - only if the person who injured or killed on the chick is present and belligerent so that you feel unsafe - CALL 911 – otherwise;

Step 2. Call Law Enforcement - DEEP 24hr Emergency Dispatcher 860-424-3333.

Step 3. Take a breath and fill out the Incident Observation Report. There are a lot of things to look around at to report on for this form, so take your time, it may be needed for the future. Try to keep other beachgoers away from the area if Law Enforcement is coming so that the scene remains as you found it. If you have a camera - take photos. If Law Enforcement is NOT coming ask them how you should proceed, especially if there is a dead chick, otherwise DON'T TOUCH or PICK UP the chick - and don't let others touch it.

Call someone with a badge FIRST. Then let us know what happened.

Please only monitor during daylight hours and again, keep your safety in mind first. Have a wonderful weekend!