Volunteer Training Videos & Next Steps

A huge thank you to all our 2023 volunteer shorebird monitors. Here are our next steps...

1) YouTube links...

New monitor training: https://youtu.be/qJTW2WsyUYE
Returning monitor training: https://youtu.be/8qd1ObK0Fo4

If you could not attend your training live on Zoom, please watch your respective session in full. Rewatching training can help as well. We know this is a lot of information, and you may find your questions answered during the programs. If you want to see the results of our 2022 season, it is in Laura's portion of the returning monitor session.

2) In the next couple of weeks, or before your first monitoring session in the spring, plan to pick up badges, lanyards, and brochures at one of these locations:

• Milford Point – 1 Milford Point Road, Milford - Tues-Fri, 9a-4p, Sat 10a-3:30p, Sun 12p-4p
• Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center - 100 Lyme St., Old Lyme - Tues-Sat, 8-4pm, but flexible

They are not ready yet, but we will let you know once they are available. Or...

3) Volunteers can also hand in waiver forms and collect materials at the recommended new volunteer field training on April 15th from 10-12pm at Sandy/Morse Points in West Haven. We will take care of free parking in the lot. Please try to attend if you are a new volunteer and able to do so. Please RSVP if you will be attending to ctwaterbirds@gmail.com. 

Please attend only if you are intending to be an official 2023 AAfCW monitor. Returning monitors may attend, too, but please bear in mind the instruction is targeted to new monitors. If you cannot pick up a badge/lanyard in person, CT DEEP can arrange to have it mailed to you.

4) Please continue to send in your desired monitoring schedule of beach, dates, and AM or PM times to this email address at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com.

The list of available beaches (priorities with many birds/visitors in bold) include:

• Sherwood Island State Park in Westport
• Compo Beach in Westport
• Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport (accessible by walking approximately one mile from Long Beach in Stratford)
• Long Beach in Stratford
• Russian Beach in Stratford
• Short Beach in Stratford
• Milford Point in Milford
• Silver Sands State Park in Milford
• Sandy/Morse Points in West Haven
• Hammonasset in Madison (limited portions only)
• Griswold Point in Old Lyme
• Bluff Park State Park in Groton
• Waterford Town Beach in Waterford

5) If you are looking to visit Sandy/Morse Points or Griswold Point, please also email ctwaterbirds@gmail.com your vehicle information (make/model) and license plate information, including state if other than CT, and your mailing address. I will be submitting the information to West Haven ASAP so they can produce, print, and mail passes to you. This is a requirement to monitor in West Haven unless you are a resident with a sticker. Please do not visit West Haven until you receive a parking pass (or unless you have a resident sticker) as you may be ticketed if you do not pay for parking. We cannot reimburse tickets.

For everyone who has already completed the above, you're set for now. Formal monitoring will commence on April 1, but you can start whenever you'd like based on your schedule - even late April or May. You are certainly more than welcome to visit your beach on your own time before then to get a feel for bird observations and stewardship.

Thanks again and best,

Scott Kruitbosch
AAfCW Volunteer Coordinator