Connecticut Projects

WildLife Guards

Our Goals
Connect high school students to the outdoors, introduce them to careers in conservation, and help build their professional/academic skills.
What We鈥檙e Doing
Through this paid, part-time job, students gain valuable career experience and receive a unique education focused on wildlife monitoring, habitat restoration, and public outreach.
A group of people stand on a beach and observe something in the distance.

WildLife Guards are an invaluable team of paid high school students supporting shorebird and seabird conservation during the busy summer months. Our crews assist 探花精选 scientists and Connecticut state biologists in our shared efforts to protect state and federally-listed bird species such as the Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern, and Common Tern.

Students engage with beach visitors, monitor wildlife, and conduct site-specific land management all in their local communities while also learning about the many different aspects of avian conservation. 

The WildLife Guards program began in 2012 in Bridgeport, CT, as part of the re-opening of Pleasure Beach to the general public. To this day, local students employed through the WildLife Guards program serve as that park鈥檚 official beach-nesting bird monitors and also help other local environmental organizations with priority habitat stewardship throughout the City.

In 2017, the WildLife Guards program expanded to Sandy Point Beach and Bird Sanctuary through a new partnership with the City of West Haven.

See What The WildLife Guards Are Up To!

Top tips from the WildLife Guards! Here is the advice they give beachgoers during migration and nesting seasons:

  • Time your beach walks for low tide. During high tide, our birds have very few places to go and are easily disturbed by people鈥檚 presence.
  • Avoid loud or flying things near nesting areas that shorebirds may perceive as predators, such as drones, fireworks, and kites.
  • Keep the beach clean. Trash on the beach can entangle birds, be mistaken for food and ingested, and can attract predators.
  • Check local beach rules. Most beaches are off-limits to dogs, vehicles, and other activities from around April to September. Our preference, in support of nesting shorebirds and their tiny chicks, is for pet owners to avoid beaches altogether. Even the smallest disturbance can draw an adult away from a nest or chick. This exposes the eggs or chicks to fatally high temperatures and drastically increases the risk of predation.

As an added bonus, you can for shorebirds to show your support!

Thanks to Our Partners

The City of Bridgeport, Connecticut

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

Ash Creek Conservation Association

Common Ground High School

City of West Haven

Program Contacts

Will Perret

Senior Coordinator, Coastal Stewardship