Large section of Sea Bright beach closed to protect birds

SEA BRIGHT – This borough’s beautiful beach is for the birds – parts of it, anyway.

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has cordoned off a large portion of Sea Bright’s public beach as a breeding ground for rare and endangered birds.

A half-mile section of beach surrounding the borough’s southernmost public access point is closed so that the piping plover, least tern and American oystercatcher can nest. The beach was closed before Memorial Day and is expected to be closed through August.

Todd Pover, manager for the state beach nesting bird program, explained that the birds are endangered species.

“Plovers and terns are state-designated endangered species,” Pover said. “That means there’s a risk of them becoming extinct, they’re very rare vulnerable and at risk. This user-endangered species conflict is nothing new for this project.”

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