Island Nature Trust shocked by campers in endangered species habitat

The Island Nature Trust (INT) is condemning the actions of individuals who set up a beach campground in Anglo Rustico Saturday, threatening the habitat of an endangered species.

In a July 22 release, INT officials said provincial conservation officers and federal wildlife officers received calls from several concerned citizens reporting possible species-at-risk violations on Barachois Beach on July 17.

On arrival, officers observed a group camping inside an off-limits area closed to protect the endangered piping plover nesting space and nesting common terns.

The INT said a tent was set up on a dune area with a campfire, and the individuals had removed signs marking nesting areas for use as goalposts for a ball game.

“To say that we were disappointed and saddened by the choices that these individuals made is a vast understatement,” Shannon Mader, INT species at risk manager, said in the release.

The INT said the beach was home to two piping plover families at the time of the incident. One family had five-day-old chicks and another had one-day-old chicks. The piping plover was listed as endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act in 2003.

“Last year, we had no successful hatching so this year’s chicks should be a cause for celebration but instead we have this,” said INT volunteer Mike Salter in the release.

The incident is under investigation by provincial conservation officers.

Penalties under the Species at Risk Act can carry fines up to $50,000 for a person and $1,000,000 for a corporation.