Friday, May 15 is Endangered Species Day, a great day to get outdoors and try to spot local birds, turtles and manatees that are on the federal and state imperiled species lists.
It is not, however, a great day to take your two quarantine-weary dogs in a fast red boat to Passage Key, a national wildlife refuge off the northern tip of Anna Maria Island, and let them off their leashes as you walk around the island, allowing them to repeatedly flush hundreds of birds off their nests during nesting season, causing the birds to screech and stay away from their eggs and their young for extended periods.
But that’s exactly what one couple did last Friday evening with their dogs.
In case you didn’t know, walking on Passage Key is against the law. Bringing dogs onto the key is against the law. Nine rather large signs state: “National Wildlife Refuge | Bird Sanctuary | Area Closed.”
Laws can’t always be quickly enforced on an uninhabited island. But people coming ashore and disturbing protected shorebirds should not be overlooked by law enforcement.
“Due to its value to nesting seabirds, shorebirds and wading birds, Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge is closed to the public use year-round,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Among the threatened birds nesting on Passage Key are black skimmers and American oystercatchers. Non-threatened birds include brown pelicans, laughing gulls, sandwich terns and royal terns.
“Threatened” is a category of protection under the Endangered Species Act, passed by Congress in 1973, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, and commemorated on Endangered Species Day on Friday. “Imperiled species” is the general term that includes endangered species (the most critically threatened of all), followed by threatened species (less critically threatened), and species of special concern (the least critically threatened).
On and around Anna Maria Island, several threatened species are common, including:
Birds
- American oystercatcher
- Black skimmer
- Least tern
- Little blue heron
- Piping plover
- Reddish egret
- Roseate spoonbill
- Snowy plover
Mammals
- West Indian manatee
Reptiles
- Gopher tortoise
- Green sea turtle
- Loggerhead sea turtle
The Endangered Species Coalition recommends 10 things you can do to help protect imperiled species like these.
- Learn about endangered species in your area. Teach your friends and family about the wildlife, birds, fish and plants that live near you.
- Create a backyard wildlife habitat. Put bird feeders and other wildlife attractants, such as bird houses and baths.
- Plant a pollinator garden with native vegetation in your yard. Native plants provide food and shelter for native wildlife like butterflies.
- Minimize use of herbicides and pesticides that can affect wildlife.
- Reduce your use of water in your home and garden so that animals that live in or near water can have a better chance of survival.
- Place decals on windows to deter bird collisions.
- Slow down when driving to avoid collisions with animals.
- Recycle and buy sustainable products.
- Don’t litter.
- Never purchase products made from endangered species like ivory, coral and tortoise shell.
And please, stay off Passage Key.
