Summer struggles continue for Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve

For the first time in 20 years, a popular site for people to watch migrating shorebirds feed along the Bay of Fundy has been forced to shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve and Interpretive Centre in Johnson’s Mills, N.B., is limiting access to the public said Denise Roy, a conservation representative for the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

“We are not able to welcome people through our interpretive centre and we are only able to give a very controlled and cued access to our viewing deck”, said Roy.

The interpretive centre is too small to allow for physical distancing, said Roy, and only two small family groupings known as bubbles are allowed on the viewing deck at a time to take in the shorebird migration.

She said the conservation group has experienced a $10,000 drop in donations due to the limits on visitors.

“These would have been places where visitors would have given donations to us to help support our work”, she said.

It has been a trying summer, said Roy.

The season has been made worse by the fact that the interpretive centre was broken into last Thursday and thieves stole $15,000 worth of tools and equipment used in the conservation and protection of shorebirds.

“They stole everything from laptops to binoculars to spotting scopes and printers,” said Roy. “It hurts tremendously.”

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Ted Bartlett of Moncton visited the viewing area on Wednesday and said it was “sad news.”

“We knew the place was closed because of COVID but this additional bad news is quite distressing,” said Bartlett.

While RCMP are investigating the theft,  Roy is pleading to the public for help so they can protect the birds.

She said they have had to reduce the number of students hired to educate people about the importance of staying off the beaches for two hours before and after high tide to allow for the birds to rest before their long migration

“We hope that people will see and realize the kind of work that we are doing and help to support us,” said Roy.

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