Green Point (NB040)
Inkerman, New Brunswick
Site Description
This site is located on the east shore of northeast New Brunswick, about 10 km southeast of the town of Inkerman and 20 kilometres northeast of Tracadie. It lies between the beaches of Pokemouche and Grand Passage to the north, and the Tracadie Bay and sandspit to the south. The site is characterized by a system of wide barrier beaches and sand dunes.
Birds
This system of beaches and barrier dunes supports a significant portion of Atlantic Canadas breeding Piping Plover (globally threatened, nationally endangered) population. During the 1991 International Piping Plover Census, a total of five pairs of Piping Plovers were recorded (over 2% of the estimated the Atlantic Canada population). When the area was resurveyed during the 1996 International census, only two pairs were observed which still represents at least 1% of the Atlantic Canada population. Since then, there has been between three to five pairs of birds present at the site.
Conservation Issues
As with many other Piping Plover beaches in the Maritimes, one of the most significant conservation issues is recreational beach use. At Green Point, beach users, especially those in vehicles, often inadvertently disturb the nesting birds, which often leads to nest abandonment and reduced productivity.
The Piper Project is a special project of the New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists. Its objectives are to protect and educate the public about coastal ecosystems, especially Piping Plover habitat. In consultation with the Canadian Wildlife Service, Project Piper has been completing annual Piping Plover surveys at this site. The Piper Project formerly posted the beach with signs informing people about the breeding Piping Plover, but these were removed when some drivers of off-road vehicles began to deliberately drive on the upper portions of the beach in order to destroy nests.
Catégories ZICO Habitats Usages Menaces Potencielles ou Existantes Status de Protection
