Beachgoers at Lido Beach will see new signs in the sand to remind them of the small endangered birds with whom they share the shore.

A group of students from Roosevelt designed large colorful signs to educate the public about the endangered piping lover and sanderling that live on the dunes at Lido Beach. The signs are titled “Protect Nature,” “Caution: Bird Nesting Area,” and “Please Help Us.”

Piping plovers are tiny sand-colored shorebirds with a black ring around their neck and a black band across their forehead.  Sanderlings are slightly larger, white birds with darker feathers on their wings.  Both birds are species of sandpipers, and both prefer to nest in sand and gravel.

The students were chosen from a round of poster proposals that were submitted to the Summer Sanctuary Poster Contest.

“They created beautiful posters that will raise awareness amongst our beachgoers about the very special habitats that we have here for endangered species like the piping plover, like the sanderling, all sorts of interesting bird that make the beach their home,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray told CBS News. “With the help of these young people, we’ll raise awareness amongst our beachgoers not to go into certain areas.”

Many of the piping plover nesting areas are roped off, but the open dunes are also home to the plovers and sanderlings. 

Piping plovers and sanderlings have lost much of their habitat in coastal development, recreational activities on beaches, and disturbance from off-road vehicles.

[Source: CBS News]