Petition to Protect Mattituck Inlet and

Restore Bailie Beach

The jetties at the mouth of Mattituck Inlet are causing significant erosion of Bailie Beach, which is in danger of a catastrophic breach, and so much sand accumulation to the west that sand bypasses the western jetty and enters the Inlet.  In addition to causing navigational issues and to safe swimming, these changes have implications for shorebirds such as the NYS-endangered piping plover.

The Mattituck Park District is leading an effort to address erosion at Bailie Beach.  The Park District is seeking support from the Southold Town Board, NYS legislators, and the NYS Congressional delegation to persuade the Army Corps of Engineers to fulfill its statutory duty to repair the damage the jetties have caused.  Breakwater Beach, which used to have a very significant portion of all piping plover nests on the North Fork, has been in decline as a nesting area, suffering extremely high rates of nest failures. Bailie Beach has become an increasingly important nesting site with three nests in 2025, two in 2024 and just one in prior years.  A breach in Bailie Beach will further reduce already-scarce piping plover habitat.

Mattituck Park District's informative presentation to the Southold Town Board is captured in this video, starting at 32:15 minutes: MPD Presentation to Southold Town Board

Please consider signing the petition below requesting Congressman LaLota's support in securing emergency funding, priority, and expansion of dredging to a meaningful amount.

Petition to Protect Mattituck Inlet and Restore Bailie Beach

SHOREBIRD STEWARDSHIP & MONITORING

North Fork Audubon Society (NFAS) has monitored endangered and threatened shorebirds on behalf of Southold Town in 2023 and 2024, and in 2021 and 2022. Shorebird monitoring involves visits several times a week to approximately 18 beaches across the North Fork where Endangered Piping Plovers and Threatened Least Terns and Common Terns build nests and incubate eggs right on the beach. We fence off nest areas with string fencing to discourage people from walking through and accidentally stepping on nests and eggs. It is also important for people to keep their dogs leashed, since even friendly dogs will scare the parent birds off the nest, leaving the eggs to get chilled and perhaps die. Jennifer Murray, NFAS Shorebird Manager, is assisted by 18 volunteer stewards who record data from their site visits, which gets compiled for Southold Town, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and ultimately for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

For decades, both North Fork Audubon and Group for the East End have been involved in shorebird monitoring and community education. This year, both groups will be conducting outreach to children and adults at beaches, schools and elsewhere to raise awareness of the need to “share the shore” with the birds.


Resources for Volunteers

Can you help? Please email  info@northforkaudubon.org

Be a Good Egg Pledge Sheet

Photos by J. Murray

Information and Resources

Written materials

  • 2024 DEC Daily Site Visit form

  • “US Fish & Wildlife Service 2018 booklet “Long Island Steward Training Manual for Threatened and Endangered Species”, 115 pages.  Read or download HERE. Recommended reading:

    • Pages 9-17, “Your Role as a Steward”, monitoring techniques

    • Pages 32-47, fact sheets on Piping Plovers and Least Terns

    • Pages 71-84, useful photos of Piping Plovers and Least Terns at various ages from chick to adults

Videos