SAVE GOULD ISLAND

 

Black Crowned Night Heron in flight

Preserving this avian sanctuary is critical to the survival of
Rhode Island’s vulnerable waterbird populations.

Gould Island is one of the last undisturbed nesting sites in Narragansett Bay. Isolation from human disturbance has resulted in decades of successful breeding for a number of declining bird species.

The health of this vital habitat is now in danger due to plans that would open up Gould Island to recreational use and overnight camping.
 

TAKE ACTION! Urge the state of Rhode Island to reject the Jamestown Town Council’s resolution to repurpose Gould Island from a wildlife sanctuary to public recreation:
 

  SIGN THE PETITION ➮ 

Birds of Gould Island
  • Male and Female pair of American Oystercatchers
    Gould Island Avian Residents

    American Oystercatchers by Ed Hughes

  • Great Black-backed Gull chick
    Gould Island Avian Residents

    Great Black-backed Gull chick

  • Great Black-backed Gull
    Gould Island Avian Residents

    Great Black-backed Gull

  • Black-crowned Night Heron
    Gould Island Avian Residents

    Black-crowned Night Heron

  • Black-crowned Night Heron
    Gould Island Avian Residents

    Black-crowned Night Heron

  • American Herring Gull
    Gould Island Avian Residents

    American Herring Gull

  • American Herring Gull
    Gould Island Avian Residents

    American Herring Gull

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Gould Island

Why Gould Island is Worth Saving

Since the island’s transfer of ownership to the State of Rhode Island 36 years ago, Gould Island has been deed-restricted as a wildlife sanctuary and is an important breeding site for a number of colonial-nesting waterbird species – birds that nest in large aggregations and derive the majority of their food resources (fish and invertebrates) from Narragansett Bay.

The nesting activity on Gould Island has been monitored by the RI Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish and Wildlife since 1964 and the island serves as one of the most significant breeding sites for Great Black-backed and American Herring Gulls, Black-crowned Night Herons and American Oystercatchers in the state.

All of these species have experienced long-term population declines across North America and in Rhode Island and are currently listed in the Rhode Island State Wildlife Action Plan (RI WAP) as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). This designation indicates that these birds require multi-year conservation strategies to rebuild populations and mitigate loss of habitat. Specifically with regards to the species that breed in Gould Island, the RI WAP lists “recreational activities” and “increased human disturbance of nesting habitat and foraging sites” as primary threats to their long-term conservation.

Gould Island is for the Birds

We strongly urge the state of Rhode Island to reject the Jamestown Town Council’s resolution to repurpose the southernmost 17 acres of Gould Island from a wildlife sanctuary to public recreation. The resolution, which calls for removing the wildlife sanctuary deed restriction on Gould Island to allow for recreational use, flies in the face of the RI DEM’s stated goals of conserving the declining bird populations nesting on Gould Island.

  SIGN THE PETITION ➮ 

 

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Read More

For the birds: The debate over Gould Island's future and what it means for nesting birds
The Providence Journal

Letter to Terrence Grey, Director, RIDEM
Audubon Society of Rhode Island
 

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