By Karyssa D’Agostino and Chris Rotolo, Twin River Times
SANDY HOOK – After 24 years, a beloved summertime music staple has gone to the birds.
In a joint statement issued last week, the Sandy Hook Foundation, the Gateway National Recreation Area and the National Park Service announced the cancellation of its free beach concert series following the discovery of a piping plover nest just 50 feet away from a stage that draws tens of thousands of music lovers to the recreational beachfront each season.
“We really did try to investigate other spots to hold the concert series,” said Patti Rafferty, the Gateway National Recreation Area resource stewardship chief, “but either we ran into other obstacles or seemingly suitable locations turned out to not be so suitable.”
In a June 18 interview Rafferty described the search for an alternate location along Sandy Hook, including various other oceanside sites, as well as parking lot settings.
The great lawn near Officers Row was also eyed, but ultimately dismissed, despite the area’s musical history. The Fort Hancock grounds were the founding site of the Friends of Clearwater Festival, a music event that gained credibility through the early inclusion of late folk legend Pete Seeger.
“We looked at several different locations on the beach, but once we moved a safe distance away from this particular piping plover nest, we had, in turn, relocated too closely to another nest,” Rafferty said. “As for the parking lots, this is supposed to be an oceanside event in the sand, so it’s not really the right setting. The same can be said about the great lawn.”
Rafferty said park personnel perform a weekly census of the grounds to identify piping plover nests.
As of last week, the count was up to 51 attempted nests, 40 completed nests and 29 nests with eggs or hatched egg remains located at different points along the beachhead.
