On Friday, May 24, 2024 the AYLUS Roslyn Branch volunteered at the Jones Beach Air Show to assist the endangered species stewards.
The Bethpage Air Show is an annual show that is held every May during Memorial Day weekend. It is a popular event where aircrafts perform in the sky to pay tribute to our military. Since the beach is also the homes to many shorebirds, there are enclosures that surround the beach which were fenced off earlier in the year for the endangered species in that area. This is helpful to the Piping Plovers so they could lay eggs without any disturbances. Our job as volunteers were to guard the fence and keep people away from being too close to the fenced area.
We were split up into two groups and stationed in two different areas. We redirected people when people got lost and kept frisbees, balls, and kites out. Also, we were told that if we found any nests outside of the fence, to put up sticks so nobody would be able to trample over them.
Since it was a practice day for the pilots, there was a significant less amount of people on the beach than there would be normally. Even though the weather was hot, we still persevered through the heat. We fulfilled our responsibilities and kept everyone away from the nesting areas.
Watching the Blue Angels soar across Jones Beach and helping this endangered species is an unforgettable experience.