By Karyssa D’Agostino and Chris Rotolo
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.
Piping plovers are a federally protected shore bird, meaning mandates are in place prohibiting beachcombers from coming within 50 feet of a nest – a diameter designated by temporary fencing – and barring any amplified live music event from occurring within 1,000 meters.
During the summer the concert series annually attracted thousands of people to Sandy Hook on Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. The cancellation of the summer tradition has sparked both praise and wistful comments from conservation groups and bands.
In a June 14 Facebook post, the Monmouth County Audubon Society (MCAS) thanked the National Park Service and Sandy Hook for making the decision to protect the endangered birds.
“MCAS understands that many people are disappointed that the beach concerts at Sandy Hook are canceled this summer,” MCAS said. “However, Long Branch and Belmar have free summer concert series with ocean views, and several other shore towns also host free concerts.”
Steve Warendorf, the guitarist of the band The Moroccan Sheepherders, said they played for a crowd of 10,000 people on Sandy Hook two years ago and were looking forward to doing the same this summer.
“When a big event like this gets canceled it hurts a band,” Warendorf said. “But, you gotta keep on keeping on.”
He was certain there would have been a huge crowd despite Sandy Hook’s new alcohol ban.
“Unfortunately, whether it be because of the birds or drinking or someone complaining, cancellations happen all the time,” Warendorf said, “As a band we just have to look forward.”
Carl Gentry of the Carl Gentry Band expressed his disappointment about the cancellation.
“There are other concert series around, which are great,” Gentry said. “But Sandy Hook was always a special one.”
He said people looked forward to the successful concert series all year long and added that the financial loss for Sandy Hook is also upsetting.
“It was a great thing because the money made would go back to the Hook, which is a shame,” Gentry said.
Rafferty said, despite the disappointment, community members she has spoken to have been understanding of the situation.
“Those who are from the community and enjoy Sandy Hook love it for all it has to offer, including the wildlife. They consider themselves lucky to live in an area where they can observe an endangered species and want to do what they can to ensure someday this species is removed from the endangered list,” Rafferty said.
Rafferty said piping plover nests have never before been discovered by park personnel in the public recreational beach area, and that in itself is revealing.
“Birds are like people. They have personalities. This pair of plovers seems to be comfortable around people. But there’s a difference between normal foot traffic on the beach and thousands of people in a concert setting. We need to keep the site as clear of people and noise as possible, or it could leave the chicks susceptible to attack by other wildlife.”
Daphne Yun, the Gateway National Recreation Area public affairs specialist, said no alternate series or events have been planned, but the organization is still open to discussing the matter.
