David Curson will speak on “Can Floating Islands save endangered seabirds in Maryland’s Coastal Bays?”
Colonial waterbirds that depend on islands for nesting in Maryland’s Coastal Bays have been steadily declining in recent decades due largely to the erosion and loss of their nesting islands. Three species, Common Tern, Royal Tern and Black Skimmer, are now listed as Endangered by the State of Maryland and are at risk of disappearing from the Coastal Bays as breeding species. A new partnership of Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Coastal Bays Program is trying to reverse downward population trends by installing artificial nesting platforms as part of a larger strategy to expand breeding habitat for these birds. The first year of this project in 2021 was a promising start. David Curson has worked as Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon in Maryland since 2004, covering many aspects of bird conservation in the state. These include leading efforts to protect, manage and monitor bird habitats across Maryland’s network of Important Bird Areas, and coordinating grassroots advocacy on issues and legislation affecting birds, through actions including the annual “I Bird, I Vote” summit. Dave leads Audubon’s coastal resilience program in Maryland, partnering with a wide variety of organizations to implement projects to prevent the loss of saltmarshes to climate-driven sea level rise and to safeguard endangered beach-nesting seabirds.
Dave completed his graduate studies in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his research focused on the ecology and behavior of the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird. He currently represents Audubon on the Management Board of the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture and the Management Committee of Maryland’s Dredged Material Management Program.
Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84514315215?pwd=TXJyaHRWNFdUbFMyS2F6eGhPRTk5Zz09
