Lighthouse group announces campaign to restore herons

NEWPORT – The Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation last month announced a $100,000 campaign to restore the habitat for herons and other shoreline birds on the 17-acre island in Narragansett Bay, the Newport Daily News reported.
Foundation Executive Director David McCurdy told the Daily News there were 300 pairs of the long-legged, distinctively billed birds nesting on Rose Island about decade ago. Today, there are none.
The move is a shift away from the foundation’s traditional focus of restoring the historic lighthouse and Revolutionary War-era Fort Hamilton barracks on the island. However, McCurdy said that many visitors to Rose Island over the years have said they come not only to see the lighthouse, but the wildlife as well.
That interest made the restoration project a logical fit for the organization.
That work is expected to be wrapped up by March 1 so it won’t interfere with the birds’ migration, which usually takes place in March and April.
As part of the project, unobtrusive cameras and a closed-circuit TV system will be installed in the potential habitat areas, allowing birders and visitors to monitor the herons’ progress remotely.
The foundation has set up an online fundraising campaign through the Internet site Indiegogo.com, where it aims to raise at least $15,000 toward the $100,000 effort. •