Meet the next generation of coastal changemakers.
The WildLife Guards program develops young conservation leaders in Bridgeport and West Haven, Connecticut. In coastal locations like Pleasure Beach (Bridgeport) and Sandy Point (West Haven), high school students are given the opportunity to work alongside field biologists stewarding, monitoring, and raising public awareness about the beach-nesting birds that share our shores.
Their goal? Help biologists track the wildlife and plants in the area, and engage and inform the public about how to share the shore with important beach-nesting birds like the Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher.
Project Partners
Audubon Connecticut
Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI)
City of Bridgeport
City of West Haven
Beach-nesting Birds of Connecticut
Meet the WildLife Guards of Pleasure Beach
Lazy summer Fridays are not a thing on Pleasure Beach. For a handful of high school students in Bridgeport, Connecticut, neither is a relaxing summer. While most of their peers are blindly hitting the snooze button on their phones at 10 in the morning, you can find Ichell Perez, Anthony Love, Derien Young, Sara Gallo, Nivea Ortiz, Natalie Sinclair, and Nicole Llivisaca in bright blue shirts at the Pleasure Beach Water Taxi. These seven teenagers are the stewards of Audubon Connecticut’s WildLife Guards program. Read more >>
Featuring The Wildlife Guards
Wildlife Guards Advocate for Birds, on Beaches and in the General Assembly
A productive month for Audubon Connecticut's high school-age shorebird stewards, both on and off the beach.
A "Swap Day" for Connecticut's Student Conservationists
Junior Forest Technicians and WildLife Guards traveled from woodlands to water to learn more about conservation in Connecticut.
WildLife Guards Program Receives $35,000 Grant
November 14, 2016—In an announcement made by top federal and state environmental officials, Audubon Connecticut was honored to be one of 25 grant award recipients of the Long Island Sound Futures Fund—to continue its successful WLG program.
How you can help, right now
Get Involved
There are so many great ways you can get involved with Audubon Connecticut and make a difference for both the wildlife and the people who call Connecticut home.
Visit Our Centers
Connect with our nature centers in Greenwich, Sharon, and Southbury. Each unique center offers trails, educational resources, conservation opportunities, and more.
Support Us
Through land stewardship, science, education, and advocacy, Audubon Connecticut works across the state to preserve habitat and protect bird species that are of state, national, and global concern.
