Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell today announced volunteers are needed this fall to count shorebirds on beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May and along the Delaware Bay to help scientists document shorebird populations.

The data to be gathered by volunteers will be entered into the national database of the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring and used to track trends in shorebird populations. The survey is a collaborative effort among the DEP, the New Jersey Audubon Society and the Manomet Center for Conservation Science. The population data also will help to pinpoint key shore areas essential to the birds during their migration south and to refine strategies for protecting these critical sites.

Volunteers must be able to identify shorebirds in fall plumage and willing to visit shore areas three times a month from July 15 to Oct. 31.