Check out our latest story! Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Check out our latest story! Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: When Survival Depends On Keeping Predators Out Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge staff and volunteers recently rebuilt a six-foot fence to help protect nesting and juvenile California least terns. "Without the fence we probably wouldn't have any tern productivity, and all the eggs or chicks would likely be eaten by either ground or avian predators," said refuge manager Kirk Gilligan.  Credit: John Fitch/USFWS   By Lisa Cox It's not easy being a tern in southern California. Due to habitat loss from development and human use of beaches during nesting season, endangered California least terns are left nesting in small areas, making them highly vulnerable to predators. At the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, south of Los Angeles, Calif., staff and volunteers recently rebuilt a six-foot chain-link and electrified fence to help protect the birds from ground predators. The terns nest on a three-acre manmade island on the refuge, which is situated within the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. This particular area was historically used for detonation activities and testing fire-fighting foams, however it is now a safe place for the birds. The Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1972, with one of its purposes being a nesting site for federally endangered birds. The least terns, once found all along the sandy beaches of southern California, were listed as endangered in 1970. Continue to full story... Stay Connected with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region     This email was sent using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region · 2800 Cottage Way · Suite W-2606 · Sacramento, CA 95825