Piping Plover Nests, Eggs Destroyed Across Long Island: Feds

LONG ISLAND, NY — A $5,000 reward is offered for what is being called the intentional destruction of shorebird nests from Queens to Southampton.

The incidents to wildlife also led to at least one egg getting damaged.

The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say in May and June piping plover nests were destroyed at Robert Moses State Park, Jones Beach State Park and a beach in the Town of Southampton.

The piping plover is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, with maximum penalties of $25,000 and/or up to six months for each egg or bird.