Help Protect Endangered Least Terns

Near Lewisport, Ky., is the only known island in the Ohio River with nests of the endangered interior least terns. Please help Kentucky Fish and Wildlife protect these nests by staying off the island. Biologists are marking the island with signs July 1. Please encourage friends and boaters to stay away from this island as long as it remains posted.

Interior least terns nest directly on the ground. The coloration of their eggs blends in so well with the sand that it is easy for a person to step on a nest without realizing it. Even beaching a boat on the island or staying so close that adult birds fly off the nest is dangerous as well. Adults must keep eggs shaded; otherwise the temperature can rise so high that the embryos are destroyed.

Least terns nest on islands that do not have vegetation. This helps them avoid predators.

This holiday weekend, help protect wildlife by staying off this posted island.