Thursday, October 1, 2026
In a secluded, fenced-in area of Jones Beach State Park, not far from the Field 10 parking lot, lies a makeshift camp for feral cats, with small, wooden structures and food bowls to shelter and feed them.
Its existence is part of an agreement to protect endangered piping plovers, which nest at Jones Beach, from the cats that wander there.
As part of the settlement of a lawsuit brought against New York state by a group of bird activists, parks officials will humanely trap feral cats that roam the park and keep them in a fenced-in area until they can be safely relocated.
George Gorman, deputy regional director of the state’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said the plan to relocate the cats is still being developed. According to a state parks news release on the settlement, they will be relocated by the end of the year.
The piping plover is a small shorebird listed under New York law as endangered, according to the release. The Endangered Species Act federally protects the species as well.
The American Bird Conservancy and the state parks office reached a settlement on Aug. 6. The agreement ensures the protection of piping plovers from prowling feral cats living within the park’s borders, according to the news release, which states, “State Parks has also agreed that any new cats found in the park will be trapped and removed so new cat colonies do not exist at the park in future.”
The conservancy sued the state in 2016 over the “continued presence of feral cat colonies at Jones Beach State Park,” according to its website. The conservancy alleged that the state parks office was violating the Endangered Species Act by not doing enough to ensure the birds’ protection, the release said.
Gorman said that the settlement speaks for itself, that it is in everyone’s best interests, and that he hoped the removal of the cats would go well.
“We are delighted to reach this agreement with New York state parks,” the conservancy’s president, Mike Parr, said. “By removing the cat colonies, New York state parks has ensured a much safer environment for the plovers, to help them nest successfully in the future.”
“Every year, cats kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds in the U.S. alone,” said Grant Sizemore, the conservancy’s director of Invasive Species Programs. “Feral cats, listed among the world’s most harmful invasive species, are particularly problematic.”
Sizemore said that the organization’s goal was to protect the piping plover. Cats do make good pets, he said, but can be harmful to wildlife when they roam outdoors, and removing them from the park will protect the birds and their chicks.
“We’re thrilled that the piping plovers will be protected and the cats will be given an opportunity for a loving and forever home,” Sizemore stated in the release. “It’s a win-win.”
According to Rose Harvey, the state parks commissioner, Jones Beach is not an “appropriate” place for abandoned and stray cats. “We are pleased this agreement with the American Bird Conservancy strikes a sensible balance between protecting the piping plover and relocating the feral cats that have been dropped off in the park in as humane a manner as possible,” she said.
The release went on to say, “State Parks is committed to maintaining a safe environment for the piping plover and regularly takes steps to protect their habitat, including pre-season fencing of plover nesting areas, signage, monitoring, exclosures on nests, public education and outreach, driving restrictions, and predator monitoring.”
