Nesting birds prompt beach closures; police outline July 4 enforcement and traffic plan

Natural Resources and Dennis Animal Control offered public information updates at the start of the June 30 meeting, and the Select Board heard a townwide safety briefing ahead of the July 4 holiday.

Natural Resources reported multiple pairs of nesting shorebirds and several broods of chicks at Crow's Pasture and other municipal beaches. Staff said the west-side access is closed until chicks are able to fly and cautioned that ad-hoc attempts to remove hay-bale barricades were endangering chicks; they asked visitors to leave barriers in place and noted that longer closures may be necessary if new nests are established.

Dennis Animal Control announced completion of the Rainbow Bridge pet memorial project and invited the board and public to a July 8 unveiling at Cheryl Malone Fresh Pond Dog Park. The Select Board thanked volunteers and noted the location and event time.

Police Chief John Bridal gave a detailed enforcement and traffic plan for the July 4 holiday: command posts will be at Mayflower Beach (primary) and West Dennis Beach (secondary), tow trucks will be active to remove illegally parked cars, and no daily parking passes will be accepted at select beaches on July 4. Chief Bridal said officers will enforce laws on alcohol and fireworks with a zero-tolerance policy and urged the public to plan ahead and expect traffic delays.

"There'll be zero tolerance for violations of alcohol and fireworks laws, disorderly conduct, or behavior that threatens public safety," Chief Bridal said. The police department and beach director will post operational updates online and update them in real time in case of emergency.