Placement of this notice has been approved by the coordinators of the two groups. NPH operates its raptor count at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area, which is operated by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA). NPCA has advised us that the park and the tower are areas to which the public normally has access, and that it has not yet closed any trails, although buildings have been closed. This means that birders and others can still go to the Beamer site. All the groups that had arranged visits to the Hawkwatch through NPH have cancelled their visits, because of concerns about group activities. If you decide to go to Beamer, please follow all the advice of public health authorities. We also commend to you the guidelines OFO used for a recent trip. These appear at the end of this e-mail. The NPH executive committee has two particular concerns regarding use of the tower: 1. In order to maintain appropriate social distancing, we hope that there will be no more than four people on the tower at one time. An area to provide sufficient social distance for the counter may be marked off with a rope and we ask that you respect this space. 2. Viruses can remain on surfaces and so we have a concern about the handrails on the steps of the tower. If you use the handrails, please use gloves or sanitize your hands after touching the rail. The guidelines used for the recent OFO trip appear below, and we ask that you follow these as well as all advice from public health authorities. Please read the Health Canada guidelines and do not attend if you have any risk factors including recent travel or contact with someone who has travelled, symptoms of a viral infection, contact with someone who has symptoms, etc. During the trip: - Carpooling will be discouraged - Follow hygiene precautions during restroom and coffee stops - Take precautions if you sneeze or cough, i.e., cover your nose and mouth with a clean tissue or facemask, use hand sanitizer - Sanitize often - Do not share binos or scope without sanitizing first Please bring hand sanitizer and clean tissues. The NPH executive committee continues to consult with NPCA staff. Decisions about the planned Open House will be made by NPCA at a later date. Alexander (Sandy) L. Darling NPH Count Coordinator 905 689 7481