BARNSTABLE – The Town of Barnstable has changed the date of its fireworks display to Saturday, September 3rd, instead of holding the event on the 4th of July.
The town had hoped to hold its display on Independence Day, but endangered birds close to the location of the fireworks barge caused the change in plans.
The town was notified by Mass Wildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program a few hours before last year’s event that the barge was too close to nesting piping plovers and least terns on Smith Point.
Although the NHESP asked for the display to be called off, Barnstable reported that was not a viable plan due to safety concerns. The 2021 display was later documented as a violation of the Endangered Species Act.
To protect the nests of the endangered shorebirds this July, Barnstable would have needed to change the location of the fireworks barge.
Although the town considered different locations to keep the event on the 4th, none met the necessary safety standards
The decision to move the display to Labor Day weekend became the best option, since the nesting activities will not be an issue that time of year.
By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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