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On Saturday, fencing was placed around sand dunes on the East Beach. On Sunday, the fencing was placed along the East Beach walkway.
Among the volunteers was Femi Olowosoyo, of Bridgeport. He owns Starlight Construction and his skills were appreciated.
"I said, 'Good, we're going to have a straight line,' " Ronnie Tella said with a laugh when she found out about his career. She's co-director of the park's Nature Center.
She appreciated the help the volunteers gave on the weekend, especially since they had 3,500 feet of fence to erect.
"It's incredible," she said while on a lunch break with the volunteers and fellow park workers.
"Rolling out all this fencing and having people hold it and putting new posts in and tying down fences -- the more hands the better," she said.
Volunteers from the Friends of Sherwood Island and Building Beyond Borders worked on Saturday, Tella said.
Olowosoyo said he has enjoyed going to the beach. When he found out about the fence-mending project, he volunteered immediately.
"I love this beach. I have been here so many times, so when I heard about it It just felt like a natural thing to do," he said.
He was joined by Anna Roode, from Bethel and Christine August from New Haven, fellow members of the Western Connecticut Outdoor Adventurers. The group meets for hikes and other outdoor activities.
Roode and August said they also enjoy going to the beach and wanted to do their part in helping it.
Tella said Storm Sandy had destroyed fencing, including those that help protect sand dunes on the East Beach.
"It was a lot of cleanup. Like everyone else, we had a lot of work to do," she said.
The dunes are important ecologically, including by providing a place for turtles to nest in June when they come ashore to lay their eggs, Tella said.
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