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A Case for the Piping Plover

So you came to Cape Cod to go to the beach. Yet when you get to certain beaches you find them roped off, closed to protect the breeding habitat of a little bird, the Piping Plover.

What is a Piping Plover? Why should we worry about them? By excluding people from National Wildlife controlled beaches during breeding season, are there any signs of population recovery? Finally is there a better way to handle the situation besides outright closing of the beaches? My answers appear below.

The picture above shows what an adult Piping Plover looks like. It is a shorebird that migrates to Cape Cod in the Spring from the Florida/Georgia coastline, and has chosen as their nesting niche coastal beach sand flats. They nest in shallow depressions in the open flats, usually four eggs to a clutch. When the chicks hatch, they are able to run about and feed themselves within hours. Camouflage is their main line of defense against predators.

This is a harsh environment, to say the least. One hurricane can eliminate habitat overnight, leaving the poor Plovers no place to breed the following year. It is believed that populations of Piping Plovers have been subject to big swings for many years. On top of this we the people have discovered beaches. Since World War II the 19 state Atlantic coastal population has exploded 47%. We built summer homes on the beach. Visits to Cape Cod National Seashore increased from 2.8 million in 1966 to 4.97 million in 1981. To make matters worse (from a nesting Piping Plover's point of view) technology has perfected the off road vehicle, and beaches have become the venue of choice for ORV aficionados.

All of this put tremendous pressure on the poor Piping Plover. Total population along the entire Atlantic coast dwindled to 800 pairs in 1986, the year they were listed as threatened with extinction. Since then the US Fish and Wildlife Service has implemented an intensive protection effort all along the Atlantic coast designed to abet population recovery.

I am happy to report that the program appears to be working, at least in the Cape Cod area. In the Cape Cod National Sea Shore there were only 13 nesting pairs in 1988. This has increased to 72 pairs in 1994 (the latest data available). The bad news for you the Cape Cod visitor is that the beaches are not likely to be opened during breeding season soon. The official criteria for delisting Piping Plovers from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants is as follows: maintain for five years a total of 2000 breeding pairs distributed among four recovery areas, which include Canada, New England, New York-New Jersey, and Delaware-Virginia-N. Carolina. At the moment the count is only 1150 pairs (1994).

So is all of this fair? As much as I would like to walk National Seashore beaches to observe the breeding Piping Plovers, I have to conclude that it is not that great a sacrifice for the sake of saving a species. After all, we can walk and drive the beaches in our ORV's 9 months of the year.

I do think there is an alternative policy that could be implemented, and at the same time bring positive public relations to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is to issue beach walking licenses to anyone interested in wildlife. To obtain a license, you would take an exam proving that you can identify endangered species and plants, and then sign a pledge that you would stay near the high tide line, and not disturb any nesting birds. If this appeals to you, write your Congressman.

--Hanson Robbins