Agencies warn beachgoers about disturbing plover nesting areas

 

The Siuslaw National Forest and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department are urging beachgoers to help the recovery of the threatened western snowy plover by respecting nesting areas and beach restrictions during nesting season from mid-March through mid-September.

Beachgoers will see signs and ropes that identify sensitive plover nesting areas and list restrictions, including dogs (even on a leash), vehicles, kites, drones, camping and fires.

Recreation restrictions occur in 15 designated plover management areas — small stretches of beach along the coastline where plovers nest or might nest — stretching from Curry County in the south to Clatsop County in the north. Combined, these areas make up about 40 to 50 miles of Oregon’s 362 miles of shoreline.

While there are no designated management areas in Lincoln County, there are active nesting areas south of the Yaquina Bay jetty and in the Bayshore area on the north side of Alsea Bay. Nesting areas on those Lincoln County beaches are patrolled regularly by volunteers organized by retired federal biologist Roy Lowe of Waldport who spend hours in the spring counting nests and alerting State Park beach rangers to areas they can rope off to alert others that there may be nests.

The small birds nest on open sand along Oregon’s beaches. Nests, and especially chicks, are well-camouflaged. During nesting season, human disturbances can flush adult plovers away from their nests as they attempt to defend their young from the perceived predator. Left alone too long, eggs or chicks can die from exposure, predators or people.

Detailed maps can be found on the Oregon State Parks website and on the Siuslaw National Forest website.

On these plover beaches, the dry sand and dunes are closed to all access — except along official trails and on the wet sand — to protect eggs and chicks. Visitors may see roped off areas within these plover management areas, which serve to protect the most sensitive habitat; however, all dry sand on both sides of the rope is closed. Wet sand areas on plover beaches remain open to foot and equestrian traffic. All other recreation is off limits, include walking your dog (even on a leash), driving a vehicle, riding a bicycle, camping, fires, and flying kites or drones.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed western snowy plovers as a threatened species in 1993. Habitat loss from invasive plants — as well as human disturbances, including litter and discarded food scraps that attract predators — have contributed to the birds’ decline. The Oregon Dunes Restoration Collaborative is working with land managers to develop and implement a restoration strategy as well as raise public awareness about the need to restore the dunes ecosystem for snowy plover, rare plants and animals, and the unique recreation opportunities offered here.