Mass. Enacts Beach Restrictions to Protect Piping Plovers
Piping plovers are back in the Bay State. Stretches of beaches are being placed off limits to beachgoers to protect the nesting birds, which are endangered local and national species….
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Piping plovers are back in the Bay State. Stretches of beaches are being placed off limits to beachgoers to protect the nesting birds, which are endangered local and national species.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service noted the following beach areas that are under restrictions: "Specifically, areas like the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Carson and Wollaston beaches, and portions of Cape Cod beaches like Sandy Neck are either closed or have restricted access."
The Massachusetts Department of Wildlife released a statement to the Cape Cod Times, which noted, "Piping plovers in Massachusetts nest on sandy coastal beaches that are relatively flat and have sparse vegetation due to periodic scouring by storm tides. Nests are often in a band between the high tide line and the foot of the dunes, also in vegetated dunes, eroded areas ('blowouts') in between and behind dunes, and areas where dredge spoils have been deposited."
A report from Massachusetts Audubon noted that the piping plovers, which measure about 7 inches long and have sand-colored feathers that help them blend in with the beach environment, can be found in the following areas of Massachusetts:
- Boston Basin
- Bristol and Narragansett Lowlands: Along the southern coast
- Cape Cod: Long Beach and Sandy Neck Beach Park in Barnstable, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge and Tern Island in Chatham, Dyer Prince Beach in Eastham, and Scusset Beach in Sagamore
- Martha's Vineyard: Lobsterville Beach in Aquinnah
- North Shore: Gloucester at Coffin and Good Harbor beaches
- South Shore: Cohasset and Scituate
Check the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's website for more information about beach closures and restrictions.
