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Current Status:

Throughout the piping plover's Atlantic Coast range, persistent threats include loss or alteration of beach nesting habitat from development and coastal stabilization activities, predation, and disturbance by beach recreationists and their pets.

Achievements:

The Massachusetts piping plover population has increased by more than 50 percent during the last 2 years, from 139 pairs in 1990 to 213 pairs in 1992. Statewide, productivity in 1992 was a record 2.02 fledged chicks per nesting pair. These gains resulted primarily from intensive protection efforts, including deployment of predator enclosure devices, imposing restrictions on off-road vehicles near breeding sites, and implementation of a variety of measures to reduce disturbance from beach activities. Informal section 7 consultations with the National Park Service (Cape Cod National Seashore) and the Army Corps of Engineers have resulted in measures to enhance the protection of plover habitat in Massachusetts.

Current Recovery Needs:

Current recovery efforts, including use of predator enclosures and management of nesting habitat, need to continue.

Section 6 Funding and Activities:

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife received $8,000 in both FY 1991 and FY 1992 for piping plover management and protection.

Partnerships

National Park Service: This Federal agency has a comprehensive and highly effective program to protect piping plover nesting habitat on Cape Cod National Seashore.

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife: This State agency coordinates a network of cooperators, including a number of municipalities and the University of Massachusetts, that provide monitoring and management on virtually all 55 piping plover nesting sites in the State.

The Trustees of Reservations, Massachusetts Audubon Society, The Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies, and Sheriff's Meadow Foundation: These private organizations monitor nesting areas, deploy predator enclosures, fence and sign nesting areas, and provide public information on specific beaches.

Recovery Plan Status:

Plan approved 3/31/88.