Cape Cod National Seashore Announces Release of the Comprehensive Shorebird Management Plan and Environmental Assessment

Date: November 9, 2015
Contact: George E. Price, Jr. , 508-957-0739

The National Park Service proposes an integrated, comprehensive, and adaptive approach to the conservation and management of special status shorebirds while providing for recreational uses. The current Standard Operating Plan for the management of threatened and endangered shorebird species at the national seashore needs to be updated.

This environmental assessment evaluates four alternatives. The alternatives provide a range of measures to protect special status shorebirds and their habitats for breeding, feeding, and resting at the national seashore, including the no-action "status quo" alternative and three action alternatives. The main differences between these alternatives lie in the extent of visitor access and methods of managing predator impacts. The Preferred Alternative would manage and protect nesting shorebirds by increasing the survival of nests and chicks through non-lethal and selective lethal predator management practices to meet recovery goals for these threatened species. In addition, there would be increased protection for migrating and staging birds. To assist the NPS with this project, the public is invited to comment on the EA. 

The document is available at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=37030. A public open house will be held on November 17, from 4-7 pm at the Salt Pond Visitor Center, 50 Nauset Road, Eastham. The open house will provide information and opportunity to comment on the plan. Comments may also be sent to Superintendent, Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters;99 Marconi Site Road;Wellfleet, MA 02667; E-mail: [e-mail]. In the subject line, commenters should note that these comments are for the Attn: Shorebird Management Plan. Hard copies of the document can be viewed at park Headquarters, in Wellfleet, MA. Any posted or written comments should be submitted by December 10, 2015.