News Release

Cape Cod National Seashore Shorebird Plan Implementation for 2019 Season

Date: April 25, 2019
Contact: Brian Carlstrom, Superintendent, [phone]

WELLFLEET, Mass—Cape Cod National Seashore Superintendent Brian Carlstrom announced the first piping plovers in the seashore were observed on March 21 at the Armstrong dune shack and Head of the Meadow beach areas in Truro, MA. Piping plovers continue to return from their wintering grounds and are actively pairing up for the breeding season. To date, the shorebird team has observed a total of 55 pairs and 25 single plovers that have returned to the seashore for nesting. 

For this year’s breeding season the seashore will begin to implement the Shorebird Management Plan issued in January. Shorebird populations will be managed to improve productivity to meet recovery goals through a combination of increased protection paired with flexible management to maintain visitor access. Additional actions will be phased in as the seashore completes required consultation processes with US Fish and Wildlife Service. 
 
“We are excited to begin implementing the Shorebird Management Plan with the goal to increase shorebird populations while maintaining and improving visitor access,” said Superintendent Carlstrom. The new plan expands our flexible management capabilities around nesting birds while maintaining access in high use areas such as lifeguarded beaches and the oversand corridor. Visitors will also see additional closures to pets in some areas of the seashore to protect nesting, staging, and migrating shorebirds. These are just a couple examples of the changes being implemented in 2019.

For additional information about the shorebird management plan go to the Laws and Policies page on this website.
 
Official announcements about shorebird management will be posted to the national seashore’s website, on the park’s Facebook page, and on Twitter at @CapeCodNPS.