Beach-goers Educated on Endangered Piping Plover

Beach-goers were reminded to keep their dogs on a leash and vehicles off the beach as enforcement officers conducted a campaign last weekend focusing on the endangered piping plover in Nova Scotia.

Conservation officers from the Department of Natural Resources and wildlife officers from Environment Canada conducted day and evening patrols of beaches in the Shelburne and Cape Sable Island areas, enforcing laws that protect the endangered shorebird and providing information to beach-goers about ways to help limit human disturbance of the piping plover's habitat.

About 23 beaches, most of them in the southwestern part of the province, provide nesting habitat for the birds. Increased human activity on beaches during nesting season, which runs from April through August, is one of the main reasons for the piping plover's decline.

"Education and enforcement are key components in the effort to help threatened or endangered species," said Nova Scotia Natural Resources Minister David Morse. "Each of us can make a difference in so many ways. It can be as simple as remembering to keep your dog on a leash. It is important that we learn more about the potential impacts we have on wildlife and take the steps needed to protect vital habitat."

In the last four years, about 40 per cent of the breeding pairs of piping plover in southwest Nova Scotia have been lost. In 2006, there were only 26 pairs left on all beaches in southwest Nova Scotia.

The maximum penalty for conviction under the federal Species at Risk Act is $250,000 and/or five years in prison. Under the provincial Endangered Species Act, individuals can face fines of up to $500,000 and/or six months in jail. Beach-goers also face maximum penalties of $2,000 for allowing domestic animals to be at large on a beach or for having a vehicle on a beach.

For more than a decade, education efforts by federal and provincial governments and a dedicated network of volunteers have focused on raising awareness about the plight of piping plover and threats to its survival.

Individuals who witness illegal activities, such as the use of vehicles on piping plover beaches, should immediately contact the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources' 24-hour hotline at 1-800-565-2224.

For more information on species at risk in Nova Scotia, see the website at www.gov.ns.ca/natr/wildlife/biodiv/specieslist.htm . To learn more about piping plover also see the Hinterland Who's Who website at www.hww.ca and Environment Canada's species at risk website at www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca and type "piping plover" in the search boxes.