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July 12 @ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
The Bird Days of Summer: Snowy Plover Interpretive Walk – Clatsop Spit (RSVP required)
When: Friday, July 12 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Clatsop Spit at Fort Stevens State Park
Join Bird Alliance of Oregon Coastal Community Science Biologist, Cara Gates and learn about the endangered snowy plover life history, conservation challenges and habitat. There will be good opportunities to view plovers and other coastal creatures at Clatsop Spit in Fort Stevens State Park. Walks last 2-3 hours and involve walking on uneven, sandy terrain. We will have a spotting scope, but we recommend bringing your own binoculars, as well as water and appropriate attire for a few hours on the beach. For those commuting from Portland, there will be an opportunity to carpool in the Bird Alliance of Oregon van — please indicate if you are interested in doing that when you RSVP to Cara at cgates@birdallianceoregon.org.
Other Interpretive Snowy Plover walks will occur on: June 22 (Sitka Sedge), July 6 (Nehalem Spit), July 24 (Netarts Spit), and August 25 (Netarts Bay)
Why Western Snowy Plovers?
The Pacific coast population of Western Snowy Plovers has been in decline for several decades due to loss of habitat and disturbances from development, recreation, and other human pressures. In Oregon, the population hit a low of about 50 individuals in the early 1990s. Subsequently this species was listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1993.
Due to targeted recovery efforts in Oregon, mostly focused on the south and central coast, the bird has bounced back to a few hundred individuals and are starting to recolonize traditional north coast nesting sites.
Plover Patrol engages communities to monitor plovers on the north coast, helping Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Bird Alliance of Oregon track where Plovers are and how they are recovering to inform management.
