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3 Piping Plover Chicks Take Flight ; Threatened Species Nested on N.C. Beach, Which Has Reopened

Posted on: Thursday, 11 August 2005, 03:01 CDT

Three piping plover chicks are in the air, and Cape Point beach in North Carolina is open again -- at least part-time.

The endangered chicks had nested this summer at the southern tip of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and closed 2 miles of the beach while they learned to fly.

The birds finally flew on Sunday, and the National Park Service opened the popular beach at noon yesterday. The public has been banned from using it since July 14.

Because the shorebirds are considered a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act, the National Park Service protects them and their habitat.

"Our goal is provide as much open access to the beach as we can, while also complying with the law as we must," said Mary Doll, a spokeswoman for the Park Service at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The Park Service will keep part of Cape Point's south side off limits to people to safeguard the habitat of adult migrating plovers.

Although the young plovers have proven their ability to fly, the beach will still remain closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to protect another baby bird, the black skimmer, during the night.

Fewer than 15 skimmer chicks are nesting on the beach, Doll said.

Although killing a black skimmer is illegal, their habitat is not protected, she said. Closing the beach at night is an effort to prevent skimmer chicks being killed accidentally by people.

The plover chicks took more than a month to grow strong enough to fly. Forecasting the skimmers' flight schedule is more difficult, Doll said. The skimmer chicks were born on different days and are maturing at different rates.

Although the beach is now open during the day, some say it is not open long enough.

The Outer Banks Preservation Association, an off-road-vehicle users' group, has presented a proposal to the Park Service that would allow greater use of the beach.

David Goodwin, one of the association's directors, said his group offered yesterday to donate labor and lumber to create barriers to protect the skimmer chicks and allow off-road vehicles on the beach at night.

"We don't want to get in the way of any birds, but we want to have access to the public lands," he said.

"The whole reason for the nighttime restrictions is to protect the birds," Goodwin said. "These barriers would do that."

The National Seashore's acting superintendent, Patrick Reed, could not be reached for comment on the group's offer.

Source: Richmond Times - Dispatch

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