Plovers on the Edge
The Piping Plover is considered provincially rare by the Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, and globally uncommon by the Association for Biodiversity Information. Threats to the Piping Plover include loss of habitat due to human use of beaches, all-terrain-vehicle traffic, and pets. High water levels can flood nests and reduce important feeding areas, while low water levels allow encroachment of vegetation and reduce the beach area. Piping Plover predators include gulls, crows, Northern Harriers, skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes.
The Piping Plover is listed as Endangered by regulation 25/98 under the Manitoba Endangered Species Act. It has also been assigned a status of Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). It is listed in the United States Endangered Species Act, and in many provincial and state endangered species acts. It is also protected in Canada under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act.
The national Piping Plover Recovery Team has a goal of maintaining and increasing the prairie population. To make this goal
a reality, more awareness and education about the Piping Plover and its habitat are important.
Manitoba's Piping Plover Guardian Program
The volunteer Piping Plover Guardian Program was developed to assist in the conservation and recovery of the Piping Plover in Manitoba. It is largely a cooperative effort involving the Canadian Wildlife Service, Manitoba Conservation, Grand Beach Provincial Park and local groups and individuals.
The focus of the Manitoba Guardian Program is to protect Piping Plovers while they are on their traditional nesting areas from early May and to early August. This is accomplished through on-site monitoring and increasing public awareness. Through education and public involvement in conservation initiatives, the Piping Plovers' chances of nesting successfully, and of their young surviving to fledge, can be greatly increased. By volunteering as a Piping Plover Guardian, you are helping to assist in their recovery.