Piping Plover Recovery Program

Piping plovers are small, stubby-billed, Endangered shorebirds that nest and feed along gravel beaches. They face a number of threats including high rates of predation and damage to their nesting and feeding habitat. We work with landowners across east-central and southern Alberta to improve habitat and promote awareness of the piping plover plight. Each year, we also conduct piping plover counts on key breeding lakes that allow us to monitor population numbers and distribution, and help us guide habitat improvement activities. We surveyed 25 waterbodies and found 135 adults on 16 lakes, with ten or more adults on six of these lakes. We improved over 6 km of shoreline habitat by working with landowners to install one temporary fence and using seasonal grazing on one lake to reduce vegetation. We also worked with land management staff to reduce vegetation encroachment on existing piping plover breeding habitat on one waterbody, and we spread gravel along the shoreline of a second waterbody to create breeding habitat for plovers. Since large-scale recovery efforts began in 2002, we have improved over 57 km of shoreline habitat, with the majority of critical piping plover habitat being protected or improved through fencing.

Partnerships

Alberta Environment and Parks, ConocoPhillips, Landowners, Department of National Defence, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Government of Canada, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation

Annual Summaries

We are working hard to upload all past summaries. If there is a report you would like to see that isn't presently here, please email info@ab-conservation.com