Snowy Plover Training

Snowy Plovers at South Beach. Photo by Cathy Tronquet.

Breeding season for the Western Snowy Plover began March 15.  Recreation restricted at 16 beaches managed for these threatened shorebirds (the only shorebirds that nest on Oregon beaches, apart from the occasional killdeer) have gone into effect.  From now through July, hard-to-spot nests may be in dry sand areas, and the goal is to protect them.

To learn more about snowy plovers, and to consider getting involved in surveying for them, attend a free, in-depth workshop led by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s wildlife biologist Vanessa Blackstone for an in-depth workshop on Saturday, March 18, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Kiawanda Community Center, 34600 Cape Kiwanda Drive in Pacific City.  You’ll learn what to look for to help keep watch over the plover population.  The first half of the workshop is all about the bird, while the second half focuses on how to survey for plovers, and is required for State Parks’ Plover Patrol volunteers.

For more information on regulations protecting the Western Snowy Plover, go here. 

For more information about the workshop or the Plover Patrol, contact Vanessa Blackstone at 503-383-5012, vanessa.blackstone@oregon.gov.