Snowy Plover Patrol Training

Snowy plover exclosure, to protect a nesting area.\Photo courtesy of USFWS.

Portland Audubon is partnering with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and the Institute for Natural Resources to monitor endangered Western Snowy Plovers at four sites on the North Coast (from Clatsop Spit near Astoria to the Sitka Sedge State Natural Area beach near Pacific City) starting in April and continuing through the summer.  They are looking for volunteers to perform surveys, ideally twice a month but it is possible to arrange to do fewer if needed. Surveys will take 2-4 hours (depending on the site).  Some sites will require a fair amount of walking on sandy beach habitat.

To participate, you must take the training (if you have participated in previous years, this isn’t essential, but still recommended).  On the other hand, you are welcome to attend to learn about plovers, even if you don’t volunteer for the survey.  There are four modules, all of which must be taken.  On Saturday, April 10, there are two modules, beginning at 10 a.m.

Module 1: What is a plover, anyway?
Content covers: Snowy Plover Identification, Similar Species, Life History, Habitat, Behavior, Threats and Decline.

Module 2: A Species at Risk
Content covers: Understanding the Endangered Species Act, Legal Status, Management Strategies, and Recovery.  Begins at 11:30 a.m.

To learn more about the Snowy Plover Patrol, go here.

Here’s the form to use to register.

For more information, contact Joe Liebezeit of Portland Audubon at jliebezeit@audubonportland.org.