Threatened Piping Plovers Enjoy Best Breeding Season Since 1999 As Six New Chicks Are Born

National Park Service Efforts to Limit Off-Road Vehicle Use on Cape Hatteras Seashore Provides Boost for Threatened Bird

(08/02/2005) - Washington, DC – Reports from Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) this week that six piping plover chicks had successfully fledged is cause for celebration and a testament to the importance of limiting off-road vehicle (ORV) use during the breeding season, according to Defenders of Wildlife.

"There’s no question that the Park Service’s decision to close areas of the seashore to off-road vehicles in order to protect the nests contributed to this year’s success," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, Executive Vice President for Defenders of Wildlife. "This demonstrates that wildlife can thrive at Cape Hatteras if we’re willing to protect nesting areas by temporarily limiting vehicle use."

The National Park Service closed two popular fishing beaches to public use to protect the piping plovers, which are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. As a result of the fledging, the National Park Service announced that these beaches--Hatteras Inlet and Cape Point--would be reopened to ORV and pedestrian use.

Shorebird chicks are flightless and ORV use in nesting areas can crush chicks or scare away adult birds, which in turn increases the chances of predation. Chicks are considered fully fledged they are 35 days old or are capable of sustained flight. With six chicks fledged, Hatteras has surpassed its combined total for the past four years. In 2004 and 2002, no chicks survived, while in 2003 and 2001, one chick each managed to fledge. This represents the most successful breeding season at Hatteras since 1999, when seven chicks fledged.

In May, Defenders of Wildlife called on the National Park Service to limit the extensive use of off road vehicles on areas of Cape Hatteras National Seashore because the practice is damaging the habitat of imperiled birds and in direct violation of the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws. The organization issued a 60-day notice of intent to file a civil suit if the violations are not significantly rectified within that time frame.

Despite management improvements this summer that led to this breeding success, the National Park Service remains in violation of numerous federal laws by failing to promulgate an ORV management plan as is required by two presidential executive orders and the Park Service's own regulations. In addition, the Service has yet to fully comply with the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act with respect to off-road vehicle use in wildlife habitat.

"The Park Service deserves credit for stepping up its efforts to protect threatened shorebirds this summer, but it still has a ways to go to fully comply with the law," Clark said.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore was established in 1953 as the nation's first national seashore. With over 70 miles of shoreline, it is one of the longest protected barrier island systems on the East Coast. It is home to thousands of migratory waterfowl and to several animal and plant species that are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, such as the leatherback turtle, green sea turtle, and the seabeach amaranth. Rare or declining seabirds also inhabit the area. Those include the black skimmer, common tern, least tern and American oystercatcher. 

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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 490,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues.

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Contact(s):

Brad DeVries, (202) 772-0237
William Lutz, (202) 772-0269