MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • June 14, 2020
For more than three decades, Maine has worked to restore the endangered Piping Plover. The fragile population of the birds has grown from 15 breeding pairs in 1986 to 89 pairs in 2019. The species has benefited from fencing around nests, leashing dogs, posting caution signs, reducing predation, and asking beachgoers to modify their activities near birds and fenced areas. But some people think they know better. The Maine Warden Service and United States Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating two cases of vandalism at the bird enclosures on beaches in Saco and Old Orchard Beach, which resulted in the abandonment and death of chicks. The incidents ought to be televised on North Woods Law and the culprits buried up to their heads in the beach for a day. If they admit their stupidity, they could earn a wire enclosure while buried.