Oregon Coast Visitors Urged to Tread Lightly as Threatened Snowy Plovers Fight for Survival During Nesting Season

Visitors to the Oregon coastal regions should respect the 40 miles of a 362-mile coastline set aside to protect threatened western snowy plovers during their nesting season. The season is from mid-March to mid-September 2025.

Beachgoers Can Help by Adhering to the Rules

Beachgoers can assist recovery by remaining on wet sand and not taking dogs to the beach – a restriction even if on a leash. Some grounds, but not all, have been roped off in dry areas critical to a successful nesting season and should be avoided by visitors.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Siuslaw National Forest have erected signs at trailheads to help protect the small western snowy plover shorebirds during the season when their nests lie openly exposed on the ground.

Some recreation activities are prohibited in designated plover management areas that help protect these small shorebirds that nest on beaches along the Oregon coastline.

Visitors are asked to remain alert to the whereabouts of the western snowy plovers, as their chicks and nests are camouflaged. Human disturbance flushes adult plovers away from their nests as they attempt to protect their chicks. If nests are left too long, or too often, eggs or chicks can die from exposure, people, or predators.

Red Flags to Oregon Beachgoers

Red flags to beachgoers are driving vehicles or operating electric-assisted bicycles, dogs even if leashed, bicycle riding, camping, burning wood, operating drones, or flying kites.

Foot traffic and riding horses are only allowed below the high-tide line on hard-packed sand.

Lastly, visitors are asked to respect all signage.

Siuslaw National Forest wildlife biologist, Cindy Burns says great strides are being made to reverse the decline of the western snowy plover which was listed as a threatened species in 1993 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when 45 breeding adults were officially counted.

Their numbers have steadily grown, and during the breeding season last year, a survey established 440 adults.

Predators Can be Attracted to Litter left by Beachgoers

Apart from invasive plants, habitats have been lost because of human disturbances, including litter and discarded food scraps that attract predators, all contributing to the decline in the population of these shorebirds.

Land managers who oversee beach activity for plover protection are from the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW).

The Oregon Dunes Restoration Collaborative, saveoregondunes.org, is working with land managers on a restoration strategy to raise awareness for the need to restore the dunes ecosystem for western snowy plovers, rare plants, and animals.