Martha’s Vineyard’s black skimmers aren’t the only winged creatures that enjoyed a productive year in Massachusetts. The piping plover, a species categorized as threatened and protected by state and federal law, has continued its decade of growth, with almost a thousand pairs nesting on the Massachusetts coastline this year, according to findings from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
The state’s piping plover populations have long been threatened by human activity, predators such as seagulls, and storms. But, a number of conservation efforts across the Massachusetts coastline have helped those numbers steadily grow. These projects involve monitoring nests and sectioning off plover habitats on the beach to protect them from humans and animals stepping on them.
