Saving the Piping Plovers

By Anthony Zick, grants coordinator

Conservation is at the core of what the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) does. The connections our guests make at the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center inspire them to protect animals and the natural world. Beyond our campuses, we partake in evidence-based conservation work to protect wildlife facing potential extinction. One such activity is the recovery of Great Lakes piping plovers.

Each spring, these tiny birds nest on the beaches of the Great Lakes region. Unfortunately, a lot can go wrong. Parents flee their nests when they feel threatened by predators, humans or high water levels. Plover nesting space has also been lost due to development. In 1986, piping plovers were added to the State of Michigan’s endangered species list.

In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched the Piping Plover Recovery Initiative. Every year since, the DZS’s bird care team has played a critical role in the initiative’s captiverearing program. The program involves incubating abandoned piping plover eggs until they hatch and rearing the chicks until they can be released to join wild plovers. The Piping Plover Recovery Initiative has helped grow the number of nesting pairs from just 17 to an amazing 80 pairs in the latest census.

By August, a new group of captive-reared plovers will be ready to fledge and begin their first journey south for the winter. Because of donors like you, the recovery of species such as the piping plover is taking flight. Together, we are making a real difference in the fight to protect endangered species. Your thoughtful gift of any size will help ignite positive change for animals and nature – both at the Zoo and around the globe.