DNREC to Offer Training May 3 at Cape Henlopen for Becoming a Volunteer Beach-nesting Bird Monitor

A pair of piping plover chicks foraging on a Delaware Beach in a previous year. The species is federally listed as “threatened” and DNREC seeks volunteers to monitor and help protect the plover and other species that are in need of assistance as their numbers try to rebound on the East Coast. /Photo: Jessica McNulty

Important Effort Helps Protect State’s Endangered and Threatened Shorebird Species Including Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is seeking volunteers who want to help protect Delaware’s beach-nesting birds – which include federally-listed threatened piping plovers and state-listed endangered American oystercatchers. Potential volunteers are invited to join a training session held by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 3 at Cape Henlopen State Park’s Officers Club Mess Hall.

Volunteers who act as monitors are an important and valued component of the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s conservation efforts for Delaware’s beach-nesting bird species. Stationed on the boundaries of the birds’ nesting areas, volunteers explain to beachgoers the importance of closing sections of the beach to prevent human disturbance thus helping increase the nesting success of the birds.

The May 3 volunteer training session will begin with light refreshments and a slideshow presentation, followed by a discussion about the beach-nesting bird monitoring program, and how volunteers can help to ensure that these shorebirds are not disturbed while nesting and rearing their chicks during the summer months. Weather and time permitting, the group will finish the training session by venturing out to the Point at Cape Henlopen to look for piping plovers and other shorebirds likely to be feeding on the tidal flats. Binoculars will be available for use, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own optics if they have them.

Submission of an interest form prior to the training is encouraged so supervisors can prepare enough material, but volunteer walk-ups can also receive training to become beach-nesting bird monitors and submit the form afterward. Park entrance fees will be waived for volunteers attending the training.

For more information on the training, about beach-nesting birds, or about volunteer monitoring efforts, visit de.gov/pipingplovers or email DNREC Coastal Waterbird Biologist Kat Christie and her team at deshorebirds@delaware.gov.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov 

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