PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 22, 2025
The population of endangered piping plovers in Maine has reached a record high this summer. Laura Minich Zitske, director of Maine Audubon’s piping plover and least tern project, said the 174 pairs of nesting birds documented this year reflects the state’s sustained effort to protect the species. “It takes a village to raise these guys,” she said. Multiple organizations have been involved in the protection of plover habitats since they were listed as an endangered species in 1986, including the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, countless municipalities, private landowners, and volunteers.