Why beaches close for piping plovers in Maine and New Hampshire

FOSTERS DAILY DEMOCRAT • August 11, 2026

Piping plovers have restricted nesting requirements that put them in conflict with humans. Their numbers have declined due to the loss of safe nesting habitat. They are now listed as an endangered species in both Maine and New Hampshire and threatened in Massachusetts. According to Kevin Mullan of Maine Audubon’s Coastal Birds Project, “These birds are endangered due to coastal development and disturbance from human activities. Piping plovers need a healthy beach ecosystem to survive. It’s where they nest, rest, and forage. With the popularity of beachfront property and beaches as a place of recreation, there will always be a need to protect their nesting grounds in order to manage that conflict between human use and plovers. The presence of plovers is also a signal of a healthy and diverse beach ecosystem that we should strive to maintain.”