Absent from Pennsylvania for over 60 years, the federal and state endangered piping plover, a small shorebird, has made a comeback at Presque Isle State Park in Erie. Federal, state and local officials came together at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie this past weekend for “Pennsylvania Piping Plover Fest,” a celebration of the shorebird’s ten consecutive years of nesting in the Commonwealth.
“Although our small population is extremely fragile, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and our team of partners are unwavering in our commitment to ensuring these remarkable birds endure for generations to come,” said Cathy Haffner, PGC Wildlife Biologist and Piping Plover Recovery Coordinator.
The Presque Isle shoreline is the only breeding habitat for the piping plover in Pennsylvania. However, increased recreational activity throughout the years endangered camouflaged eggs in shallow depressions in the sand. Piping Plovers eventually abandoned Presque Isle by the mid-1950s, like many other nesting sites throughout the Great Lakes…