Section of Point Reyes Beach Closed Over Holiday Weekend to Protect Rare Bird

By Bay City News Service

A small stretch of Point Reyes Beach will be closed over the Fourth of July weekend to protect the breeding ground of the western snowy plover, a Point Reyes National Seashore spokesman said.

The nesting season of the federally-threatened bird species is underway, and the Point Reyes National Seashore is one of the few remaining nesting grounds for the rare bird, spokesman John Dell'Osso said.

The Point Reyes National Seashore typically supports 15 to 20 adult breeding plovers that nest inconspicuously between the tidal zone and the upper reaches of coastal beaches, Dell'Osso said.

The population at the seashore has been monitored annually since 1995. From Friday through Sunday, the Point Reyes Beach will be closed between 0.5 miles north of the North Beach parking lot and 0.35 miles south of the mouth of Abbotts Lagoon.

Closing a portion of the Great Beach will minimize disturbances to nests, chicks and breeding adults and help chicks stay warm, have enough food and stay hidden from predators, Dell'Osso said.

In 2013, only three of the 11 newly hatched chicks survived past the Fourth of July weekend, Dell'Osso said.

"We appreciate everyone's support for these temporary closures," Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said.