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| Piping Plover
(Charadrius melodus), Great Lakes Population: Scattered
nesting populations of this shorebird formerly occurred around
shoreline areas of much of the Great Lakes. Historical declines in
the populations have been caused by shoreline habitat alteration, and
disturbances caused by human activities. Less than a few dozen
breeding pairs are known to persist in the Great Lakes, and the last
nesting pair documented in Illinois was in 1973. Because of very low population
size, this species is extremely vulnerable to human-caused or natural
events. It was listed as a federally endangered species in 1985,
and the Service designated critical habitat for the Great Lakes
population in 2001. Historical Records for this Species in
Northeast Illinois are available from Lake and Cook counties, and
the designated critical habitat is along the Lake Michigan Shoreline in
the northeastern part of Lake County. In recent years small groups
of piping plovers have been somewhat regularly observed in northeastern
Illinois along the Lake Michigan shoreline during spring and fall
migration.
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Critical Habitat: Approximately 10.2 kilometers of Lake Michigan
shoreline habitat in
northeastern Illinois were included in that designated unit. The
unit extends from 17th Street in Illinois Beach State Park, southward to
the northern Waukegan Beach breakwater, but excludes the public beach
and campground in the state park.
Locally, the Chicago Illinois Field
office has participated in surveys for nesting plovers within the
designated critical habitat in Lake County, Illinois. We also are
involved with planning proposed beach nourishment and stabilization
projects that could ultimately be beneficial to plovers should they
return as a nesting species to northeastern Illinois.
Great Lakes Population of the piping
plover (Charadrius melodus): Was listed as endangered
in 1985. Pertinent web areas, literature and dates for the Great
Lakes population include:
- Complete
regulatory profile as provided by the Service's Endangered
Species Web site.
- Final Determination of Endangered and
Threatened Status for Piping Plover, as published in the Federal
Register (50 FR 50726-50734) is not yet available in .pdf format.
- Final
determination of Great Lakes piping plover Critical Habitat.
- A Recovery Plan for the Great Lakes
Population was approved in September 2003.
- All
About Piping Plovers.
- USFWS online Fact
sheet.
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