To the Editor:
This piping plover chick surprised all, discovered at around 9 days old, with both parents, on a section of beach that would never have been anticipated to be a piping plover nesting area, boardwalk on one side, crowded sand beach on the other.
NJ Fish & Wildlife quickly took actions to protect the birds and their habitat. The city made some modifications to beach management activities intended to protect the birds. For four days lots of beach-goers, residents and visitors alike had the thrill of watching a tiny piping plover chick scampering around off and on all day, as the dad would guide it, protect it, keep it secure, hoping it would gather enough food to sustain itself.
Beach goers were excited, uplifted, curious and hopeful for this little bird.
But as happens too frequently in the world of threatened and endangered species, including piping plovers, loss of habitat, inability to access the intertidal zone to feed frequently, and pressures from the outside world just made the challenge for this little chick too difficult to overcome.
With sadness, this chick passed, but in a very short period, it brightened a lot of faces, young and old, and hopefully left a lasting impression on the struggle and needs of these threatened species. More does need to be done to help stop the decline of this species.
Bill Reinert
Volunteer Beach Nesting Bird Monitor, Somers Point