Federal officials investigate piping plover deaths

The death of two piping plover chicks earlier this month at Robert Moses State Park has prompted an investigation by federal wildlife officials - and a new protective fence that, for now, blocks off-road vehicle access to fishing spots on the bay side of Democrat Point.

Piping plovers are small, federally protected birds that nest on the open beach, leaving them vulnerable to predators and disturbance from beachgoers and vehicles.

The tiny chicks killed at Robert Moses were found dead July 2 in an off-road driving area between the golf course and the park's western tip. Biologists believe the birds were traveling from one nesting spot near the golf course to forage for food at another breeding area by a jetty about a mile west.

"They were found in the tire treads," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Steve Papa. "The chicks were about a week old, so they'd be a couple inches long."

Park workers, conservation advocates and volunteers from the Long Island Beach Buggy Association monitor the beach each year for plovers and build string fences to mark off breeding areas that need protection.

But this is the first time plovers were observed in the off-road vehicle area, which usually stays open all season whether or not the birds were breeding nearby, according to a July 13 letter from the service to the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The letter called the chicks' death "a serious matter," and said the service was investigating. It recommended parks officials close an area by the jetty to vehicles and increase checks to see if plovers are using the larger off-road stretch to travel between breeding grounds.

To prevent further fatalities, park managers have fenced off an area extending about 650 feet around the jetty. Five plover family groups were there earlier this month. The fence went up on Friday, said regional parks director Ronald Foley.

"That effectively closes off more than just that area because it's the route that off-road vehicles would take to the bay side," Foley said. Anglers can still reach that side of Democrat Point on foot, he said.

It is the second time in two years piping plover chicks have been killed by an off-road vehicle at a Long Island state park. Last year, a truck barreled through fencing at Hither Hills State Park and killed a chick, Papa said.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife wants parks officials to more closely monitor the movement of breeding plovers along the beach. If broods that nest there are highly mobile, then the new buffer may have to be increased.

"Knowing now that the birds might take their chicks down to Democrat Point, you can't have off-road vehicle access right there," Papa said.

Foley said he did not anticipate more extensive bans on beach driving at Robert Moses park.

"I've heard a couple of complaints but nothing serious yet," Foley said.

But some anglers said the new fence shrinks parking space and makes it even harder for them to reach fishing spots. "We lost a lot of access as it was because of erosion from spring storms," said Steve Vallone of the Mid-Island Surfcasters club. "It's a big to-do."