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The endangered Western Snowy Plover struggles to survive on Ocean Beach, new dog leash proposal will give them a fighting chance!
Sunday before last, Simon and I joined Wild Equity on a walk along Ocean Beach in search of the Snowy Plover. We were joined by naturalist and renowned California birder, Dan Murphy, who helped us spot the difference between the endangered Snowy Plover and the common Sanderling.
The Western Snowy Plover is protected by federal law as a threatened species on the Endangered Species act, it lives amongst sand-dunes and on exposed beaches along the west coast of California, Oregon and Washington, though most of the breeding activity happens on the California coast, where in 2012 it’s habitat was listed as critical.
The Snowy Plover looks similar to the Sanderling, and looking about along the beaches near San Francisco you’d be forgiven for mistaking the two.
The Snowy Plover walks quite differently to the Sanderling’s scuttle. You see Sanderlings everywhere and they both have the white belly, Sanderlings have a longer beak and don’t have the tell-tell black markings on the head and near the eyes that the Snowy Plover does.
This year for the first time the population of the Western Snowy Plover has finally started to trend upwards from the 20 or so that have been struggling to survive over the past 20 years to a record 104 birds on Ocean Beach! Crissy Fields still has between 1 and 6 of these plucky little critters per season.
Even though the population in this area has risen a little this year, its still under huge threat, and the rise in this year’s population may be explained by habitat loss elsewhere in California driving the little fluffy birds to our neck of the woods.
Dogs are a massive threat to the Snowy Plover, particularly dogs off leash. Dogs happily scampering about the beach scares the birds that nestle amongst the windswept footsteps of the sand on Ocean Beach, and this can be too much disturbance for the fragile eggs and chicks to survive.
Another less obvious way dogs negatively affect the Snowy Plover - one birder told us on our walk along Ocean Beach - is through changing and destruction of the habitat. The Snowy Plover needs a gradual slope from the sea to the dunes, over time due to human / dog erosion that slope has become steeper and lost some of its natural dune plant-life. Loss of the natural slope and the plant coverage further drives the little birds to rest in the more exposed expanse of the beach.
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area has opened for comment a selection of proposals which have been in discussion for a long time, that could limit the exposure of the endangered wildlife to dogs. This graphic from the National Park service goes into more detail about how long these plans have been in the works.
It’s worth mentioning that it is not just the Snowy Plover that dog restrictions will benefit, The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is home to over 1,273 plant and animal species (37 of which are rare, threatened, or endangered).
I do sympathise with the opponents of the new proposal, however, we ourselves have an adorable little 13 month old puppy called Cleo, who likes nothing more than scampering about free on the beach and having a dig in the sand, and I can understand how it feels to think about the restrictions hampering the fun of our little fur-baby. However I am willing to take extra care when I take her out, to be sure that my time in nature with her doesn’t also negatively impact the environment we all so enjoy.
These new proposed restrictions are not about sanitising the beach or disregarding the feelings of the local people and their dogs, its about doing what’s right. Doing what little we can to co-exist peacefully in balance with the wildlife that needs us to fight for its very existence.
See the National Park Service FAQ or the Wild Equity FAQ for more information on the proposed new dog rules. There are a number of different alternatives for each area, see the pdf maps for more detail- and do look at these maps before jumping to the defensive.
To add your voice to the comments on this proposal to defend the many unique native plants and wildlife that exist in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area go to regulations.gov RIN 1024-AE16, the comment date has been extended to May this year (2016).
You can comment online at the link above or send a letter to: Superintendent, GGNRA, Attn: Dog Management Proposed Rule, Building 201 Fort Mason, SF, CA 94123.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) Superintendent Chris Lehnertz says that they are “fighting really hard to be able to keep off-leash dog walking in the GGNRA. We’re the only location in the Park Service that allows it [at all]”.
Regardless of whether you think the various proposals are at the right level of balance between nature and recreation just yet, lets all think hard about both sides of this story to find the right solution.
Even if the new dog leash proposal goes through as is, you will still be able to have fun with your dog off leash, join us and our puppy Cleo in all the lovely dog play areas in and around the city.
We need to approach conservation of the natural world driven by whats responsible and just, and not purely from a place of gut-reaction and emotion. Think about the bigger picture, we owe the entire natural world our protection especially species like the Western Snowy Plover that are too far down the path to extinction.
Don’t sacrifice the future of an entire species, for the sake of the convenience of you and your pet.